We had the good fortune of connecting with John Handem Piette and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi John, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
Starting my own business was more of a struggle mentally than you might think, to really feel like it’s what was right for me. The idea of having a “Business” just seemed antithetical to the pursuit of my artistic dreams and being a filmmaker. After many years of being a hired gun as a director, videographer, editor or all of the above, and some convincing from my older cousin who happens to do my taxes, I was finally compelled to start my own production company. Then it just became, “What do I call it?” For me, coming up with the names of things is very important, it sort of sets the thematic foundation of what you’re setting out to achieve…so naturally after the viral success of my Avengers Assemble meme from the 2020 presidential election, I decided Assemble Studios would be my company’s name because making any project takes collaboration with inspiring, hard working people and obviously…some assembly required.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
It’s a good and important question to think about what sets you apart from others, especially for me as a storyteller. It took me many years to learn that what makes me unique is what I should lean into and express through my work. I’ve lived in many countries and many states within the U.S. and traveled around the world. So naturally I like to share stories that are diverse in culture and perspective, because that’s been my experience since birth in Stockholm, Sweden to African parents and growing up with a British step father.

It’s an ever-evolving process but once I was able to hone in on who I am and what I want to say, there’s been no looking back from an artistic standpoint. As far as business is concerned, the main challenge has been in finding consistent clients. I always look to collaborate with people, artists and businesses that have a unique story to tell and are trying to make the world a better place in some way. When our values align it becomes a natural fit for me and a real pleasure to create something special. I’ve been fortunate over the last 2 years to create content for Seeds of Wisdom, an organization that preserves and supports Indigenous communities around the world and we have some exciting projects coming out soon including a documentary-series I recently filmed in Mexico.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I used to live in a house in the Hollywood hills with 2 of my best friends we’d always have a revolving door of family, friends and acquaintances who’d visit year-round. So I got pretty good at being a tour guide around the city. My favorite place to go is almost always Venice, specifically the beach and boardwalk but also the canals and Abbot Kinney (especially when the food trucks are out).

What I love about Venice are the colorful idiosyncrasies and the grungy, random bursts of life and art. I know it’s been turning into Silicon beach of late and losing some of that grimy charm for a more bohemian “sheen”…which I’m not totally mad at but the last thing we need is Venice to become a remixed version of Santa Monica…not to knock SM…I like SM too but for different reasons and only when I’m in the mood for a more simple and curated experience, like going out to dinner or dance or to the movies. But some of the more weird and adventurous experiences I’ve had in LA have usually been when I’m in Venice.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There are many people who have inspired me and been great mentors throughout my life and career. To start off, I can count myself lucky in saying my mom and dad, Luisa and Matthew, were my OG inspirations in leading me to follow my dreams. They each had their own approach, my mom was a shameless and unabashed supporter of what ever I loved to do and gave me real confidence and courage. As a broadcast journalist she planted the seed early in my imagination that I could record stories to tape and invent whole worlds and characters. My dad was a realist and a critical thinker and works in the marketing world so he’d support me from a more pragmatic, “How are you going to accomplish this?” perspective with an honest assessment of the work it takes to get things accomplished.

I’ve also been fortunate enough to work with people i’ve truly admired and respected, even if we’ve had different approaches to things, I think there’s always something to learn from people who’ve been around longer than you have and had their fair share of rodeos, so to speak. It’s incredibly hard in life to skip steps when trying to achieve one’s dreams, but I think listening to a wise and experienced mentor’s advice and previous failings or mistakes is the only true shortcut and quickest path to success.

Website: www.jhp-film.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johnhpiette/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnhpiette/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JohnHPiette

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jhpfilm/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@JohnHandemPiette

Image Credits
Professional Photos of me in a suit are from Mallury Patrick Pollard

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