John's early life was marked by a strong influence from his family's equine-oriented traditions, as he was raised with the intention of following in their footsteps as a cowboy. However, John's aspirations took a dramatic turn when he decided to abandon his family's horse-drawn dreams and venture to the vibrant city of San Francisco to pursue a career in the performing arts.
John's academic pursuits led him to San Francisco State University, where he received training that would serve as a solid foundation for his future endeavors. During his time at the university, John was an integral part of the founding of not one, but two influential theater groups: Reflex Action Theater and the legendary Z Collective.
John's impressive resume boasts an extensive list of productions he appeared in during his time in San Francisco. He performed in over 30 productions at renowned theaters such as Berkeley Rep, Magic Theatre, Shakespeare in the Park, Asian American Theatre, and many others. Furthermore, John had the opportunity to hone his craft in Europe for two seasons with the esteemed Word for Word performance troupe, based out of San Francisco.
Interestingly, John's academic journey was not without its detours. During his college years, he briefly considered a career in genetic research, but a minor math problem in one of his lab sessions convinced him that this path was not meant to be.
