ABOUT JON
Jon Menick
Founder
02.11.1951 - 06.12.2022
Jon was a professional actor, writer and director in New York and L.A. for 35 years. He appeared in films with stars like Mel Gibson, Jamie Lee Curtis, Bruce Willis, Cloris Leachman, Elijah Wood, David Oyelowo, Kate Mara and Lily Tomlin among other, as well as guest starring on TV shows including "Night Court", "Moonlighting", Mel Brooks's "Nut House", "J.A.G", "Murphy Brown", "Nashville" and "The Twilight Zone". In the mid- 80's, he was acknowledged as one of the most recognizable commercial talents by Ad Age Magazine.
Some of his notable campaigns were; Herb for Burger King, the "Same Old, Same Old" man for Arby's, Louie the Lip for RC Cola, the comic spokesman for Mazda, ATT, NYNEX, IBM, Dimetapp and Subaru to name a few.
Jon dedicated his life to learning and teaching acting. He was particularly influenced by two Mentors: John Stix, a founding instructor at the Actor's Studio in NY and Eric Morris in L.A., who pioneered a breakthrough technique of Image-based work. Though Jon's Process evolved beyond his influencers, and was directly focused on Film and Television acting, its roots are planted firmly into the emotional core of authentic responses in acting.
Relocating to Asheville, NC in the early 2000's, Jon opened Screen Artists Co-Op in 2011 (in the Story Point Media studio). His goal was to share the skills he acquired with those who wished to take advantage of the burgeoning Film & TV Industry in the Southeast Region. Starting with just 16 students, the Co-Op has grown into a bustling center where actors with and without agency representation train and act in project simultaneously.
In 2016 he was selected by the Mountain Xpress as 1 of 8 of "Asheville's Most Influential People". During that interview, he was asked "What would you like your work’s lasting legacy to be?" His response:
"I have thought a lot about this. My hope is that the process I teach will be valuable enough to be passed on to others so that it lives beyond my time here."
Even in Jon's passing, his legacy & Process live on through his dedicated staff, students and the curriculum at Screen Artists Co-Op. He is missed dearly.