Director Curley Johnson (b. William James Johnson, III) got his nickname at the age of ten, due to his then ginormous head of hair. Despite hundreds of subsequent hair cuts, as well as heartfelt pleas to his friends, the name Curley has stuck.

As a teen, Curley Johnson was a serious music student, playing and studying in New Orleans and attending the Juilliard School. Attracted to the visual arts, Curley Johnson went on to earn a B.A. in Communication from George Mason University while working as a bartender and nightclub entertainment manager to pay off his tuition. It was there that Curley Johnson made his first videos for the nightclub's shows and promotions and ignited his desire to become a filmmaker.

Once bitten, Curley Johnson worked several years on lighting crews and as an Assistant Director until heading to the Big Apple to attend New York University’s graduate film school.

Emerging as a cinematographer, Curley Johnson shot numerous commercials and films, including serving as Director of Photography on the groundbreaking stop-motion television show GARY AND MIKE.

Since his first directing job, LITTLE WARRIORS, Curley Johnson has applied his cinematographer’s eye to a passion for storytelling. His approach to the art of TV commercials and public service announcements has successfully incorporated poetic visuals, subtle special effects, engaging performances, and on at least one occasion, a pair of precocious garden gnomes. 

In his documentary and narrative work, director Curley Johnson has excelled at creating well-crafted films centered on the human experience. He possesses an uncanny ability for drawing out meaningful, evocative performances and interviews in a wide range of genres and topics. Curley Johnson's work has garnered national attention, as well as Emmy and Telly Awards.

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