AMBER JOHNSON

Amber Johnson is a multiracial TV drama writer hailing from the often forgotten state of Delaware, where she became an expert in politely asking others not to touch her hair. When Amber was thirteen she thought she was going to save the world, a delusion fed by too many midnight marathons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Charmed. Lacking magical abilities and a killer right hook, she turned to social activism and majored in Criminal Justice and Political Science in college. After endless hours pouring over case-law and realizing she hated it, she shifted her focus back to film and set out for the Big Apple. 

Amber has worked as a Development Coordinator at Blue Sky Studios where she, among other things, brainstormed fart jokes as a part of the NIMONA Comedy Ensemble and pioneered diversity initiatives in her department to ensure that everyone got a seat at the table. She currently works as a freelance screenwriter at Sesame Workshop by day, and by night she writes dark fantasies with complicated female protagonists. It’s a healthy balance that keeps her sane.

The concept for her pilot BLOODROOTS, formerly known as LOWCOUNTRY, was a semifinalist for the “Ben the Writers Room” 2019 program, 2021 Sundance Episodic Lab Second Rounder (Competition In Progress), and 2021 Launchpad Pilot Second Rounder (Competition In Progress). 

Amber’s work features themes of empowerment, female bonds, magical realism, power dynamics, mental health, and race. You can catch her on Instagram at @light_and_smoke, or hammering away at her keyboard in the wee hours of the morning. She is still holding out for a latent magical ability.

Amber is represented by Adrian Garcia at Recon Literary.