As an event organizer, John believes that meaningful change always begins at the grassroots level and that engaged citizens working together can accomplish extraordinary things. As a festival expert with over twenty years experience, he knows how to maximize revenue opportunities and consistently achieve his clients’ objectives.

He built StarEvents to help communities, businesses and organizations produce world-class special events and entertainment that build a better tomorrow. To date, StarEvents has raised over $11 million for our nonprofit clients. John’s proud to be the producer of many of the largest events in Chicago, including Chicago Mayfest, Andersonville Midsommarfest,  Taste of Randolph, Retro on Roscoe. As the founder of StarEvents, John is committed to the success and seamless operation of our team, client satisfaction, and professional execution of each and every event. A hands-on manager, he has attended every event produced by StarEvents since our inception.

As a thought leader in the event production space, John is also a highly sought-after public speaker. He’s traveled the country speaking to event coordinators, local community groups, corporate clients, and industry associations on the principles of community celebrations and their positive economic impact. He’s contributed to event newswires and press syndicates.

As a mentor, he assists other event professionals with their strategies, training concepts, and unique market position in developing and marketing neighborhood events and street festivals. His multimedia short-course “How to Build a Special Event: The Step-By-Step System for developing an Incredible Festival with Super-Lucrative Profit Centers” is the industry’s definitive work on the subject of developing and marketing neighborhood celebrations and street festivals.

John lives and works in Chicago, where he dedicates his time to a number of cause-related charities and community-based groups. He is a board member of Illinois Masonic Hospital.