Biography
Based in Germany, John is Co-Managing Partner of the Bavarian production company Penned Pictures GmbH, and a partner of the Berlin-based animation company, White Spot Films GmbH. A writer, script doctor and producer, he began his involvement in the film industry by producing a number of shorts, including the award-winning drama, "Fragile Storm", starring Lance Henriksen, before venturing into the production of features and creating Penned Pictures.
In 2021, along with Jan Bonath, Vice-Chairman of the German Film & TV Producers' Alliance, and Chairman of the Animation Section, Penned Pictures created a sister company, "White Spot Films", dedicated to the production of animation films.
Penned Pictures' recent projects include "Die Akademie" with renowned cinematographer Luca Bigazzi, and a cast that includes Jean-Marc Barr, Andreas Lust, Michael Brandner, and newcomer, Maja Bons, who won the 2024 Bavarian Film Award as Best Young Actress. Die Akademie had its world premiere at the Munich Film Festival in July 2024 and will be the closing night film of the 2025 Raindance Film Festival in London. Other recent features include "Never Alone!", a WWII drama directed by Klaus Härö, which premiered at the 2024 Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, and won a Best of Fest audience award at the 2025 Palm Springs International Film Festival, and "Uppercut", the English-language remake of Torsten Ruether's German language film, "Leberhaken" with Ving Rhames and Joanna Cassidy, which celebrated its world premiere in Berlin in January 2025.
Projects in development include "In a Heartbeat", a biopic about Chris Norman, the lead singer of 80s band Smokie, "Requiem for a Robot" that was selected for the 2022 Frontières Platform at the Marché du Film - Festival de Cannes, and the animation feature "Mission Granny", that was pre-sold at the 2025 Marché du Film in Cannes based on one of John's screenplays.
The company also develops, produces and distributes documentary films via its "Docs Best Friend" label, including titles such as "There's a Hole in My Bucket", narrated by Benedict Cumberbatch, involving Oscar winning director, Peter Jackson, John Rhys-Davies and Billy Boyd, "Woolf Women" that was part of the official selection of the 2020 Raindance Film Festival in London, and the award-winning documentary "My Way" that received the highest film rating of 'Prädikat besonders wertvoll' (Outstandingly valuable) from the German Film and Media Rating organisation 'Deutsche Film- und Medienbewertung' in 2021.
