John Pierson (born April 10, 1954) is an American independent filmmaker. He is best known for helping to produce the first works by filmmakers Spike Lee, Richard Linklater, Michael Moore, Rose Troche, Guinevere Turner, and Kevin Smith, which he wrote about in his 1995 book Spike, Mike, Slackers, & Dykes (reissued in 2004 as Spike, Mike Reloaded).Glenn Kenny, "A Brief History of American Independent Film: 'Split Screen' on FilmStruck," New York Times, January 11, 2018.
Career After the publication of Spike, Mike, Slackers, & Dykes, Pierson began producing and hosting the TV show Split Screen, which premiered on IFC in 1997 and had an initial run of 60 episodes containing interviews and video essays covering topics related to American indie film. Season 10 premiered on January 13, 2018, on the Criterion Channel on FilmStruck. Pierson is founder and president of Grainy Pictures, Inc., a film and television production company.David Hochman, A Cinema So Indie It's 5,000 Miles Away, New York Times, July 31, 2005.
Personal life Pierson lives in Austin, Texas, and teaches in the University of Texas Radio-Television-Film department.RTF Master Class, University of Texas His wife, Janet Pierson, is the chief programmer of the film section of South by Southwest.
Books Spike, Mike, Slackers, & Dykes: A Guided Tour Across a Decade of American Independent Cinema. New York: Miramax Books/Hyperion, 1995. Spike, Mike Reloaded: A Guided Tour Across a Decade of American Independent Cinema. New York: Miramax Books/Hyperion, 2003.
References
External links
John Pierson: Short Bio