[1] Born and raised in Carthage, Texas, Johnson began making short films at an early age, winning several awards while still in high school.

Deciding to forgo acting and focus solely on filmmaking, he directed three feature films in Texas and Louisiana, including Broken Blood and Scrape, before landing in California.

[4] Upon arriving in Hollywood, Johnson directed John G. Avildsen: King of the Underdogs, about the Academy Award-winning director whose credits include Rocky and The Karate Kid.

Recently, Johnson wrapped production on his directorial return to feature films with Blood Streams, a crime/drama/thriller starring Han Soto, Brad Maule, Hollin Haley, and Yuji Okumoto.

[10] Johnson cites his original VHS copy of Raiders of the Lost Ark as the reason he became a filmmaker, calling it "the holy grail" of his movie collection and the film he studied the most growing up.