brd interview: tropfest's john polson

Tropfest, the world's largest short film festival, is coming to New York City on June 23rd at Bryant Park and is being hosted by Hugh Jackman. John Polson, an award-winning actor and director, is the founder of Tropfest.  Not only did John introduce me to Vespas and goat's milk, but he also agreed to be interviewed for the blog.

BRD: You grew up in a musical family in Australia.  Did that play a role in you becoming an actor?  
JP: Yes, in some ways. I think there's a very close tie between music and acting. But frankly, too, seeing my mother struggle to make a living as a musician (she was and is a prodigious piano player, both jazz and classical) also informed my decision to ultimately take up acting. Playing jazz in Australia is an incredibly tough road. While acting wasn't much easier, I decided at a young age I'd have more chance of making a career out of it.

BRD: How did you make the move from acting to directing? 

JP: Almost as soon as I started acting at 17 years old, I became more fascinated with the roles behind the camera - mostly the director role. So at a young age (around 18) I started saving any money I made as an actor and spending it on my own short films. I pretty much spent every dollar I had making these films that then eventually started getting accepted into film festivals, and that in turn lead to directing my first feature film. So that's how the directing thing started for me. 

BRD: Not only are you an actor and a director, but you're also a father.  How do you make it all work?

JP: It's not easy sometimes, but I'm very lucky in that a lot of the work I do, I can do from my home office. I have an amazing wife, Amanda, so that helps of course! And I just try and keep my eye on the ball as a Dad while keeping my career ticking along. Sometimes it's a juggle, but it's always worth it. When those moments come along where I have to choose between taking a meeting and picking up my 3 year old from school or something, I always try and move the meeting and choose my family over my work. That's always going to be my number 1 priority, making sure my girls know that they are always at the top of my list.

BRD: You started Tropfest, the world's largest short film festival, in Sydney.  How many cities is it in today?

JP: In Australia, we hold simultaneous (satellite-linked) events in around 7 capital cities and around 150,000 people show up for it on the one night in February. We also have Tropfest Arabia (which takes place in Abu Dhabi but is open to filmmakers all over the Middle East and North Africa) and we launched Tropfest Las Vegas the year, and Tropfest New York is coming on June 23rd. Tropfest New Zealand kicks off in January and we're in discussions in China, South East Asia, Europe and a couple of others.

BRD: Shifting gears, why and when did you start drinking goat's milk?    Is that an Australian thing?

JP: Not sure if it's an Australia thing! But I do think Australian's tend to be very open to trying alternative things when it comes to food and health. I grew up with a father and step-mother who were kind of ahead of their time in terms of diet. My body has never dealt with dairy very well but I do love my milky coffee, so I though I'd try Goat's milk because I'd heard it's a lot closer to human milk and therefore easier for the body to digest. I've never looked back.

BRD: You inspired me to write a piece on Vespas.  What are the advantages of driving a Vespa in the city?

JP: I bought the Vespa as a deal with myself when I moved to Brooklyn, because I was anxious about getting into Manhattan easily (not being a real subway guy). But then of course I realized there was no real reason to go to Manhattan very often, especially for me since I don't have to work there Monday-Friday. There is simply no better way of getting around NYC than on a Vespa. Obviously you have to have your wits about you in terms of safety, and I don't necessarily recommend it for people who've never ridden motorbikes before. But if you can drive very conservatively, the ease of getting through traffic, parking, the cost of gas, etc, etc far outweighs any disadvantage. Of course there are a few months in the year in winter where it's too much trouble, but I'd say from around April through November you're good to go.

BRD: What about the advantages of raising a family in Brooklyn?  
JP: Brooklyn is an amazing community of people and families. I don't know many places where I could raise my kids and feel they have such a strong, close-knit group of friends. My 3 year old, Harper, could list the names of probably 25 friends without even trying, just from the people we know in our area. There's so much to do in Brooklyn, there so much space (compared to Manhattan), you can see the sky (which I always missed in Manhattan), the parks are great, the schools are great, the list goes on and on. And if we ever want to go to Manhattan, we jump on a subway and are there in 10 minutes. Obviously I loved Manhattan, too, as a single guy. But raising a family? Brooklyn is it for me..

BRD: Would you ever move back to Australia?  

JP: I love Australia, and I go there around 3-4 times a year for work and to visit family. But New York's been my home for 12 years. At this point, it's hard to imagine moving back, and with the work I do, I just don't know if I'd have the same opportunities in Australia.

BRD: Any parenting advice you can give my readers?    

JP: Raise your kids to be the people you'd like to see inhabit the planet, because ultimately they will. If everyone did that, the world would be a wonderful place to be.