Paul Ian Johnson Origin Story

Paul Ian Johnson acquired a passion for movies at a very young age. His Dad, an avid film connoisseur, who showed banned movies in his garage during the heyday of apartheid ignited Paul’s interest in movies. Although his career path took him in a different direction, his interest in the process of movie making, particularly script writing continued to develop. Throughout his communications and marketing career, his passion for movies never waned, in fact it grew to such an extent that much of his time was spent meeting people and developing ideas and stories around their experiences.

In 2013, at the age of 38, Paul realised he could no longer ignore that he was happiest when writing screenplays. He abandoned a 15-year marketing career to pursue his life’s passion. This was a bold move since he had a wife and two young kids to take care of. Incredibly, the gamble paid off. Within 3 months, he had made his mark. His Law & Order spec script "Malicious Intent" saw him named the only non-US finalist in the TV Drama category at the 2006 Austin Film & TV Festival. In 2007, Paul became the first African screenwriter in the Top 10 at Francis Ford Coppola's American Zoetrope Screenplay Contest when a judging panel headed by director Gus van Sant selected his first feature screenplay The Last Marine, an Alaska-set modern-day Western.

He never looked back. His success and talent as a screenwriter is testament to his hard work and passion to write movies of any genre, which has led several industry personas to state that he was the “best screenwriter in South Africa''. At present, there are several of Paul’s projects that are in production or have been produced by South African and international production companies.

Paul did not attend a single formal screenwriting class – he was self-taught. He had no formal working knowledge of the film industry but he was determined that this would not hold him back. He firmly believed and proved that if you worked hard, showcase your talents and made smart business choices within the industry, you could sustain a living from screenwriting.

He believed in equal representation and diversity in all levels of society, which he felt was lacking from the SA screenwriting scene. Even now, the opportunities are too little and far between for struggling screenwriters who want to break into the industry or just get their foot in the door. These opportunities were (and are still) more accessible for a privileged few with an established network and financial means.

Paul was passionate about creating a representative and diverse industry and society within which to operate and work. He wanted to use his success to create opportunities for

struggling and under-resourced screenwriters in South Africa.

Even though he is no longer with us, the PIJ Foundation will continue his legacy to inspire, motivate and support novice screenwriters in South Africa to achieve their dreams.