Jon Huertas, Actor, Director, Producer Returns to Hometown to Serve as Grand Marshal of the 97th Grand Feature Parade

​Sharen Gromling, president of the Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival® is honored to welcome Jon Huertas back to his hometown to serve as Grand Marshal of the 2024 Festival.  Jon Huertas is known professionally as an actor, director, and producer. In his hometown, when he graduated from John Handley High School in 1987, he was known as Scott Hofstedt.
 
For six seasons, Jon starred as Miguel Rivas on NBC’s critically acclaimed, award winning series, This Is Us. His character’s story spanned decades, from the 1970’s to present day, not just allowing Jon to show exceptional range as an actor but also an impressive physically trans-formative range. Audiences also know Jon from his role as the tough but affable, Detective Javier Esposito on the hit dramedy, Castle, which ran for eight seasons on ABC and can now be found on Hulu. He and his Castle co-star, Stana Katic, received the award for Best Performance in a Drama Episode in the 16th Annual PRISMS Awards. He had a stand-out performance as Sgt. Tony “Poke” Espera in HBO’s limited series, “Generation Kill”, which offered an unheralded streetwise view of the USMC's 1st Recon invasion of Iraq that Jon, being a veteran himself, calls the most meaningful role of his career.
 
As a filmmaker, Jon’s directed episodic television, including episodes of Tracker, The Irrational, This Is Us, The Rookie, The Rookie: Feds, The Company You Keep, Home for The Holidays Castle and Castle.   DVD Bonus Content, as well as award winning short films and music videos. He has produced narrative and documentary feature films, earning him an appointment to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. And his production shingle, WestSide Stories, formed with his fellow Groundlings alum Kenny Stevenson, has several TV, Podcast and Film projects in various stages of production and development. He most recently produced Lena Heady’s feature directorial debut, The Trap, and is currently preparing for his own feature debut as a director with the feature films, Rock Bottom Express and Defenses. His company has several series in development with Peter Farrelly/Happy Madison & Village Roadshow, eOne and Alexi Hawley’s Perfect Man Pictures, Campanario, Christina Davis/Amazon and George Tillman’s, State Street.
 
Jon served on active duty in the United States Air Force from 1987-1995.  He participated in Operation Just Cause and Operation Desert Storm where he served as an aircraft nuclear/conventional weapons specialist.  He simultaneously earned his degree in Musical Theatre before making the move to Los Angeles in 1995 where he pursued his childhood dream of becoming an actor. This year marks 29 years in the entertainment business.  He is now putting more of his focus into Directing and Producing as he relocates to Gold Country in Northern California to live with his wife, Nicole, and animals on a horse farm.
 
Jon will be attending Festival events, including the Coronation, presented by Morgan Orthodontics, at John Handley High School, where he will be knighted by Queen Shenandoah, Joy Berlanga. He will then ride through his hometown streets in the Hang 10 Car Wash Firefighters’ Parade, May 3, at 5:30 p.m. He will lead the glo fiber Grand Feature Parade on Saturday, May 4, at 1:30 p.m.

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