His attitude to life and art never lost intensity—he was never the amateur."—William Butler Yeats
On March 1, the production community lost one of its best, John Romeyn, an executive producer at Flying Tiger Films. And of all the things John will be remembered for—his amazing confidence, intelligence, wit and ability to inspire those around him, to name a scant few—I will perhaps remember John most as a loving father to his two daughters, Jenny and Jessica.
I remember John and I together in Brazil during an amazingly harrowing production, where nothing seemed to go right—namely the weather, which claimed nearly all of the phone lines. Looking out of my hotel window I watched John, after working nearly 20 hours, walking into town to use the one available phone line to tell his girls about his day.
I recall this image of John—walking to a phone booth in the middle of Brazil to talk to his kids—had almost a Hollywood quality to it. But then again, it is John I am thinking about. He was without question the "leading man" of producers.
Anyone who knew John remembers his rugged stature, all-American good looks and charisma. But most probably aren’t aware that John modeled in his early 20s and was one of the original Marlboro Men. Nor would they know that he apprenticed under the famous artist Ed Kienholz, or that John was instrumental in the production of superstar Michael Jackson’s Moonwalker motion picture. That was the essence of John: always surprising you with another side of himself.
He had an uncanny ability—which sometimes seems in short supply today—to look you in the eye and tell you what he thought. Conversely, he was also a great listener. He was the kind of person who took the time to get to know everyone on a production, from agency creatives to the PAs, and made them feel that their input was welcome, which it always was with John. This brought a warm, family feeling to his work, which made John a father figure to many of the younger people in production. He was young at heart and treated everyone, regardless of experience or position, with equality and respect.
John was a passionate teacher. He taught us so much. Jason Giacopelli, a former editor at Flying Tiger Films, was one of the young people mentored by John. For four years they shared an office, and during that time Jason learned more about producing than any film school could ever teach. Most importantly, John taught him to lead by example.
Ken Arlidge, a director who worked solely with John for the past three years, recalls many occasions when John rose above and beyond the call of duty to save a production. "John’s dedication was astounding—not only to a project, but to everyone involved. Despite all his professional success, John’s first and most cherished position was that of a father."
John lived with both feet on the ground, and with a vibrant sympathy was interested in people’s everyday concerns. His eloquence was heard, whether speaking with the average person on the street or the chairman of the board.
John’s spontaneous, forthright, ever-alert goodness was a ray of sunshine. And like sunshine creates optimism along its path, John spread happiness.
I, along with the entire staff of Flying Tiger Films and everyone who ever had the pleasure to work with John, honor him. He had our friendship and our respect, and he will be missed.
