WORCESTER – Last fall, Worcester’s Johnhaynes Honeycutt ran for a seat on the City Council.
While he campaigned, Honeycutt was also running his production company, working for his own organic pet food company, traveling the country as an extra in feature films, and writing a novel.
“I’m a bit of a maniac,” Honeycutt, 24, said about filling his life’s plate with so many projects, including writing his first novel. “But, the book has been a lifelong dream of mine.”
The novel — RISE: The Story of Yolanda Davis — will be available this month. He only started writing the book back in August.
Over a cappuccino at Brew on the Grid in downtown Worcester in late January, Honeycutt said that he came up with the idea for the story in less than 20 minutes.
The novel takes place in the 1960s during the Civil Rights movement. It surrounds the title character, “Yolanda Davis,” as she joins the Black Panther party to protect herself from people that may want to do her harm.
A graduate of Holy Name high school in Worcester, Honeycutt launched Honeycutt One Production — a company still in its infancy, but focused on his own products and talents, like spoken word and other forms of poetry, and working towards getting involved in film, television and shorts. Honeycutt One’s poetry group recently received a Citation of Excellence from Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey.
“I want to bring the industry to Worcester and expand on it. I see the company being in the position as the gatekeeper or gateway for talented musicians and actors to get opportunities, to be involved in industry things. I want to be able to provide a bridge that connects actors to the Screen actors guild, which is why I try to do so much work on different shows and movies,” Honeycutt said.
That’s right. He’s also involved as an extra on some major projects including the soon-to-be-released Adam Sandler Netflix film, Hubie Halloween, where Honeycutt is a background actor in a scene with actor Ray Liotta.
He’s been an extra on set of HBO’s The Plot Against America with Winona Ryder, and Love Life with Anna Kendrick, NBC’s Chicago Med, and 50 Cent’s For Life, which premiers February 11 on ABC.
Last month, Honeycutt was accepted to serve on the New England and New York City Chapter of the acclaimed Emmy Awards as a voting member. The membership allows him the ability to cast a vote for content he believes should be nominated and to submit his own projects in music and film.
So writing novels, being in films and television shows, involved in music…why politics?
Of course, for Honeycutt, the answer to that question lies within another project of his.
Through Honeycutt’s work getting the Pawsitive Feed Initiative off the ground, he began getting involved with lawmakers and started getting in contact with politicians. He even received a proclamation from Worcester’s Mayor Joseph Petty for Pawsitive Feed Awareness Day on October 14.
“Through all of that I started seeing other community initiatives that people were involved in and I said, ‘You know what? This is something I would love to get involved in, too.’ and so that’s when I took the step to get involved in politics,” Honeycutt said.
Honeycutt ran for District 5 City Councilor against incumbent Matt Wally. He admitted he was unprepared for what city politics had in store for him, but he ultimately sees it as a worthwhile endeavor.
“I was completely green. I had no idea what I was doing. I didn’t know there was a current incumbent involved. I learned a lot from it. I learned how the politics in the city work and that it’s a necessary system. There’s order in everything. And I just went in and said, ‘Hi, guys!’,” Honeycutt said with a laugh.
“It was a big learning lesson. I wanted to express that as a citizen you should go out and say something. And I didn’t make any enemies, which I’m pretty happy about,” Honeycutt added.
While he was running for City Council, Honeycutt’s girlfriend, Mariah Martinez, was running for a seat on the School Committee.
And if you thought things can’t get any busier for Honeycutt, think again.
Martinez — a South High and Becker College graduate — is expecting a baby boy in May. Honeycutt and Martinez plan to name their son, Johnhaynes Honeycutt, Jr.
Coincidentally, when the City Council ballot came out last fall, Honeycutt’s name was printed as “Johnhaynes Beckles Honeycutt, Sr.” But, he’s not a Senior yet and, at the time, didn’t know he might be in the future.
Honeycutt said, “That was a mistake. There’s no ‘Senior’ yet. It was very coincidental that it happened. It’s very ironic.”
While Honeycutt and Martinez prepare for their son’s arrival in May, Honeycutt has recently added even more to his plate. His production company will be one of the official media sources at this weekend’s New York Fashion Week. The company also found out this week that it’s now officially represented by an international firm that represents series concepts and pilots for streaming channels like Netflix, Hulu and others.
Here’s to hoping Honeycutt gets to take a vacation before May.
Follow us on The016.com, the social network for Worcester and you!
