J. J. Johnson (producer)

Last updated

James Anthony Johnson, [1] known professionally as J. J. Johnson, is a Canadian-born writer, director, executive producer, and founding member of Sinking Ship Entertainment. He is the creator of children's television programmes, including This is Daniel Cook , Dino Dana and Endlings . He also serves on the Youth Media Alliance board as a co-chair.

Contents

Early life

One of four children, Johnson grew up in Elmira, Ontario and started experimenting with film and media in his final year of high school. Johnson was in the running for school president when he and two friends made a Saturday Night Live inspired video featuring Supermarket Sweep host Tino Monte. He won the election and through this victory he realized the power of media. [2] [1]

Career

J. J. Johnson attended Ryerson University's RTA School of Media and graduated in 2002 along with fellow Sinking Ship Entertainment founders, Blair Powers and Matt Bishop. [3] [4] In their final year, Johnson and Powers pitched a project and tried to convince their peers to pick up the remaining crew roles. A classmate warned others who were interested to avoid joining as it'd be like "joining a sinking ship". The two friends registered a company in the same name later that day. [5]

After graduating, Johnson worked at a talent agency where he met Daniel Cook, who became the inspiration behind This is Daniel Cook which debuted in 2004 with Sinking Ship Entertainment. [6] Since then, Johnson has created and directed several popular shows such as Dino Dana , Endlings and Lockdown. [7]

In January 2006, the operations of Sinking Ship Entertainment moved from Johnson's apartment to offices in Toronto. [1]

On November 23, 2014, Sinking Ship Entertainment announced they would be co-producing Odd Squad along with Fred Rogers Productions for PBS Kids. [8] The show went on to win several Daytime Emmy Awards which lead to the creation of Odd Squad Mobile Unit. [9]

In 2021, he announced he will be working alongside Apple TV+ and the Jane Goodall Institute to create Jane, a kids' series that will follow a girl named Jane Garcia, a 10-year-old with an active imagination. [10] [11] [12] Previously, Johnson had worked alongside Apple TV+ and Sesame Workshop to produce the reboot of the 1990's kids series Ghostwriter. [13]

Filmography

YearTitle
2004 This is Daniel Cook
2006 This is Emily Yeung
I Dare You
Roll Play
2007 Are We There Yet?: World Adventures
2010 Dino Dan
2012 Giver
2013This is Scarlett and Isaiah
Dino Dan: Trek's Adventures
2014 Odd Squad
2015Chirp
2016 Odd Squad: The Movie
2017 Dino Dana
2020 Endlings
Dino Dana The Movie
2021 Lockdown
2023 Jane

Awards, nominations and honors

YearAwardCategoryWorkResultRef
2013 1st Canadian Screen Awards Best Pre-School Program or Series Are We There Yet?: World Adventure Nominated
Best Children's or Youth Non-Fiction Program or Series Giver Nominated
2015 3rd Canadian Screen Awards Best Children's or Youth Non-Fiction Program or SeriesGiverNominated
Best Direction in a Children's or Youth Program or SeriesThis Is Scarlett and IsaiahNominated
Best Writing in a Children's or Youth Program or Series Dino Dan: Trek's Adventures Nominated
Daytime Emmy Awards Outstanding Pre-School Children's SeriesDino Dan: Trek's AdventuresWon
Outstanding Directing in a Children's or Pre-School Children's Series Odd Squad Won
2016 4th Canadian Screen Awards Best Pre-School Program or SeriesWon [14]
Best Children's or Youth Non-Fiction Program or SeriesGiverNominated
Best Children's or Youth Fiction Program or Series Annedroids Nominated
Best Writing in a Children's or Youth Program or SeriesNominated
Best Direction in a Children's or Youth Program or SeriesNominated
Daytime Emmy Awards Outstanding Directing in a Children's or Pre-School Children's SeriesOdd SquadWon
2017 5th Canadian Screen Awards Best Children's or Youth Fiction Program or Series Odd Squad: The Movie Won
Best Direction in a Children's or Youth Program or SeriesOdd SquadNominated
Best TV Movie or Limited SeriesOdd Squad: The MovieNominated
2018 6th Canadian Screen Awards Best Children's or Youth Fiction Program or SeriesOdd SquadWon [15]
Best Cross-Platform Project - Children's and YouthOdd SquadWon
Best Direction, Children's or Youth Dino Dana : "Mega Tooth"Nominated
Odd Squad: "The Cherry On-Top-Inator / Sir"Nominated
Best Pre-School Program or SeriesDino DanaNominated
Best Cross-Platform Project - Children's and YouthAnnedroidsNominated
Daytime Emmy Awards Outstanding Education or Informational SeriesGiverWon [16]
2019 7th Canadian Screen Awards Best Children's or Youth Fiction Program or SeriesOdd SquadWon [17]
Best Pre-School Program or SeriesDino DanaWon
Best Cross-Platform Project - Children's and YouthWon
Best Direction in a Children's or Youth Program or SeriesOdd SquadWon
Best Writing in a Children's or Youth Program or SeriesDino DanaNominated
Daytime Emmy Awards Outstanding Directing in a Children's, Pre-school Children's or Family Viewing Program Odd Squad: World Turned Odd Won [18]
Outstanding Children's or Family Viewing ProgramOdd SquadWon
2020 8th Canadian Screen Awards Best Direction in a Children's or Youth Program or SeriesDino DanaNominated [19]
Daytime Emmy Awards Outstanding Children's or Family Viewing Series Ghostwriter Won
2021 9th Canadian Screen Awards Best Writing, Web Program or Series Lockdown Nominated [20]
Best Children's or Youth Fiction Program or Series Endlings Nominated
Odd Squad Mobile Unit Won
Best Writing, Children's or YouthEndlingsNominated
2022 10th Canadian Screen Awards Best Children's or Youth Fiction Program or SeriesEndlingsPending [21]
LockdownPending
Odd Squad Mobile UnitPending
Best Directing, Children's or YouthOdd Squad Mobile Unit: "H2 Oh No/In Your Dreams"Pending
Immersive Experience, NonfictionFossil HuntPending

Related Research Articles

<i>Ghostwriter</i> (1992 TV series) Mystery television series

Ghostwriter is a children's mystery television series created by Liz Nealon and produced by Children's Television Workshop and BBC Television. The series revolves around a multiethnic group of friends from Brooklyn who solve neighborhood crimes and mysteries as a team of youth detectives with the help of a ghost named Ghostwriter. Ghostwriter can communicate with children only by manipulating whatever text and letters he can find and using them to form words and sentences. The series was filmed on location in Fort Greene, Brooklyn. It began airing on PBS on October 4, 1992, and the last episode aired on February 12, 1995. It reran on Noggin, a channel co-founded by the Children's Television Workshop, from 1999 to 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jennifer Robertson</span> Canadian actress, writer, and comedian (b. 1971)

Jennifer Robertson is a Canadian actress, writer, and comedian. She is known for her starring role as Jocelyn Schitt in the CBC sitcom Schitt's Creek (2015–2020), for which she won a Screen Actors Guild Award and received nominations for four Canadian Screen Awards.

The Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television presents an annual award for Best Dramatic Series. Formerly presented as part of the Gemini Awards program, since 2013 the award has been presented as part of the expanded Canadian Screen Awards.

The Canadian Screen Award for Best Actor in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role is an annual Canadian television award, presented by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television to the best leading performance by an actor in a Canadian television series. Previously presented as part of the Gemini Awards, since 2013 it has been presented as part of the Canadian Screen Awards.

The Canadian Screen Award for Best Actress in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role is an annual Canadian television award, presented by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television to the best leading performance by an actress in a Canadian television series. Previously presented as part of the Gemini Awards, since 2013 it has been presented as part of the Canadian Screen Awards.

The Canadian Screen Award for Best Performance in a Children's or Youth Program or Series is a Canadian Screen Award that honours performances in English language children's television produced in Canada.

The Donald Brittain Award is a Canadian television award, presented by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television to honour the year's best television documentary on a social or political topic. Formerly presented as part of the Gemini Awards, since 2013 it has been presented as part of the Canadian Screen Awards. The award may be presented to either a standalone broadcast of a documentary film, or to an individual full-length episode of a news or documentary series; documentary films which originally premiered theatrically, but were not already submitted for consideration in a CSA film category before being broadcast on television, are also considered television films for the purposes of the award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moira Rose</span> Fictional character from Schitts Creek

Moira Rose is a fictional character in the Canadian sitcom Schitt's Creek, which aired on CBC and Pop from 2015 to 2020. Moira is introduced as the eccentric former soap opera star wife of Johnny Rose and mother of their adult children, David and Alexis. She is often portrayed as the family member most resistant to life in Schitt's Creek – viewing their loss of fortune as temporary. In later seasons, Moira's story becomes more community-oriented as she forms closer relationships with the townspeople.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sinking Ship Entertainment</span> CGI distribution company

Sinking Ship Entertainment is a Canadian-based production, distribution and interactive company specializing in kids' live-action CGI blended series. The company's headquarters are located in Toronto, Ontario. Since its founding in 2004, Sinking Ship has produced over 500 hours of content and their distribution division has sold to over 200 countries internationally. The company was named #1 in production on Kidscreen's Hot 50 for 2020.

Michela Luci is a Canadian actress from Ancaster, Ontario, most noted as the leading role of Dino Dana. She won a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Performer in a Children's, Family Viewing or Special Class Program at the 45th Daytime Emmy Awards, and is a two-time Canadian Screen Award nominee for Best Performance in a Children's or Youth Program or Series at the 6th Canadian Screen Awards in 2018 and the 7th Canadian Screen Awards in 2019. She also portrayed Tabby in the science fiction series Endlings, which premiered on January 5, 2020 on CBC Television in Canada and Hulu in the U.S.

Lisa Parasyn is a Canadian casting director and film producer. She is a three-time Canadian Screen Award winner for Best Casting in a Television Series, winning at the 2nd Canadian Screen Awards in 2014 for Bomb Girls, at the 6th Canadian Screen Awards in 2018 for Cardinal, and at the 8th Canadian Screen Awards for Schitt's Creek, and an Emmy Award winner for Outstanding Casting for a Comedy Series at the 72nd Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards for Schitt's Creek.

Jon Comerford is a Canadian casting director. He is a three-time Canadian Screen Award winner for Best Casting in a Television Series, winning at the 2nd Canadian Screen Awards in 2014 for Bomb Girls, at the 6th Canadian Screen Awards in 2018 for Cardinal, and at the 8th Canadian Screen Awards for Schitt's Creek, and an Emmy Award winner for Outstanding Casting for a Comedy series at the 72nd Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards for Schitt's Creek.

Ghostwriter is a children's mystery television series produced by Sesame Workshop and Sinking Ship Entertainment as an original series for Apple TV+, and premiered on November 1, 2019, coinciding with the launch of the service. It is a revival of the 1992–1995 series of the same name. The third and final season premiered on October 21, 2022.

The Canadian Screen Award for Best Supporting Actress in Comedy Series is an annual Canadian television award, presented by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television to the best performance by an actress in a supporting role in a Canadian television comedy series.

The Canadian Screen Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series or Program is an annual Canadian television award, presented by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television to the best supporting performance by an actress in a Canadian dramatic television series or television film. Previously presented as part of the Gemini Awards, since 2013 it has been presented as part of the Canadian Screen Awards.

My Home, My Life! is a Canadian television documentary series for children, which premiered on TVOntario in 2020. The series features a number of children, from Canada presenting short video features on their home and family lives.

Dierdre Bowen is a Canadian casting director. She has worked on casting more than 400 TV episodes on series including Cold Squad, The Listeners, and Vikings. She is most noted for winning the Canadian Screen Award for Best Casting in a Television Series at the 5th Canadian Screen Awards in 2017, for her work on the television series Kim's Convenience.

Miss Persona is a Canadian children's television program for preschoolers, which premiered in 2018. Inspired by past programs such as The Big Comfy Couch and Mr. Dressup, the series was created by children's entertainer Kimberly Persona, and features her in character as a woman who lives in a treehouse in the forest with her teddy bear friend Brandon, and uses songs, games and dress-up role play to teach children how to solve problems.

Aleysa Young is a Canadian television director. She is most noted for her work as a director of Baroness von Sketch Show, for which she won a Canadian Screen Award for Best Direction in a Variety or Sketch Comedy Program or Series at the 8th Canadian Screen Awards in 2020 for the episode "Humanity Is in an Awkward Stage".

<i>Jane</i> (American TV series) 2023 American television series

Jane is a live-action educational adventure children's television series, created by J.J. Johnson, and premiered on Apple TV+ on April 14, 2023. The series was produced by the Jane Goodall Institute and Canada-based Sinking Ship Entertainment.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "The wiz behind the kids". Toronto Star. 2006-09-26. Retrieved 2021-05-06– via PressReader.
  2. ↑ "DGC Online". www.dgconline.ca. Retrieved 2021-03-04.
  3. ↑ "J.J. Johnson". Ryerson University. Retrieved 2020-09-23.
  4. ↑ "Connecting with kids against the odds". thestar.com. 2017-05-13. Retrieved 2020-09-23.
  5. ↑ crtceng, How to win in children's television production: find out all about it, archived from the original on 2020-09-23, retrieved 2020-09-23
  6. ↑ "Connecting with kids against the odds". thestar.com. 2017-05-13. Retrieved 2020-09-23.
  7. ↑ "How 'Pandemic TV' boosts kids' emotional IQ at a critical moment". Family. 2021-02-22. Retrieved 2021-03-02.
  8. ↑ "PBS goes into action with math-based 'Odd Squad'". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 2021-03-05.
  9. ↑ Steinberg, Brian (2019-09-03). "'Odd Squad' Deploys New Team for Old Mission: Getting Kids to Tune In". Variety. Retrieved 2021-03-05.
  10. ↑ "Jane Goodall, 'Ghostwriter' Producers Team for Apple Kids' Series". The Hollywood Reporter. 2021-02-08. Retrieved 2021-03-02.
  11. ↑ Otterson, Joe (2021-02-08). "Apple Partners With Jane Goodall Institute, Sinking Ship Entertainment on Children's Series". Variety. Retrieved 2021-03-02.
  12. ↑ "Apple TV+ expands award-winning kids slate with "Jane," inspired by Jane Goodall". Apple TV+ Press. Retrieved 2021-03-05.
  13. ↑ Petski, Denise (2019-09-10). "'Ghostwriter': Reboot Of 1990s Kids Series Set At Apple TV+". Deadline. Retrieved 2021-03-05.
  14. ↑ Brent Furdyk, "2016 Canadian Screen Awards Nominees Announced". ET Canada , January 19, 2016.
  15. ↑ Rachel West, "2018 Canadian Screen Awards: Creative Fiction Storytelling Winners Include ‘Mary Kills People’, ‘Vikings’, ‘Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs’". ET Canada , March 7, 2018.
  16. ↑ Patrick Hipes, "Daytime Creative Arts Emmy Awards: ‘Bold And The Beautiful’, ‘Sesame Street’ Top Winners". Deadline Hollywood , April 27, 2018.
  17. ↑ Kelly Townsend, "CSAs ’19: Anne, Schitt’s Creek, Cardinal lead TV nominations". Playback , February 7, 2019.
  18. ↑ Patrick Hipes, "Daytime Emmys Creative Arts Awards: ‘Young And The Restless’, ‘Sesame Street’ Among Winners". Deadline Hollywood , May 4, 2019.
  19. ↑ Brent Furdyk, "Canadian Screen Awards: Winners Revealed In Lifestyle And Reality, Children’s And Youth Categories". ET Canada , May 26, 2020.
  20. ↑ Brent Furdyk, "Television Nominees Announced For 2021 Canadian Screen Awards, ‘Schitt’s Creek’ Leads The Pack With 21 Nominations". ET Canada , March 30, 2021.
  21. ↑ Furdyk, Brent (15 February 2022). "2022 Canadian Screen Award Nominees Announced, 'Sort Of' & 'Scarborough' Lead The Pack". ET Canada. Archived from the original on February 15, 2022. Retrieved 12 March 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.