Meet Shelton R. Johnson | Award Winning Director and Screenwriter

We had the good fortune of connecting with Shelton R. Johnson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Shelton R., what do you attribute your success to?
Faith. I’m a Christian, and faith is what keeps me moving forward boldly towards my vision. It’s also what keeps me working hard consistently, because I know faith without works is dead, and the prize is given to the one who endures.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Despite writing fiction for most of my life, I didn’t get serious about it until my son’s birth in 2014. From 2015 to 2018, I wrote and published 4 novels (Thankful for My Family, Merry with My Family, New One with My Family, and Mr. Wilder). Sales were minimal, but I enjoyed the process. While writing the last novel, I met a film producer who encouraged me to turn my novels into movies by writing screenplays. I didn’t know where to start, and I didn’t like the idea. But I was too afraid of missing an opportunity. I read 2 books about screenwriting while finishing the novel, then I wrote the Thankful for My Family script. The film producer who once encouraged me was no where to be found, and with not having an agent I had to either make the film myself, or move on with my life. Obviously, I made the movie, but I had NO IDEA what I was doing. I relied heavily on my friend/neighbor who filmed weddings on the weekends for anything production related. I also relied heavily on a good friend from church who’s a SAG Actor for anything casting related. Despite having no experience, I felt confidence in knowing the story because I’d written the novel and script. The film was made, premiered, and successfully distributed to several platforms, including Amazon Prime, Tubi, and AppleTV. Since then I’ve read countless books on anything film related. I’ve been hired to direct commercials and short films I didn’t write. I’ve also started my own production company, which has now produced 4 short films. Those films have gone on to win multiple film festivals, and even a screenplay competition. I write everyday, except Sundays, so my greatest lesson other than faith is work consistently. The best way to get what you want is by deserving what you want.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I live in Maryland, so I’d recommend a crab cake on Solomon’s Island. That’s it. The itinerary after that is sleep. lol.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’d like to dedicate my shout out to my parents. As a kid, I was always different from other kids in my neighborhood, even my own brother. lol. My parents encouraged me by telling me it was ok that I enjoyed reading books at the local library, and that I didn’t care for rap music. Even while excelling in sports, I never viewed myself as a jock. I’ve always been comfortable being myself, and I credit my parents, Steve and Sonya for that.

Instagram: directedbysrj

Image Credits
Darian Williams Jared Harris