Meet John Babcock | Writer & Actor

We had the good fortune of connecting with John Babcock and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi John, what’s the most important thing you’ve done for your children?
As a parent, I would say the most important thing I’ve done to impact my child is to ensuing, above all else, that they are a responsible, empathetic human being. The old adage of character is defined by what you do when no one is looking. When my daughter was in the second grade, my wife and I attended the parent-teacher conference. Her teacher started the meeting off by telling us that our daughter “was a friend to everyone.” That’s all I wanted to hear. She went on with the meeting but hearing that my daughter was a friend to everyone was my only take-away from the teacher.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I’m someone who enjoys the process of writing. I’ve written for stage, for the screen (the small screen), and for scripted podcasts. I look forward to taking an idea and working it to fit a particular style for the medium in which it is intended. I also enjoy collaborative writing. Writing alone can often feel like writing in a vacuum. Questioning whether the work is good or not. Having a good collaborator makes all the difference. I’ve had some great collaborators who were not good at producing. The majority of my writing work is freelance – I’ve heard of people getting full-time writing gigs, but I haven’t found them yet. Freelance has been a great teacher in being malleable.
I’m very proud of having the opportunity to write for Turner Classic Movies – for the likes of hosts Ben Mankiewicz as well as the late Robert Osborne. And, most recently, very proud of the fact that I’m part of a team that brought a parody of “Grease” (titled “Vape! The Grease Parody”) to Off-Broadway in 2025. We (Sketchworks Comedy) debuted the parody in Atlanta in 2018 and it really connected with audiences. So much so that we felt it would do the same in New York City. It was a lot of work to get the show produced in NYC, and the better part of two-years, but we managed to get a 10-week run at Theater 555 this past year to critical acclaim. It was both thrilling and surreal to see a show poster out front of a theater on 42nd Street in NYC with my name as one of the writers. Our producing partners were great to work with and the cast were all amazing performers. All of us involved with “Vape!” are looking forward to what is coming next for our show.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
For a friend visiting from out of town I’d want to be sure to take them to a local comedy show – Sketchworks Comedy, Dad’s Garage, Dynamic El Dorado – something to give them a vibe check of the people that make up the city. Also, a daytime visit to an art festival. There’s always art festivals happening around Atlanta, Smyrna, Marietta, Sandy Springs, Decatur, Hapeville… somewhere around the greater Metro Atlanta area. Pizza at Lloyd’s on Dekalb Avenue or Felini’s on Ponce (or both). A visit to Ponce City Market. Catch some stand-up at the Vortex. And just hanging out with my friends here which is always an entertaining time.

Also, Chaplin’s up in Roswell. Always an unpredictable time there.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’d like to give a Shouout to Atlanta’s benevolent and encouraging comedy community. It’s a great group of people who come out to shows, promote shows and support each other. For the most part. The ones that don’t usually end up relocating to L.A.

Website: https://linktr.ee/JohnDBabcock3

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johndbabcock3

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Babcock3/

Other: https://www.sketchworkscomedy.com

Image Credits
Genevieve Rafter Keddy
Stacey Bode Photography