Split Screen - Kevin Smith (Season 1, Episode 3)
John Pierson
Split Screen, a wild, irreverent portrait of late 90s and early 2000s American independent filmmaking, was the first original series on IFC, then known as the Independent Film Channel in the US. John Pierson, author of SPIKE, MIKE, SLACKERS AND DYKES, was the guide who, along with his merry band of nearly 100 cohorts, explored the far-reaching corners of independent filmmaking around the country, including some of the era's most iconic filmmakers and many very colorful, if less successful, personalities. The series featured everyone from Harmony Korine, Kevin Smith and Crispin Glover to Miranda July and Spike Lee, often in outside-the-box interviews or scenarios, including as a rattlesnake roundup with actor Barry Tubb, and a cooking segment featuring Christopher Walken.
After a quarter century of aiding and abetting American independent filmmakers followed by a decade on the faculty of the University of Texas at Austin Radio-TV-Film Department, John Pierson tried a change of pace. He headed up a new China film production initiative for Justin Lin and Perfect Storm Entertainment in 2014-15 and still wonders if that misbegotten adventure is material for a future book.
Starting in 1985 when almost no one else was doing it, Pierson represented an all-star line-up of over twenty first time feature filmmakers including Spike Lee, Michael Moore, Richard Linklater and Kevin Smith, all of whom have gone on to substantial, sustained careers. After personally investing in She's Gotta Have It (still delivering royalties), he later set up the first completion funding company for unfinished low budget features like the surprise lesbian hit Go Fish. Pierson also executive produced Chasing Amy.
Then came publishing, television, academia, and radio.
His tales of indie film's coming of age decade from 1985-95 were chronicled in the well-reviewed Spike, Mike, Slackers & Dykes which Peter Biskind studied closely and called “the bible for independents.” It charted between Hillary Clinton and Deepak Chopra on the LA Times best-seller list, and remains in print on its twentieth anniversary. He's also written for the LA Times, NY Times, Premiere, Austin Chronicle, and indieWIRE.
On the coattails of and in the spirit of the book, Split Screen became IFCtv's first original series from 1997-2000. While the magazine format show was created and hosted by Pierson, it gave over 100 filmmakers a chance to make their mark and, over its four years, helped seed features like The Bair Witch Project, American Movie and How's Your News? All 60 episodes will soon be back on the air, featured on Criterion's new streaming channel in partnership with Turner Classic Movies.
In 2004 Pierson moved to Austin, TX aka Linklaterville to take a faculty position teaching film producing. His practical, hands-on approach resulted in Variety naming him one of their ten “Leaders In Learning” for 2010. Also while in Austin, where his wife Janet runs SXSW Film, he appeared on MTV's The Real World and finally got some real street cred.
John's weekly UT Master Class brought over 70 high profile industry guests to campus including Spike Lee, Spike Jonze, Matt Stone, David Simon, Steve Buscemi, and Harvey Weinstein. It was broadcast on Austin's NPR affiliate from 2006-2012.
In his heart of hearts, John Pierson loves movie theaters. He ran the legendary Bleecker Street Cinema in 1982-83 a few years after graduating from NYU Film School, got married to Janet at the Film Forum in 1983, and cajoled her and their two kids into moving to Fiji for a year in 2002 to show free movies at the world's most remote theater, the 180 Meridian Cinema – a memorable experience captured in the Steve James documentary Reel Paradise.
Starting in 1985 when almost no one else was doing it, Pierson represented an all-star line-up of over twenty first time feature filmmakers including Spike Lee, Michael Moore, Richard Linklater and Kevin Smith, all of whom have gone on to substantial, sustained careers. After personally investing in She's Gotta Have It (still delivering royalties), he later set up the first completion funding company for unfinished low budget features like the surprise lesbian hit Go Fish. Pierson also executive produced Chasing Amy.
Then came publishing, television, academia, and radio.
His tales of indie film's coming of age decade from 1985-95 were chronicled in the well-reviewed Spike, Mike, Slackers & Dykes which Peter Biskind studied closely and called “the bible for independents.” It charted between Hillary Clinton and Deepak Chopra on the LA Times best-seller list, and remains in print on its twentieth anniversary. He's also written for the LA Times, NY Times, Premiere, Austin Chronicle, and indieWIRE.
On the coattails of and in the spirit of the book, Split Screen became IFCtv's first original series from 1997-2000. While the magazine format show was created and hosted by Pierson, it gave over 100 filmmakers a chance to make their mark and, over its four years, helped seed features like The Bair Witch Project, American Movie and How's Your News? All 60 episodes will soon be back on the air, featured on Criterion's new streaming channel in partnership with Turner Classic Movies.
In 2004 Pierson moved to Austin, TX aka Linklaterville to take a faculty position teaching film producing. His practical, hands-on approach resulted in Variety naming him one of their ten “Leaders In Learning” for 2010. Also while in Austin, where his wife Janet runs SXSW Film, he appeared on MTV's The Real World and finally got some real street cred.
John's weekly UT Master Class brought over 70 high profile industry guests to campus including Spike Lee, Spike Jonze, Matt Stone, David Simon, Steve Buscemi, and Harvey Weinstein. It was broadcast on Austin's NPR affiliate from 2006-2012.
In his heart of hearts, John Pierson loves movie theaters. He ran the legendary Bleecker Street Cinema in 1982-83 a few years after graduating from NYU Film School, got married to Janet at the Film Forum in 1983, and cajoled her and their two kids into moving to Fiji for a year in 2002 to show free movies at the world's most remote theater, the 180 Meridian Cinema – a memorable experience captured in the Steve James documentary Reel Paradise.