John J. Cornetta

Born in Nyack New York, John moved to Boca Raton Florida as a teen. Unable to abandon his New York roots, he traveled back and forth from Florida to Piermont, New York. The son of an Italian father and an Irish mother, John began his acting career at a play house in Piermont, New York. In South Florida, he worked with Burt Reynolds and Tom Selleck while with Boca Talent. In 1990, John relocated to Atlanta, Georgia where he started the first of many successful businesses. He became a self made millionaire by age 28.

John believes in giving back to his community, and in 2001 and 2002, John was named Samaritan of the year by the Samaritan Relief Fund for his work with the under privileged and homeless of Atlanta.

In 2001, John returned to his first love - acting. He refreshed and honed his acting skills through an aggressive regiment of courses and workshops. He acted in many independent films and a SHOWTIME® Channel production while pursuing further training.

As one of Atlanta's most talented up and coming actors, John is in high demand and is frequently tapped by local directors and producers for featured roles. John's swarthy good looks and athletic build enhanced by his flair for both drama and comedy have made him a hot property on the local Atlanta film scene.

As an entrepreneur, networking and the business of acting are second nature to John. Combined with keen business acumen and a native talent for acting, John is fortunate to be financially independent and able to pursue his craft full time. "Not having to worry about where my next meal was coming from or how I was going to pay my mortgage was huge. I do this now out of the love for the art, not for the money!"

Producing was the next logical step for John. After working with Scott Stamper on several projects, the two formed First Cinema. First Cinema "hit the ground running" in typical Cornetta style. Before the ink was dry, First Cinema was involved in a whole host of projects. John is executive producing a new reality television series and produced the short film "Just Asking For It" which he co-wrote and starred in.

In addition to his new gig as a producer, John's acting career is in overdrive. Before starting First Cinema, he was cast as the lead in several local independent films. John has recently accepted the task of Executive Producing the feature version of "Just Asking For It" as well in order to ensure the production value of the project is consistent with his career goals.

John is married to beautiful Russian émigré Irina Cornetta, who is his constant companion and muse. Irina was born in Minsk, Belarus. For details, visit www.IrinaCornetta.com.

John remains very close to his extended family and considers them his first priority. His teenage daughter resides in New Jersey and his parents and other family remain in South Florida, but visit often. To see details of John's off-screen life, visit his family site at www.CornettaFamily.com