John E. Roach
Encyclopedia
John Roach is an award-winning television and film producer and screenwriter.
He is president of JRP, an Emmy Award
-winning video production
and film production company based in Madison, Wisconsin
.
John and Mary Sweeney
co-wrote the screenplay for “The Straight Story
,” a motion picture directed by David Lynch
. “The Straight Story” premiered at Cannes
and was released in October 1999 by Walt Disney Pictures
. The screenplay was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award, and the film’s Richard Farnsworth
received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. “Like Hemingway’s dialogue,” wrote Roger Ebert
, “the screenplay by John Roach and Mary Sweeney finds poetry and truth in the exact choice of the right everyday words.”
and ABC
in Chicago
for six years. His credits include six Chicago Emmys, a National Iris Award for Best Television Special and a national CableACE nomination. He received the Peter Lisagor Award for Special News Production, plus recognition from the Organization of American Women in TV and Radio for his documentary work.
Additional accolades include the San Francisco Film Festival Award, the Silver Anvil, the Golden Spotlight, the Addy, the Cine Golden Eagle and numerous Tellys.
John produced the CableACE-nominated “The Sports Writers on TV” and the “The Back Table with Chet Coppock” for FOX Sports Chicago. Past broadcast credits include work for ESPN, FOX, NBC, and Ebony Jet.
John writes a monthly column for Madison Magazine. His book, “Way Out Here in the Middle,” was published in 2003.
He is president of JRP, an Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
-winning video production
Video production
Video production is videography, the process of capturing moving images on electronic media even streaming media. The term includes methods of production and post-production...
and film production company based in Madison, Wisconsin
Madison, Wisconsin
Madison is the capital of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Dane County. It is also home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison....
.
John and Mary Sweeney
Mary Sweeney
Mary Sweeney is an American film editor and producer best known for collaborating with the avant-garde American film director, David Lynch...
co-wrote the screenplay for “The Straight Story
The Straight Story
The Straight Story is a 1999 film directed by David Lynch. The film was edited and produced by Mary Sweeney, Lynch's longtime partner and co-worker. She co-wrote the script with John E. Roach....
,” a motion picture directed by David Lynch
David Lynch
David Keith Lynch is an American filmmaker, television director, visual artist, musician and occasional actor. Known for his surrealist films, he has developed his own unique cinematic style, which has been dubbed "Lynchian", and which is characterized by its dream imagery and meticulous sound...
. “The Straight Story” premiered at Cannes
Cannes
Cannes is one of the best-known cities of the French Riviera, a busy tourist destination and host of the annual Cannes Film Festival. It is a Commune of France in the Alpes-Maritimes department....
and was released in October 1999 by Walt Disney Pictures
Walt Disney Pictures
Walt Disney Pictures is an American film studio owned by The Walt Disney Company. Walt Disney Pictures and Television, a subsidiary of the Walt Disney Studios and the main production company for live-action feature films within the Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group, based at the Walt Disney...
. The screenplay was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award, and the film’s Richard Farnsworth
Richard Farnsworth
Richard W. Farnsworth was an American actor and stuntman. His film career began in 1937; however, he achieved his greatest success for his performances in The Grey Fox and The Straight Story , for which he received a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Actor.- Early life :Farnsworth was born...
received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. “Like Hemingway’s dialogue,” wrote Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
, “the screenplay by John Roach and Mary Sweeney finds poetry and truth in the exact choice of the right everyday words.”
Biography
Prior to forming his own Madison-based company in 1985, John was a producer at CBSCBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
and ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
for six years. His credits include six Chicago Emmys, a National Iris Award for Best Television Special and a national CableACE nomination. He received the Peter Lisagor Award for Special News Production, plus recognition from the Organization of American Women in TV and Radio for his documentary work.
Additional accolades include the San Francisco Film Festival Award, the Silver Anvil, the Golden Spotlight, the Addy, the Cine Golden Eagle and numerous Tellys.
John produced the CableACE-nominated “The Sports Writers on TV” and the “The Back Table with Chet Coppock” for FOX Sports Chicago. Past broadcast credits include work for ESPN, FOX, NBC, and Ebony Jet.
John writes a monthly column for Madison Magazine. His book, “Way Out Here in the Middle,” was published in 2003.