Biographie
Born in California and raised near Boston, John has enjoyed a diverse career spanning politics and entertainment.
While studying at Brown University in the mid-1970s, he was cast in Universal's Jaws sequel, Jaws 2 (1978). He moved to Hollywood and acted for six years, appearing in films such as Making Love (1982), Delusion (1981), and Split Image (1982), along with TV roles in Family Ties (1982), Little House on the Prairie (1974), Taxi (1978), and the Jim Jones docudrama Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones (1980). He concluded his acting career in New York performing on Broadway and off-Broadway.
After retiring from acting, John transitioned to Washington, D.C., working as a legislative assistant to U.S. Senator John Kerry (D-MA) during the Senator’s first two years in office. In 1987, when his father, then-Governor Michael Dukakis (D-MA), announced his presidential run, John left Washington to manage the Southern campaign ahead of the Super Tuesday primaries. Later, as National Political Director, he campaigned nationwide for the Dukakis-Bentsen ticket. Following the 1988 election, John joined Boston attorney Bob Woolf, who represented professional athletes internationally. John managed the music business department, focusing on the emerging local group New Kids on the Block. As the company expanded, he opened a Los Angeles office to work with established and emerging artists. By his departure in 1992, the company was also managing Boyz II Men and Marky Mark & the Funky Bunch.
John then became general manager of Paisley Park Records, a joint venture between Prince and Warner Bros. Records. During his tenure, the label released albums by Prince, George Clinton, and Mavis Staples.
In 1994, he co-founded Southpaw Entertainment with partner Qadree El-Amin, a full-service management company initially focused on Boyz II Men. Following the 12x platinum success of the album II, they expanded their roster to include Janet Jackson, Vanessa Williams, Brownstone, and Blackstreet.
In early 2002, John left Southpaw to become Executive Vice President of Overbrook Music, a label and management company owned by Will Smith and James Lassiter. The company released the multi-platinum Wild Wild West soundtrack (1999) and the gold-certified Love and Basketball soundtrack. Overbrook also managed artists including Will Smith, Christina Vidal, Jordan Knight, Deb Cox, singer/songwriter Javier, singer/songwriter Maria, and Samantha Mumba.
John retired from the music industry in 2008 and has been living and working in Boston since.
