John Philapavage (Johnny P.), Co-founder of Spaceship Brain Productions:

John Philapavage has been a resident of the Lehigh Valley since he was an infant. Within his second year of life he met Kevin Kiernan, life long best friend and collaborator. As children they formed Imperial Comics and put out several issues of their self-made black and white comic books. John was the writer and inker, and Kevin the artist and lay out designer.

Somewhat shy and introverted as a child, John Philapavage attended catholic grade school at St. Francis of Assisi in Allentown. As he entered high school he became increasingly interested in filmmaking and screenwriting. With no creative outlet from school, Philapavage again turned to Kiernan for help. Together they formed Spaceship Brain Productions in 1998. John was the writer and on-screen talent while Kevin was the production and on-screen foil to Philapavage. Most of their early work was improv, based on concepts they’d come up with on the spot and film. Growing a fan base in local diners and Parkland High School, both branched out. Kevin started doing some writing while John learned editing and some other production tasks.

Taking a year off after graduating Parkland High School, Philapavage attended The University of Art’s in Philadelphia, PA. Majoring in Writing for Film and Television. Kevin left at Christmas, and John followed him home after the second semester was completed. Since then Philapavage has taken on several tasks, including writing a novel, concert promoting, and listening to punk music. He remains head writer at Spaceship Brain and director of actors on set. Philapavage has also been a huge wrestling enthusiast for years. Due to this, he convinced Kiernan to embark on a documentary process that has taken them on a three-year journey with a now defunct wrestling company. The film should be released this year.

Although Spaceship Brain is known for its comedy, Philapavage’s favorite films are Braveheart and Shawshank Redeption, two well-known dramas. John admits proudly his favorite genre is the romantic comedy. He suggests Taking Back Sunday for your listening pleasure, as well as the SportsNight complete series DVD set for your collection.