Derek Wayne Johnson (born February 23, 1983) is an American film
director, screenwriter and producer.Born and raised in Carthage,
Texas, Johnson began making short films at an early age, winning
several awards while still in high school. Johnson directed his first
feature film, Within Us, in his senior year of film school at Stephen
F. Austin State University. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in
Film in 2006.After college, Johnson tried his hand at acting, starring
in independent feature films and appearing in small roles in
theatrically released and made-for-TV movies. Deciding to forgo acting
and focus solely on filmmaking, he directed three independent feature
films in Texas and Louisiana, including Broken Blood and Scrape,
before relocating to Hollywood.In 2017, Johnson directed and produced
a documentary about Academy Award-winning director John G. Avildsen
whose credits include Rocky and The Karate Kid. John G. Avildsen: King
of the Underdogs examines Avildsen's life, career and films and
features interviews with Sylvester Stallone, Ralph Macchio, Martin
Scorsese, Talia Shire and Burt Reynolds, among others. The documentary
is an unofficial companion to the book The Films of John G. Avildsen:
Rocky, The Karate Kid, and Other Underdogs written by Larry Powell and
Tom Garrett.
director, screenwriter and producer.Born and raised in Carthage,
Texas, Johnson began making short films at an early age, winning
several awards while still in high school. Johnson directed his first
feature film, Within Us, in his senior year of film school at Stephen
F. Austin State University. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in
Film in 2006.After college, Johnson tried his hand at acting, starring
in independent feature films and appearing in small roles in
theatrically released and made-for-TV movies. Deciding to forgo acting
and focus solely on filmmaking, he directed three independent feature
films in Texas and Louisiana, including Broken Blood and Scrape,
before relocating to Hollywood.In 2017, Johnson directed and produced
a documentary about Academy Award-winning director John G. Avildsen
whose credits include Rocky and The Karate Kid. John G. Avildsen: King
of the Underdogs examines Avildsen's life, career and films and
features interviews with Sylvester Stallone, Ralph Macchio, Martin
Scorsese, Talia Shire and Burt Reynolds, among others. The documentary
is an unofficial companion to the book The Films of John G. Avildsen:
Rocky, The Karate Kid, and Other Underdogs written by Larry Powell and
Tom Garrett.
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