Scout and Co-Founder
The on-air host, street "caseworker," and driving force of the Random 1® team, John Chester is an award-winning filmmaker who, along with partner Andre Miller, realized that documenting their grassroots giving efforts would create a unique and heartfelt real-life TV series.
The on-air host, street "caseworker," and driving force of the Random 1 team, John Chester is an award-winning filmmaker who, along with partner Andre Miller, realized that documenting their grassroots giving efforts would create a unique and heartfelt real-life TV series.
Chester's eye for quirky characters and knack for storytelling began at age 15 when he started making documentaries of offbeat local personalities in Ocean City, Maryland, his hometown. Later, during the requisite stint in Los Angeles, Chester worked as assistant producer on Murder She Wrote, honing his skills with producers like Bruce (Knight Rider and Bionic Woman) Lansbury and Mark (Simon and Simon and Weeds) Burley.
In 1997, after moving back east and starting his own company, South Paw Entertainment, Chester directed and produced Sea of Souls, his first feature film. He then collaborated with video artist Lee Boot on Euphoria, a documentary about the pursuit of happiness, which won a Gold Award at the 2005 Houston Film Festival. Recently honored in the Baltimore Business Journal's "Forty Under Forty," Chester has earned a 2002 Emmy nomination, a 2002 Bronze Telly, and three 2001 Telly Awards.
On Random 1®, Chester's role is the diplomatic juggler. He keeps the story flowing, attends to details, remembers to say "please" and "thank you," and makes sure the volatile and opinionated producing team stays focused on finding solutions. Chester also keeps rein on co-host Miller, whose aggressive antics sometimes overwhelm the show's skittish participants.
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