SHANNAN E. JOHNSON

If YOLO was a person, it’d be Shannan E. Johnson, native of Houston, Tex., and professional quitter. Because Shannan believes that waking up every day with breath in our bodies is an opportunity to do something different, she does.
Before attending film school, Shannan was a College Academic Advisor and the Executive Director of a non-profit for teen girls. She left that behind to chase her reality of working in Hollywood. She slept on couches and floors while she interned and PA’d to learn the ropes before pursuing her MFA in Film, which led her to become a creative executive in development and current programming through the NBCUniversal Entertainment Associates Program. It was there that she honed her skill to guide creatives from pitch to production on Alphas, Being Human, Haven, Sanctuary, and Warehouse 13.

In 2010, Shannan quit her executive job to join the circus. Well, actually to travel to 48 states and more than 19 countries on Broadway National Tours and in dance companies. Credits: (1st National Tours) Amazing Grace; Ghost the Musical; (Regional) Dreamgirls, Sister Act, How to Quit Your Day Job; (Dance Companies) Step Afrika!, Sole Defined. This threw her into the gig life of teaching dance in summer and after-school programs, substitute teaching in K-12 (oh, the stories she can tell) and even being the sample lady at the local grocery store (this experience did become a story – a short film titled TRUFFLE SAUCE.

As a screenwriter, Shannan creates coming-of-age stories about everyday people of color and how trauma can present itself when unrecognized therefore unhealed. In her day job as the CEO of the first black-owned script consultancy, The Professional Pen, she develops screenwriters from idea to pitch to build more confident storytellers and prepare them for professional screenwriting careers. As a storytelling expert, Shannan uses her story as a quitter to inspire students with big dreams in her College Speaker Series.

Competitions: (Finalist) AT&T Hello Lab, Warner Bros. TV Workshop, WeScreenplay Diverse Voices Short Screenplay Competition, and Film Pipeline Short Script Competition; Staffing: Craig Ross, Jr.’s Monogamy
"Shannan is the real deal. I've had the pleasure of working with her for coverage (which is excellent) as well as taking her course. The course is amazing. It has equipped me with all the tools, resources, and motivation to rinse, write, and repeat. If you're someone who gets stuck when writing or finds themselves doing massive rewrites (over and over and over again) I HIGHLY suggest taking this course because the foundation I've learned to lay during the outline process is GAME-CHANGING. She's taught me how to be an effective writer and REPEAT that process over and over for scripts to come. So grateful for her talents!"
- Angel H., Staff Writer