Welcome

Useful Distractions is JP Cutter's corner of the internet.

After a lifetime of tinkering with computers and online, this site represents a repository of projects past and future. It is still very much under construction, don't mind the rough edges.

Growing up in Los Angeles, JP was always a big fan of technology and entertainment. An early devotion to video games represented the perfect cross section of technology and storytelling.

Media Posts

  • Entertainment Work

    • IMDB Filmography

    • Silicon Valley (2014 – 2019)

      • Consultant, Senior Technical Advisor
      • 29 episodes

      • After meeting producer Jonathan Dotan at my Tixr job, he invited me to consult on his new TV project, an HBO show from Mike Judge and Alec Berg called Silicon Valley.

        We had a couple of initial meetings, where Jonathan showed me the pilot and we chatted about some of the general tone and terminology that would get thrown around in a small tech incubator. After a meeting where I didn't feel particularly useful, I had the idea to write an in-character angry screed, to demonstrate some of what I meant. Unable to stop thinking about it, and afraid I would forget the bits I liked, I scrawled it down in the middle of the night, and sent it to Jonathan.

        It was well-received, and a lot of it made it into Gilfoyle's episode 2 rant. From that point through season 3, I would get occasional requests to offer opinions or generate lists when necessary. While I'm sure I wasn't the only one, I do recall putting "tabs vs spaces" on a list of develop pet peeves that can get out of hand.

    • L.A. Macabre (2013 – 2020)

      • Co-Producer, Senior Technical Advisor
      • 46 episodes

    • Torrential (2020)

      • Executive Producer

    • HotAural Podcast Network

      • Founder, Maintainer
      • Founded in 2013 with John Veron based around a pair of pop culture podcasts.

    • Activision (Mar. 2007 – May 2007)

      • Game Tester
      • Spider-Man 3 (PlayStation 3)
      • Quake Wars: Enemy Territory (PC)

  • Appearances

    • VoyageLA Interview

    • Refried Reviews Podcast

      • Host
      • Instead of focusing on first impressions and whether to see a movie at all, Refried Reviews tries to dig into subsequent viewings and what can be uncovered.
      • Started in 2013 with John Veron, the show is currently on a lengthy hiatus, despite the best of intentions to keep it going as a solo project.

    • Nooner Podcast

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