Johnston's extensive production and writing experience spans over two dozen TV series, documentaries, specials, and almost 50 commercials, earning him recognition and accolades worldwide.
As a native of Colorado, Johnston's early success began at the age of 17, winning his first film festival award, which led him to attend the prestigious USC Film School and eventually the Academy Awards.
Throughout the 1990s, Johnston wrote and produced over 30 hours of documentary television, filming in over 20 countries.
In collaboration with Academy Award winner Brett Morgan and Anonymous Content, Johnston co-wrote, produced, and directed the highly acclaimed MTV documentary TV project "True Life: Trial By Fire", which became one of the highest-rated documentaries on MTV that year.
Johnston's first hybrid documentary film, "September Tapes", filmed on location in Afghanistan in 2002, follows a journalist on the trail of Osama Bin Laden and premiered at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival. The film was distributed in 28 countries and screened at over 25 film festivals worldwide, garnering significant media attention globally.
As a regular contributor to CNN and print mediums, Johnston wrote extensively on the subject of Afghanistan and Al-Qaeda.
After four years of work in Beirut and Turkey, Johnston wrote and produced the feature-length documentary "The Three Hikers", a five-year project that chronicles the harrowing battle to free three American hikers jailed in Iran from 2011 to 2013. The film premiered at the prestigious AFI Silver Docs film festival and had a 20-city theatrical release.
Johnston's latest feature documentary, "State of Control", an investigation into China's control over the internet and communications, was completed with the help of three Oscar-nominated producers. The film is currently receiving press coverage from major outlets such as the Washington Post, Variety, Hollywood Reporter, and LA Times, and is set to be released.
Hot Docs recently premiered Johnston's feature documentary "This Cold Life", shot for Time Inc. in Svalbard, the northernmost full-time civilization in the Arctic. Johnston continues to be a contributor and lead creator for Forbes.
