John Garay

John Garay is a world traveler, urban explorer, and storyteller who is fascinated with history, subcultures, and art. For 3+ years, he served as the Programs and Partners Manager at Upstate Films, helping the nonprofit arthouse theaters’ mission of bringing transformative cinematic experiences to the region. Before that, an unconventional professional path helped sculpt his distinct perspective and worldview: He had a successful career with a healthcare nonprofit for 12 years, leaving it to wander the earth for 15 months before reinventing himself multiple times . . . as a tour guide, freelance photographer, and a coordinator/concierge extraordinaire for a “secret hotel.” Early on, he held jobs in a frenzied ER, dingy bar, and over-the-top theme restaurant—and even tried nude modeling for art classes. His personal adventures, meanwhile, have brought him to sit with the Dalai Lama in Dharamshala; meditate with a shaman in the Amazonian jungle; dive with Great Whites off the coast of South Africa; dance with his native cousins in the Hopi mesas of Arizona; and hike through the forests of the Hudson Valley with his daughter strapped to his back.

A combination of good luck, unfortunate timing, and atypical choices have often landed John in both privileged and uniquely compromised circumstances with sometimes hilarious and surreal consequences . . . all rich material to weave stories for your entertainment. A native of NYC, John moved to Kingston in 2016, immersed himself in the local community and culture, and is regularly impressed with the character and quality of the human beings packed into this resilient and constantly changing city. He will always be “a guy from Queens”—but now feels comfortable calling himself a Kingstonian and is proud to share his voice on the Radio Kingston airwaves.