Today we’d like to introduce you to Derek Johnson II.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Derek. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I was born in Atlanta, GA and have moved around a bunch, but I claim Murfreesboro, TN as my home. Originally, I was going to school at UTK to become a geneticist but had been writing and acting in theatre for a hobby for years. I had just made a 100 on a bio-chem test and I stared at it, feeling that my true passion was being wasted. So I went to the library and prayed on it. Just then James Wan and Gregg Hoffman had made a surprise visit to the school and were speaking in the library’s auditorium. They gave me a rare collectible terminator and I took that as a sign. I changed majors and started working for the on-campus TV show, Hot Topix. Then, during my sophomore year, I got an internship at Disney and moved to Florida. After working there for a year, my internship ended and I got a job at Universal Studios. Then, due to some unforeseen circumstances, I was left homeless.
With no money and no one to help me, I lived out of my car in the Universal Parking lot, taking any extra hours I could, just so they wouldn’t tow my car. I finally saved up enough to get an apartment and I went back to school. I went to FSU and graduated with degrees in International Affairs and Film. At the same time, I also joined the circus as a trapeze artist. I knew I wanted to continue this journey so I got into the New York Film Academy and moved to Los Angeles. I was watching SNL when I had an idea: What if students could attend exclusive events by becoming press? I started a club at NYFA called the Broadcast Club and we run a multiplatform called Film Newsies. Since then, we have gone to exclusive events like the WGA Awards, exclusive Nat Geo screening at the Greek Theatre and some exclusive festivals put on by the Academy. We just expanded to podcasts and Instagram. I have also become the first student to ever host a Q & A at the school. I am currently working on my first feature film and getting my second book published.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It’s definitely been difficult. I have had a lot of family and people who I thought were my friends try to hold me back. When I became homeless, I really felt the pressure then. Doing this basically on my own was extremely difficult. I’m used to living on my own, but it does come at a cost.
What else should our readers know?
I run a new news outlet called Film Newsies. We cater specifically to Film Students with information that’s relative to them.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
Directing my last movie, Sweating Sands, because I got to work with so many great people. We had people there who were from my school, USC, AFI, UCLA and a lot of other great people. I got to work with celebrities Rico McClinton and Anatolii Panchenko.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/real_d2/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DJXZ25
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/in/derek-johnson-ii-809821a4/
Image Credit:
New York Film Academy, Derek Johnson II
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