John began studying photography at the University of Oklahoma and
finished his collegiate studies as a theater major at the University of
Houston where he studied with Pulitzer Prize winning playwrights Edward
Albee and Lanford Wilson.
While at the University of Houston, John worked with the actors of The
Alley Theater, Houston's premier regional theater and received the full
gamut of classical theater training, ranging from proper stage movement
and voice, to stage combat and makeup.
John worked his way through college by working with Youth at Risk,
teaching Survival Skills at several Wilderness based programs. Working
in Southern Texas, Montana, Alaska, Utah, New Mexico, and Colorado
helped to teach the fundamentals of Wilderness Survival and the
application of these concepts and philosophies in day to day living for
troubled teens.