Biografia
Johnston's production and writing experience spans over two dozen TV series, documentaries, specials, and nearly 50 commercials. His work for major Fortune 500 companies, publications, and news outlets has earned him worldwide recognition and accolades. A Colorado native, Johnston won his first film festival award at age 17, which led him to the Academy Awards and then to USC Film School. In the 1990s, Johnston wrote and produced more than 30 hours of documentary television and filmed in over 20 countries. Academy Award winner Brett Morgan (The Kid Stays in the Picture, Montage of Heck) and Johnston collaborated with Anonymous Content to write, produce, and direct the acclaimed MTV documentary series "True Life: Trial By Fire." The series, which focused on a prison fire camp for juvenile offenders, became one of MTV’s highest-rated programs that year. Johnston’s first hybrid documentary film, "September Tapes," filmed on location in Afghanistan in 2002, follows a journalist tracking Osama Bin Laden. It was a hit at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival, screened in over 25 film festivals worldwide, distributed in 28 countries, and received extensive coverage in major media outlets globally. This exposure led Johnston to become a regular contributor to CNN and to write for various print platforms on topics related to Afghanistan and al-Qaeda. After four years working on projects in Beirut and Turkey, Johnston wrote and produced the feature-length documentary "The Three Hikers," a five-year project chronicling the intense battle to free three Americans imprisoned in Iran from 2011 to 2013. The film premiered to acclaim at the AFI Silver Docs Film Festival and recently completed a 20-city theatrical run. This year, with the support of three Oscar-nominated producers, Johnston completed the highly anticipated feature documentary "State of Control," investigating China's control over the internet and communications. The film is currently receiving extensive coverage from the Washington Post, Variety, Hollywood Reporter, and LA Times as it begins its release. Johnston’s "This Cold Life," a feature documentary shot for Time Inc. in Svalbard, the northernmost permanent settlement in the Arctic, recently premiered at Hot Docs. He continues to contribute to and lead creative projects for Forbes.
