John’s 40‑year career began aged 18 in the warehouse at Stiff Records, followed by 13 years at Beggars Banquet as a plugger, PR and later A&R, where he ran his own label, Mantra.

In 2002 he launched the Eden Sessions at Cornwall’s Eden Project, now in its 25th year, and in 2014 founded Somersault Festival in North Devon with the Mama Group, going on to programme Wilderness and Citadel Festivals. In 2019, with Steven Knight, he created a new festival format built around Peaky Blinders — immersive theatre, live music, ballet, spoken word and cinematic previews.

Since 2020 John has been a senior management consultant and promoter for Senbla, the Sony Music‑owned live events company, staging large‑scale shows and tours for artists including Michael Bublé, My Chemical Romance, Chemical Brothers, Tears For Fears, Robbie Williams, Diana Ross and Lionel Richie, and launching the On The Mount series at Wasing Estate in 2023.

Emperor Management currently represents Mên An Tol, and has previously represented Liam Frost, Six By Seven, The Eighties Matchbox B‑Line Disaster, Johnny Boy and Sons & Daughters.