Johnson directed three music videos for Peter Gabriel: "Big Time",[3] "Steam",[3] and "Sledgehammer".

[4] "Sledgehammer" has the distinction of winning nine MTV Video Music Awards, which remains unsurpassed.

[5][6] In addition, Johnson directed the videos for "Road to Nowhere" by Talking Heads,[7] and "The Bug"[8] and "Walk of Life"[9] by Dire Straits.

[10] He also spearheaded the creation of the short film Universal Declaration of Human Rights for Amnesty International, based on the thirty articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights created by the United Nations.

[14] Johnson died at the age of 62 on January 26, 2015, in Fort Scott, Kansas, from cardiac complications.