Life & Work with Kiana Johnson of North Hollywood, CA

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kiana Johnson

Kiana, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I moved to LA in November 2019, and in March 2020 the world shut down! So I was working at Trader Joe’s from around Jan 2020 until July 2021. I found out I was a semi-finalist for the inaugural Universal Animation Writer’s Program in Dec 2020, and in March 2021 I found out I had gotten in! It was a great experience that led to me freelancing and then eventually staffing on my first show.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I feel like a lot of people are familiar with the ‘needing to eat’ part of being an artist; having a day job was stressful, especially as an essential worker during COVID. When everyone was like, picking up new hobbies and working on personal projects, most of my time was spent working. I think, though, that having a day-job let me meet so many cool people I never would have otherwise, and I’m thankful for all of my experiences because they let me see other POVs!

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m queer, I’m Black and I’m kind of a nerd, and I really love sci-fi and fantasy. I particularly enjoy writing stories featuring diverse protagonists that we don’t particularly get in those genres. I also love taking my relationships from my own life and putting them on a page!

Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
Literally that having a plan when dreaming is so important! Like have your goals, but know it might not be the same path as someone else to achieve them.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://kiananoellej.com