Vale John Chataway: director, producer, writer
October 6 2010, 6:16 am | | 7 Comments
The ad industry, particularly in Adelaide, is mourning the passing of director, producer and writer, John Chataway.
John was an accomplished director with over 20 years experience in film and video production, based out of Kojo Productions in Adelaide. He specialised in creative strategies combining digital technologies through a broad range of communication channels. He directed hundreds of television commercials, corporate and educational productions. He won many local, national and international awards for his work. With a background as an award-winning cinematographer, editor and scriptwriter, John brought an enviable wealth of experience to any production.
7 Comments
So sad that such a good guy has gone.
In 1985 when I met him John was loved by people he met, totally friendly, kind and gentle, vibrant, exuberant, and promising to be evergreen, always 19.
In 2010 when I last spoke with him, John was still 19, evergreen, exuberant, vibrant, kind and gentle, totally friendly, loved by the masses of people he’d met, helped and influenced. And as I expected, even wiser.
Colin Pearce
I will never forget you John. Thank you for your friendship, your support and the laughs we shared. Life will be that little bit duller without you bouncing into the room.
Standby…
John will be missed just so, so much by family, friends and industry colleagues. His drive, enthusiasm for all things creative (especially in the digital realm) and his sense of fun is just something that you can’t bottle. I wish you could. I’d buy cartons of it!
What cannot be conveyed is John’s depth of experience and his influence across a whole raft of creative areas. As the ‘Jo’ in The Kojo Group from its inception he has initiated, driven, provided input or generally put his heart and soul into multimedia advertising campaigns, feature films, documentaries, interactive technologies in the cultural sector and new media in its every form.
He was a geek and kid to the core when it came to new technologies. He always had to have the latest gadget. To visit his hospital room a few short weeks back was like walking into an edit suite. He had screens and hard drives and headphones cables and more buzzing junk than the medical staff. Though his domain had been reduced to the size of a hospital bed he was wired for sound to the engage with the world outside and with his family and friends who were scattered around the globe.
John will be remembered for his humour and his kindness. He will be remembered for his ability to engage with people from all walks of life. We will all recall what became known as ‘Chatawayisms’ – machinegun comments made on the fly that on reflection were either so politically incorrect, grammatically misaligned or just so left field as to be hilarious. They were just so John.
John’s influence on the South Australian media industry cannot be understated. As a Board member for the South Australian Film Corporation, Australian Dance Theatre and as Deputy Chair of the Adelaide Fringe he had influence and fingers in lots of creative pies.
What also cannot be underestimated as well is his sheer drive and determination in identifying and nurturing new talent. For many it seemed that John would take anyone with a pulse under his wing as he firmly believed that within everyone lay a creative genius just waiting to burst out. He would treat a VIP client in the same manner as a work experience kid and there many such ‘kids’ out there who owe their next pay cheque to John. His style was pretty straight and honest. From one of his protégés came this message. “I never would have expected it to happen to JC. He was the ultimate role model for living life. He gave me my career start and I looked up to him more like a dad than a boss.” That came story could be repeated one hundreds time over.
It is all just so surreal. The news has hit people close to him in many different ways and I can’t recall such a sense of sadness and loss as I have felt since hearing the news of John’s passing. My world has changed knowing that ‘Chats’ was no longer around. I’m sure that the rest of John’s friends and his family feel the same.
such a bright star
will surely shine forever
you will be sadly missed..great working with you John
Working for John was a privilege and memorable experience for all the right reasons. John was the ultimate ‘people person’ and seemed to make time for everyone. His enthusiasm was infectious and he always maintained a positive view on what could be achieved. He will be greatly missed in Adelaide and beyond. My sincere condolences to his family.