Johanna Stein

Last updated
Johanna Stein
Born
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Alma mater American Film Institute
University of Winnipeg
Occupation(s)Screenwriter, producer, director, actress, comedian
Years active1991 - present
OrganizationUnperfect Productions
Website http://jojostein.com

Johanna Stein is a Canadian screenwriter, director, animation showrunner, and actress.

Contents

Early life

Stein was born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba, where she attended St. John's High School and the University of Winnipeg. She then relocated to the United States to attend the American Film Institute.

Television and film projects

As an actress Stein has appeared on TV series including The Late Late Show , Curb Your Enthusiasm , and Madagascar: A Little Wild , and in feature films including Shoot or Be Shot and Mulholland Drive. As a writer, she has written for TV series, including Odd Squad , Kung Fu Panda: The Paws of Destiny , Home: Adventures with Tip and Oh , Spirit Riding Free , The Emperor's New School , WordGirl , American Dragon: Jake Long , O'Grady , G-Spot , and Breaker High . [1]

In 2006, Stein was nominated for an Annie Award for Best Writing in an Animated Television Production for Nickelodeon's O'Grady. In 2015, she was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Short-Form Animated Program for Disney XD's Wander Over Yonder.

Stein directed and co-produced We're with the Band (2003), a 30-minute mockumentary that followed Alanis Morissette and her band around the country, and which was subsequently optioned and ordered to pilot by Comedy Central. [2] [3]

Stein was Executive Producer and Showrunner on Madagascar: A Little Wild (2018), a 52-episode prequel to DreamWorks’ animated film franchise, Madagascar. The series was noted for its representation of Deaf characters and Deaf culture. [4] [5] The series was nominated the 2022 GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Children's Programming. [6] It was also nominated for and won Kidscreen Awards in 2020, 2021, and 2022. [7] [8] [9]

In 2021 it was announced that Stein would develop an animated TV series for DreamWorks Animation based on Jimmy Fallon’s children's books, Your Baby's First Word Will Be Dada and Everything is Mama. [10] [11]

Literary projects

In 2014 Stein's book, How Not to Calm a Child on a Plane: And Other Lessons in Parenting from a Highly Questionable Source was published by Da Capo Press. [12] [13] [14] How Not to Calm a Child on a Plane was optioned by Will Arnett's production company, Electric Avenue, as the basis of a sitcom for the CBS television network. [15] [16]

Stein's comedic essays have been published in the New York Times , [17] [18] Parents , Jezebel, [19] and have appeared in anthologies including, Mortified: Love is a Battlefield [20] and Afterbirth: Stories You Won't Read in a Parenting Magazine. [21]

Internet projects

Stein wrote, produced, and starred in Momhead, a comedy video which was filmed from a bird's eye view using a GoPro camera mounted on top of Stein's head. [22] [23] The video chronicled all of the ways that Stein's 4-year-old daughter insulted her in a typical day. It received a Silver Pencil award from The One Club. [24]

Momhead was adapted into a short-form series, Jojohead (2016). Stein wrote, produced, and starred in the 18-episode series which was a co-production of Unperfect Productions and Blue Ribbon Content (a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Television Studios). [25] [26] Jojohead was released on The CW's streaming platform, CW Seed, and was the first scripted series to be promoted through Instagram’s Weekly Stories. [27]

Stein wrote and directed It's Illogical (2017), a series of short films about sexual assault victim blaming. The PSA's, which were released by then-VP Joe Biden's initiative, It's On Us, received over 15 million views globally, and received a Communication Arts Award of Excellence. [28] [29] [30] [31] [32]

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
1991 True Confections GirlTV movie
1994 The Silence of the Hams Assistant (Mr. Greggio)
1995 Bushwhacked Assistant (Mr. Stern)
1996Iris and NathanIrisShort Film
1997 Alanis Morissette: Jagged Little Pill (Live) Additional PhotographerVideo
2000Radio Free SteveActress
2001Porno OuttakesWriter, producer, Director, Editor, Script SupervisorVideo
Mulholland Drive Woman in #12
2002 Shoot or Be Shot Rachel
Le mimeWriter, The MimeShort Film
2004 Alanis Morissette: We're with the Band Director, executive producer, WriterTV movie
2006 I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With Co-Executive Producer
2013Life of Mom with Johanna SteinWriter (creator), Executive Producer, HerselfVideo
2014MomheadWriter, director, Producer, HerselfVideo
2016One in a Million PSAProducerVideo / PSA
2017It's Illogical PSAWriter, directorVideo / PSA

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
1996Quick WitzHerself
1997-98 Breaker High Writer (staff writer)
2000Ripe TomatoesWriter (creator), Actress
2000-03 Seven Little Monsters Writer
2002 The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn HerselfEpisode: 12 March 2002
Comedy Central Canned Ham Austin Girl Wannabe / Host2 episodes
2004 The 33rd Annual Juno Awards Director (comedy short segments), WriterTV special
Last Laugh '04Consultant
2004-05 O'Grady Writer3 episodes
2005ToupouWriter (head writer)25 episodes
Curb Your Enthusiasm Wife #2Episode: "The Korean Bookie"
2007 Shorty McShorts' Shorts WriterEpisode: "Too Many Robots"
American Dragon: Jake Long WriterEpisode: "Shaggy Frog"
WordGirl WriterEpisode: "Coupon Madness/When Life Gives You Potatoes..."
The Emperor's New School Writer2 episodes
2009 G-Spot Writer5 episodes
2013-14 Wander Over Yonder Writer (story), Writer14 episodes
2014 KCAL 9 News Weekend Report Herself (guest)Episode: May 11, 2014
2016 JoJoHead JoJo, Executive Producer, Writer18 episodes
2017 Home: Adventures with Tip & Oh Writer (staff writer), Writer (story by)22 episodes
2018-19 Kung Fu Panda: The Paws of Destiny Writer4 episodes
2019 Spirit Riding Free: Pony Tales WriterEpisode: "The Frontier Fillies Summer Outdoor Jubilee"
2020 Spirit Riding Free: Riding Academy Writer4 episodes
2020-21 Madagascar: A Little Wild Actress, Writer28 episodes

Awards and nominations

YearNominee / workAwardResult
2006 Nickelodeon's O'Grady (Episode: "Old Cold") Annie Award for Best Writing in an Animated Television Production Nominated [33]
2015 Disney XD's Wander Over Yonder (Episode: "The Gift 2: The Gifting" Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Short-Form Animated Program Nominated [34]

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References

  1. ↑ "Johanna Stein | Writer, Actress, Producer". IMDb. Retrieved 2023-10-20.
  2. ↑ Martin, Denise (2004-12-08). "Playtone jumps on 'Band' wagon". Variety. Retrieved 2023-10-20.
  3. ↑ "We're with the Band (2005)". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 2023-10-20.
  4. ↑ White, Abbey (2022-01-25). "How 'Madagascar: A Little Wild' Breaks New Industry Ground for Deaf Representation". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2023-10-20.
  5. ↑ Aquino, Steven. "DreamWorks Spotlights Deaf Culture And Disability Representation In 'Madagascar: A Little Wild' Series". Forbes. Retrieved 2023-10-20.
  6. ↑ "The 33rd Annual GLAAD Media Awards Outstanding Children's Program Nominees are Redefining How Kids See Gender | GLAAD". glaad.org. 2022-02-28. Retrieved 2023-10-20.
  7. ↑ "Kidscreen Awards". awards.kidscreen.com. Retrieved 2023-10-20.
  8. ↑ https://www.animationmagazine.net/2023/02/winners-announced-for-14th-annual-kidscreen-awards/ [ bare URL ]
  9. ↑ "2021 Kidscreen Award Winners Announced". Animation World Network. Retrieved 2023-10-20.
  10. ↑ Baysinger, Tim (2021-05-13). "Jimmy Fallon Teams With DreamWorks Animation for TV Adaptation of His Preschool Books". TheWrap. Retrieved 2023-10-20.
  11. ↑ Porter, Rick (2021-05-13). "'Kids Tonight Show' From Jimmy Fallon in the Works at Peacock". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2023-10-20.
  12. ↑ Dell’Antonia, Kj (2014-05-05). "Books to Share on Mother's Day". Motherlode Blog. Retrieved 2023-10-20.
  13. ↑ "Writer Johanna Stein gives us a raw and hilarious look at being a mother". The Globe and Mail. 2014-11-24. Retrieved 2023-10-20.
  14. ↑ Johanna, Stein. "How Not To Calm a Child on a Plane: And Other Lessons in Parenting from a Highly Questionable Source". Library Journal. Retrieved 2023-10-20.
  15. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (2014-10-07). "CBS Buys Parenting Comedy Produced By Will Arnett". Deadline. Retrieved 2023-10-20.
  16. ↑ Rose, Lacey (2014-08-14). "Will Arnett Launches Production Company, Inks First-Look Deal With CBS (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2023-10-20.
  17. ↑ Belkin, Lisa (2009-11-04). "How (Not) to Calm a Child on a Plane". Motherlode Blog. Retrieved 2023-10-20.
  18. ↑ Belkin, Lisa (2009-12-11). "Forming Your Own Holiday Traditions". Motherlode Blog. Retrieved 2023-10-20.
  19. ↑ "The Annals Of Placenta Shenanigans: Now With More Pasta?". Jezebel. 2009-12-19. Retrieved 2023-10-20.
  20. ↑ The Mortified Guide · Season 1 Episode 3 · The Mortified Guide to Fitting In, 2018-02-15, retrieved 2023-10-20
  21. ↑ Afterbirth: Stories You Won't Read in a Parenting Magazine.
  22. ↑ Kid's insults to mom go viral | CNN, 2014-10-02, retrieved 2023-10-20
  23. ↑ "Mom records her 4-year-old's unfiltered (and adorable?) insults". TODAY.com. 2014-10-05. Retrieved 2023-10-20.
  24. ↑ "Johanna Stein | Momhead". www.oneclub.org. Retrieved 2023-10-20.
  25. ↑ http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/female-version-of-mr-bean-winnipeg-s-johanna-stein-launches-cw-series-jojohead-1.3835380 [ bare URL ]
  26. ↑ Robbins, Caryn. "Free Digital-Only Network CW Seed Announces Titles Available for Streaming". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 2023-10-20.
  27. ↑ Spangler, Todd (2016-10-14). "Instagram Stories Is Getting First Scripted Series: Comedy 'JoJo Head' From CW". Variety. Retrieved 2023-10-20.
  28. ↑ Ruiz, Rebecca (2017-09-21). "Videos about the 'logical' ways we excuse sex assault will make you want to rage scream". Mashable. Retrieved 2023-10-20.
  29. ↑ "This Is How Victim-Blaming Logic Would Play Out In Everyday Scenarios". HuffPost. 2017-09-26. Retrieved 2023-10-20.
  30. ↑ ""Wiedziałeś, co robisz, ozdabiając tort tak kusząco". Te filmiki ośmieszają argumenty usprawiedliwiania sprawców molestowania seksualnego". Newsweek (in Polish). 2017-11-07. Retrieved 2023-10-20.
  31. ↑ "Giustificare la violenza sulle donne è illogico: una serie di spot lo dimostra con paradossi geniali". la Repubblica (in Italian). 2017-09-22. Retrieved 2023-10-20.
  32. ↑ "Illogical". Communication Arts. Retrieved 2023-10-20.
  33. ↑ "Annie Awards". www.annieawards.org. Retrieved 2017-11-20.
  34. ↑ "Nominees/Winners". Television Academy. Retrieved 2017-11-20.
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