Meet John Holland | Filmmaker and Home Chef

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

Hi John, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
I’ve always had a very strong imagination. Not the point where I had imaginary friends lol, but very vivid visions of ideas I had. I started out drawing and painting as a kid, but always was fascinated by the camera. I’d bug my dad for a video camera, but thank God he didn’t because 10 year old me would never have been responsible enough to not break it (and camera’s weren’t cheap in the 90’s). When I was in high school I spent all four years in the television program learning production from idea to finished product and when I reached college I continued that (with a brief stint as a marketing major before I realized I hated everything about it). As vivid as my imagination was, I could never see myself doing anything that wasn’t creative. There was no plan B, no alternative. It simple was the empty spot in my mind, even if I tried to settle for something else. I was destined to be creative and it brings me so much happiness.

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.
My art has found so many avenues over the pandemic lol. I started out as a writer and director of comedy sketches. That led to my sketch group landing a TV deal with Adult Swim. We had this unique “black people doing a different type of comedy” vibe that resonated with people looking for something different than the Comic View and Def Comedy Jam days. The TV deal is definitely our most proudest moment because not a lot of people even get to set foot in a pitch room. We run into many road blocks along the ways to our goals, but I’ve learned that a roadblock is simply a new skill I need to learn or a person who possesses the talent that I need to meet. The passion for sketches has cooled down some simply because everyone is doing them now. Its this weird artist thing where I just want to do something different than everyone else. Not always the most financially rewarding but boy, do I get a kick out of it when I figure something new out lol. Today my art has transformed into this cooking tutorial-comedy project which has been really fun and rejuvenating to do. The challenge of filmmaking, comedy and cooking coming together. We have silly graphics and eventually will be inserting fun cutaways like Good Eats.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Well my friends know my cooking is top notch, so there would definitely be a taco night on the grill. In Los Angeles, everyone wants to see the beach and Hollywood so those would be some afternoon visits, Before the pandemic, there was downtown LA and Hollywood at night as far as bars and lounges to visit. I’m not sure who has survived this last year, so it would be an adventure for the both of us to see what’s poppin’ lol. If I was really ballin’, I’d hit a breakfast spot by the beach on a Friday, get some good drinks in us. Hang by the beach for a few hours. Sober up, and then catch a $100 45-minute flight to Vegas for the weekend.

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?
My parents definitely to start. They would also try to provide the materials and resources to anything I showed interest in. And after a while of doing that, they figured out that I gravitated towards more creative things so they kept pushing me in that direction. I had a great mentor coming out of college named Ken Canion who taught me so much about business and selling ideas, products and services. He hired me right after I graduated and became my first client when he helped me start my business. Lastly, Walter Newman, currently at Adult Swim. He worked at Comedy Central and found my sketch comedy group’s YouTube videos back in 2008 and reached out to us. He helped me develop my writing to be stronger, as well as giving me good insight into the business side of television. Of course everyone I’ve encountered in LA has been a push in the right direction!

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

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/hohnjolland

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/PourChoicesKitchen/videos