VETERANS IN ACTION
FROM WEAPONS FIRST RESPONDER TO Featured Filmmaker by Renée Magaña
T he Warner Grand Theatre in San Pedro, California, lives up to its name. It has ornate art deco mosaics and intricate wood and painted patterns decorating the ceilings and walls. It was the perfect red carpeted venue for the San Pedro International Film Festival, premiering John Salcedo’s short film, Racial Idiocracy . Within a year, he wrote a script, gathered his film team, and shot and edited the film to get it accepted into his first film festival. Prior to becoming a filmmaker, John served as a chemical weapons first responder in the U.S. Army. He was then recruited to be part of the international first responders for weapons of mass destruction as a federal employee. Over the past 10 years, he has worked for film and television studios as a technical advisor on counterterrorism. He completed his Bachelor of Arts in narrative film directing at California State University, Long Beach. He now owns a media production company.
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