Marshall Johnson Jr.
Man of Many Hats
Marshall Johnson Jr. is an actor, director, editor, percussionist, professor, and producer originally from Richmond, VA. He graduated with a BA in Communication Studies with concentrations in Film and Broadcasting from Virginia Tech.
Marshall started acting as a hobby, but his hobby turned into a profession when he was asked to go on tour with The Road Company of Tennessee for the production of “Places and the Displaced”. After touring in 1992, he became video coordinator of the Virginia Tech Athletic Department where he became Executive Producer of “Virginia Tech Basketball” and Segment Producer of “The Frank Beamer Football Show”.
In 1994, Marshall decided to take his first shot at stage directing. The production called “The Flow” debuted at the National Black Arts Festival in Atlanta. He was then hired to edit and shoot a five-part educational mini-series called “Atif’s Journey” for Prince George’s County Public Schools, Maryland. During shooting, he was given an acting role in the series as well as a co-producing and directing credit. In 1997, “Atif’s Journey” won a Local CableACE Award for Best Educational Program Series and a Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame Award among a total of 8 awards for that production.
Marshall’s passion for music rekindled when he was asked to play percussion for The Washington Ballet with a talented musical duet called Hue. With Hue and South African choreographer, Boyzie , they composed a score for the ballet “Savannah” which was performed at The Kennedy Center for Performing Arts as well as at the Vita Dance Umbrella in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Marshall’s other projects include directing and acting in “Simple Minded”, an adaptation of Langston Hughes’ Simple stories written by Kwame Alexander. He acted and drummed for an Improv Playback Theatre group called The Better Health Players. He was the director of the Woodstream Church Drama Ministry.
Currently, Marshall is the Manager for PGCC TV at Prince George’s Community College. He is a Final Cut Pro, Motion, and Adobe Premiere Pro Adjunct Professor. In his spare time, he is the instant replay and Click Effects operator for several DMV sports teams such as the Baltimore Ravens, Washington Commanders, Washington Mystics, Capital City Go-Go, D.C. United and Washington Defenders.
He most recently won a Telly Award as Associate Producer and Editor for the documentary “Striving For The Extraordinary” and he was Director of the
National Association of Black Journalists Award: Undergraduate Best Newscast for "Around Prince George's".
One word to describe Marshall Johnson is “talented.” He works behind and in front of the camera. He produces, shoots, directs, composes, edits, and writes. He is truly a man of many hats, but for him, it’s just a matter of deciding which one he will put on next.
“Whatever you do, big or small, do it well or don’t do it at all!” - Chuck Brown
