We had the good fortune of connecting with Ryan Henry Johnston and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ryan Henry, we’d love to hear what makes you happy.
I’ve always found the greatest joy for me is when I’m producing/directing films. I love telling stories that entertain others and help people escape from reality, even if only for a couple of minutes out of the day. There’s no feeling like being on set and surrounding yourself with passionate, like-minded creatives all working toward the same goal. The energy you feel is honestly so electric, and I have so much fun that it never feels like work. When you get the chance to witness words going from script to screen and see your story and characters come to life at that moment, there’s no greater happiness for me. You feel such a sense of accomplishment, knowing that you and your team put so much time and energy into something and get to see it unfold right before your eyes and show it to the world. It makes all the hard work, late nights, and stress worth it in the end.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I started on my path to filmmaking back in 2011 after moving from Reno, NV to Phoenix, AZ to pursue film. Scottsdale Community College (SCC) is where I really got my start as a filmmaker and met all the people I work with today. It was a great opportunity for a young filmmaker to learn and understand the multitude of things involved in cinema. I used that opportunity to create a vast number of different projects and build my portfolio, which helped me start securing directing work straight out of school. It wasn’t easy, but nothing worth anything ever really is, right? It was a lot of trial and error, but you learn more from failure than from success. A lot of how I overcame those challenges and doubts about my chosen profession was to keep in mind that all the great directors that I look up to, Guillermo Del Toro, Peter Jackson, and John Hughes. All of them started somewhere, with one idea and one film, so nothing is impossible. I’m a firm believer that if you do something for the right reasons, it all works out in the end. You just have to keep pushing and put in the work, everybody wants what you want, but you have to want it more. It’s not going to be easy, but you shouldn’t want it to be, nothing of real value is ever easy. Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There’s definitely a core group of people who have stuck by me over the years, and we’ve made just about every project I’ve ever done together. I would wanna dedicate this shoutout to Brian Tooker, Megan Cottrell, Tyler Schneider, Desiree “Rey” Srinivas, Robyn Sturgis, Will Hirsch, Thomas Laufenberg, Craig Wallach, Charlotte Lilt Wiechert, and Jason Wiechert. They’ve all stuck by me through thick and thin and I cannot thank them all enough for the ride it’s been and still going strong! I would also like to thank an amazing new production company I’ve had the privilege of working with over this past year on our first feature film, Falling Flame Pictures.

Website: http://ryanhenryjohnston.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ryanhenryjohnston/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/DirectorRHJ
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ryanhenryjohnston
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/artofwarpictures
Other: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5849644/

Image Credits
Sara Nevels – Talk Studios Daniel Tooker – Daniel Tooker Photography

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