Meet John Paul Horstmann: Filmmaker, Producer, Editor, Director

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

Hi John Paul, how do you think about risk?
To me, taking risks is the only way to truly grow.  Filmmakers are natural risk-takers. And that’s why they always fail. 
You see, failure is good. Success is only possible when you no longer fear failure.  You need to take risks, fail and fail again, until you are no longer afraid.

Failure teaches you, but you have to be willing to learn from it. If you are afraid of the lesson, you will never grow.

I think beginning artists often make the mistake of staying in their comfort zone.  To them, it’s merely enough to be GOOD at something. But you will never grow if you are in a safe space, surrounded by friends, protecting your ego in a “glass case”.

There are millions of people with talent, who can play instruments,  sing, direct, paint, or whatever. It doesn’t make them good artists. Or give them good taste. To really grow you need to take risks. Allow yourself room to fail. Crush that ego, rip it out from the safety glass and smash it on the floor. Then pick up the pieces and learn something from it.

In my own career, somehow I was never afraid to take risks. I started out by founding a television station at my university, gathering students and raising money. We hit a lot of dead ends, but learning from our “failures” forced me to become a better problem-solver. By failing and trying again I taught myself how to raise money, how to shoot, how to write, how to edit. It was really the secret formula that prepared me for an industry of self-motivated, self-starters.

Later, once I had made it to a “safe job” in Los Angeles, I was surprised to discover that I was actually bored. It’s because somewhere inside I was actually an artist, and that meant I was a natural risk-take. I didn’t want to admit it, but I wasn’t cut out for a structured job.

So I turned down the safe jobs, and struck out on my own again. It wasn’t the wisest choice, but it led me to crazy experiences and opportunities I could never have dreamed of in the first place. I moved up to editing features. I started shooting, cutting, and re-cutting films. Traveling, interviewing, and selling TV shows. Fund-raising, pitching, and selling my own projects. I got to work with exciting people, some “celebrities”, and start my own business. It led to Sundance, Cannes, Outkast, Brad Pitt, Billie Eilish, “Southern Charm”, and a bunch of other memories I wouldn’t trade for anything.

So, if you’re starting out and you’re wondering if it’s worth the risk. It is. The worst you can do is fail.

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.
https://www.johnpaulportfolio.com/

Pennsylvania is a working-class state. I didn’t have any interest in film, or think it was a possible career path, but when I got to the University of Pittsburgh, and I found out they didn’t have a TV station, I was inspired to create one. I raised funding, started “pitching” it to different departments, and taught myself and the other students entirely how to shoot, edit, and broadcast our content. This was the days before YouTube, the very dawn of digital filmmaking so it was quite a challenge. What I didn’t realize those organizational and problem-solving skills were the perfect preparation for the film industry.

One of my teachers, Carl Kurlander, told me about the American Cinema Editors internship in LA. I was going up against big film schools, so I wrote in my application “I didn’t go to film school, but my friends and I made our own.” They loved that and invited me to LA.

I started out in indie film, and worked my way up as an assistant editor on films like Outkast’s IDLEWILD, THE AIR I BREATHE, and ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD, where I met director Andrew Dominik, who gave me my first chance to edit a film. KILLING THEM SOFTLY went to Cannes, and I struck out on my own as an independent editor.

It was a risky career choice, work came irregularly, but I was proud of the films I was making, such as COLD IN JULY, and ELECTRIC SLIDE. As side work I was re-cutting projects for people like JAMES FRANCO and FAYE DUNAWAY. I also started directing my own little projects, and learning how to shoot and produce content.

Eventually, I decided that if I was taking all these risks on indie-projects, I might as well take the risks for myself. This led to me pitching SOUTHERN CHARM with my good friend Whitney Sudler-Smith. The show has been on the air for 8 years now, spawning multiple spin-offs, and we have a company pitching unscripted content. I fly around the country meeting people, interviewing them, and coming up with sellable ideas for shows.

At the same time, I made three documentaries that were in Tribeca Film Festival IN SEARCH OF HALSTON, BODYSLAM: REVENGE OF THE BANANA, and I WANT MY MTV, which I either wrote or directed.

Most recently I have been working with Billie EIlish to develop and edit her music videos, which I am extremely proud of. I also got to re-unite with Andrew Dominik for a minute to help out on his new movie BLONDE, which will be coming out later this year.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
This is tricky, there are so many sides to LA besides what you see on TV. It’s really five cities in one. But myself, I would probably take people up to the Malibu Cafe, a little hidden gem where you can sit outside sipping custom-made drinks. Then to Malibu Seafood for some deep fried goodness, maybe a hike in Malibu Creek state park, or some shopping at all the unique shops in Topanga Canyon.

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?
American Cinema Editors for taking a chance on me and selecting me for the ACE Internship, even though I knew no one from LA. I wrote on the application that, no, I didn’t go to film school, but my friends and I started our own, and they loved that. It’s thanks to them I was able to get started.

Carl Kurlander, writer of St. Elmo’s Fire, and Richard Marks, ACE who sponsored me as an intern, and Anne Goursaud ACE who trained me in editing.

Andrew Dominik for giving me my first real film to cut.

Whitney Smith for trusting me to pitch our first successful TV show.

Billie Eilish for giving me the chance to work on her amazing videos.

Website: https://www.johnpaulportfolio.com/

Instagram: @johnpaulguerrerahorstmann

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-paul-horstmann-9438259/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/johnpaulla?lang=en