Meet Cam Johnson

Title: Senior Manager, Current

Division: Studios Programming

TELL US ABOUT YOUR ROLE

Overall, I hire writers and directors for our programs, work in conjunction with production to ensure shows are on time and on budget, and give notes on anything involving the creative process (scripts, cuts, casting lists, etc.). Basically, I’m the human face for the creatives on the project to come to if any issues arise. We help guide the project along from conception to release.

HOW DO YOU CARRY OUT YOUR DUTIES?

It’s really about establishing relationships. We work with agents and reps every day, so when we need one of their clients who fits the creative IP we’re looking to develop, we can make a call and meet those writers and/or directors. We’re doing general meetings, coffees, and pitches often to familiarize ourselves with the various talent around town. In my group, we also joke that we’re professional readers. An idea can come from anywhere – a news article, a book, a writer’s idea that they dreamt about, or a podcast. So constant reading is key.

WHAT PROJECTS ARE YOU WORKING ON?

“Cross” is the biggest one right now. It’s an adaption of the James Patterson book series about Alex Cross and season one comes out later this year on Prime Video. I also work on “Reacher” and was involved with Jack Ryan before the show wrapped up in its fourth season. We recently wrapped production on “Time Bandits” for Apple TV , which is based on the 1981 film of the same name with Taika Waititi serving as director and executive producer. I’m also working on some other projects that are in a deeper state of development.

 WHAT TYPE OF NOTES DO YOU GIVE?

We try not to be too prescriptive. We’re not telling writers what to write, just guiding the creative process along. We’ll say, does the continuity line up, or we highlight things that may be a tough sell for audiences based on current events in the world. If there are things that may not make sense narratively, we help navigate that as well. I think we do a good job here of being a democracy. It’s always an open conversation and we always try to hear where the creatives are coming from.

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE PART OF YOUR ROLE?

I don’t think there’s any substitute for seeing the seed of an idea become a real thing. We spend many hours and put in a lot of hard work molding the idea itself. Then, all of a sudden, you’re seeing actors act out scenes from words you’ve been reading in various scripts for the last year, and it all becomes real. It’s just a really cool feeling.

WHAT DOES IT FEEL LIKE?

It’s a sense of joy and of accomplishment. Being on the inside, knowing how the sausage is made, seeing how many people it takes to make a show, it’s a minor miracle that anything ever gets on TV. Think about the best school project you ever did and multiply that by a million and that’s how it feels when you see something you worked on get on TV.