Meet Johnny Tackitt | Media Creator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Johnny Tackitt and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Johnny, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
Ever since I was a little kid, I loved creating. My earliest memory of creation was in the video game Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2 on the Nintendo 64 when I was 7 years old.

There is a function in the game in which you can watch a replay and lightly edit your previous gameplay sessions. I was playfully teased quite often by my family that I spent more time in the replay function in the game than I did actually playing the game. However, this grabbed my attention like nothing else at the time and little did I know this was the start of my passion in Media Creation.

This passion for media creation motivated me to pursue media arts in college. During my years in college I made a video essay that got accepted in a national film festival, honorably added my name to a plaque for excellence in business and advertising at a college job, and made over 250 television spots at PBS during an internship. While all that was happening I earned an Associates Degree in Media Production Arts and a Bachelor’s Degree in Film and Television. Not a bad outcome from a little video game rental from Blockbuster.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Even though I had a strong passion for creativity during my entire childhood, the urge to join the United States Air Force was always tapping on my shoulder. There was an anxiousness inside my stomach that pulled me harder in the direction of the military than digital arts did after high school graduation. My thought process was to join the Air Force while I was young and decide to go to college later. Unfortunately, I was injured during my first year, and I was discharged. At first I was disappointed, but I later realized that trying and failing is better than not trying at all.

Now with that anxious pull in my stomach now gone, from that point on, I never wondered “what if?” I can now fully commit to my passion of creativity.

During my time at The University of Arizona, two projects stand out to me. The first project was a promotional video for KAMP Radio, a radio station ran by the students of The University of Arizona. I had complete control of the project, so I made it similar to a documentary. My second project was a video essay that got accepted into a national film festival. I related real relationship struggles to the film 500 Days of Summer and attended one of the screenings in Los Angeles.

I think everyone’s job is to make the world a better place through their own skill set. Mine happens to be digital arts.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Sierra Vista is a great town if you love the small towns. Expect to run into someone you know when running errands or shopping because there is only one of each store for the most part. Personally, as someone who spent 25 years in Sierra Vista, I would spend more time outside of Sierra Vista. If I were to plan a trip for a week with some friends in the area, I would spend one day in Sierra Vista/Bisbee/Tombstone, two days in Tucson, two days in Phoenix, and two days at the Grand Canyon.

It is easy to spend a whole day dedicated to Sierra Vista, Bisbee, and Tombstone, because they are all small, but diverse in their own way. Start an early day in Bisbee, because the small town is dressed in art among the buildings and inside the small towns. Bisbee Breakfast Club is the prefect start to the day. You can experience the whole town in the first half of the day even with the mine tour. Tombstone is a short 25 minute drive from Bisbee and by the time you get there, the town will come alive. As the day comes to an end, Sierra Vista is a beautiful place for sunsets.

Personally, I prefer the bigger cities and Tucson is a good place to start. Tucson is a 1 hour and 30 minute drive from Sierra Vista. Sports are alive and active, downtown Tucson is lively during night time, and there are plenty of parks to relax at. My favorite place in Tucson as to be Roadhouse Cinema. It is a dine in movie theater and is just as amazing an you think it is. Raijin Ramen is an incredible ramen spot and my friends and I always stop by when they are in town, and Top Golf is always a fun time. The University of Arizona has an incredible basketball team, so when that it is season, it is always a blast.

During football season, Cardinals games in Phoenix are always a blast regardless if their season does not agree.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to shoutout my teachers from Buena High School, Cochise Community College, and The University of Arizona for helping me discover my passion for digital arts and pursue it further:

From Buena High School; Aaron Duerk, my video production teacher, and, Dawn Latting, my advisor.

From Cochise College; Rick Whipple, my graphic design teacher, Michael Gaun, my video production teacher, Ronald Hyde, my animation teacher, Randy Martin, my English teacher, Eva Dickerson my internship supervisor, and Timothy Ingold for his guidance during my internship.

There are too many to list from The University of Arizona, so I will shoutout the entire Film & Television program and my two student jobs at The Daily Wildcat Newspaper, and Arizona Public Media/PBS 6. The teachers, advisors, classmates, friends, film set members, bosses, and coworkers created an incredible 3 years at The University of Arizona, and I would do it all over again if I had the chance.

Website: https://www.johnnytackitt.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johnnytackittmedia/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnny-tackitt-45164621a/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/johnnytackittmedia

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNHWQini_woJdf7sIcfK5wQ

Image Credits
Joshua Mayer