[1][2] Gilkey is a native Californian[3] and best known for his work with Cirque du Soleil productions such as Iris,[4][5] Quidam,[3] Dralion and Solstrom.
[6] Gilkey also worked as a consultant on the animated films Ratatouille and La Luna.
[7][8] In 2012, John Gilkey established The Idiot Workshop Archived May 15, 2016, at the Wayback Machine in Hollywood, California.
From these classes Gilkey selected a handful of students and formed a new comedy troupe called Wet The Hippo Archived June 2, 2016, at the Wayback Machine.
The group went on to tour California and Las Vegas and received rave reviews and a nomination for Best Comedy in the 2013 Hollywood Fringe Festival.