David Johnson (born September 19, 1956) is a lawyer and producer who founded Act 4 Entertainment, a Los Angeles-based filmed entertainment, and new media content company focused on creating socially conscious content to inspire change. He was a founder of Agility Capital, LLC, a venture fund for early stage companies and is chair emeritus of the board of trustees at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA); and serves as a member of the boards of the Public Counsel Law Center, Children Now, Dream Foundation

Human Rights Watch Human Rights Watch (HRW) is an international non-governmental organization, headquartered in New York City, that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. The group pressures governments, policy makers, companies, and individual human r ...

(California) and Yale School of Drama.

Personal background

Johnson grew up in Fort Wayne, Indiana and is a 1978 graduate of

Yale College Yale College is the undergraduate college of Yale University. Founded in 1701, it is the original school of the university. Although other Yale schools were founded as early as 1810, all of Yale was officially known as Yale College until 1887, ...

where he studied economics. While at Yale he was a leader in the

Yale Political Union The Yale Political Union (YPU) is a debate society at Yale University, founded in 1934 by Alfred Whitney Griswold. It was modeled on the Cambridge Union and Oxford Union and the party system of the defunct Yale Unions of the late nineteenth and ...

and Chairman on the constituent Independent Party. He graduated Harvard Law School in 1981. He is married to

Suzanne Nora Johnson Suzanne Nora Johnson (born June 14, 1957) is an American corporate lawyer and executive. Until 2007, she was vice chairman of Goldman Sachs, chair of the Global Markets Institute, head of the firm's Global Investment Research Division, and a membe ...

Professional background

Johnson is founder of Act 4 Entertainment, a Los Angeles-based filmed entertainment and new media content company to inspire and motivate audiences toward social action. Act 4 is in development on approximately 20 feature film, television and new media projects, as well as a live stage musical production. Johnson most recently produced the live stage musical version of ''American Psycho at the Almeida Theatre in London''. He executive produced ''Angels in Exile'', a feature-length documentary about street kids of Durban, South Africa narrated by Charlize Theron and executive produced ''The People Speak'', a feature-length documentary about America's struggles with war, class, race and women's rights with

Matt Damon Matthew Paige Damon (; born October 8, 1970) is an American actor, film producer, and screenwriter. Ranked among ''Forbes'' most bankable stars, the films in which he has appeared have collectively earned over $3.88 billion at the North Ameri ...

Josh Brolin Joshua James Brolin (; born February 12, 1968) is an American actor. He has appeared in films such as ''The Goonies'' (1985), '' Mimic'' (1997), '' Hollow Man'' (2000), '' Grindhouse'' (2007), '' No Country for Old Men'' (2007), '' American Gan ...

, Morgan Freeman,

Sean Penn Sean Justin Penn (born August 17, 1960) is an American actor and film director. He has won two Academy Awards, for his roles in the mystery drama ''Mystic River'' (2003) and the biopic ''Milk'' (2008). Penn began his acting career in televisi ...

, and Bruce Springsteen, among others. Johnson produced ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' ''Critics Pick'' ''The Man Nobody Knew'', a feature-length documentary about the career and family life of highly controversial CIA Director William Colby. Act 4 past, current and future projects include but are not limited to: * ''The People Speak'' (documentary feature film) *'' The Man Nobody Knew'' (documentary feature film) *''Angels In Exile'' (documentary feature film) *''American Psycho'' (musical stage play) *''Burying the Ex'' (narrative feature film) *''Patriotic Treason'' (narrative feature Film) *''Florence Of Arabia'' (narrative feature film) Johnson is also a current (as of August 2012) board member and former chairperson of the Public Counsel Law Center, the nation's largest public interest pro bono law firm. Johnson founded the Public Counsel Law Center's Impact Litigation Project, the first in the nation to recognize that the economic divide is also a legal issue and one that can be addressed in the courts. The Impact Litigation Project addresses economic justice through large-scale litigation—helping thousands and changing the law itself. In 2011 Public Counsel won Reed v. the State of California, a groundbreaking lawsuit preventing the disproportionate layoffs of teachers at the most economically challenged schools in Los Angeles, California. Additionally, in the areas of social justice, Johnson serves on the boards of trustees as the Chair Emeritus for the

Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (MOCA) is a contemporary art museum with two locations in greater Los Angeles, California. The main branch is located on Grand Avenue in Downtown Los Angeles, near the Walt Disney Concert Hall. MOCA's ...

(MOCA); Children Now, a national child policy and advocacy organization; the Dream Foundation, a wish-granting organization for terminally ill adults; and

(California), one of the world's leading organizations dedicated to defending human rights. Johnson is a member of the Los Angeles Economy and Jobs Committee. In 2000, Johnson founded Agility Capital, LLC,"David Johnson." Los Angeles Economy & Jobs Committee. Los Angeles Economy & Jobs Committee, n.d. Web. 31 July 2012. . a venture fund for early stage companies, and had previously served as senior executive vice president at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. (MGM). Prior to MGM, he was a partner of the international law firm

White & Case White & Case LLP is a global law firm based in New York City. Founded in 1901, the firm has 46 offices in 31 countries worldwide and has been ranked among the top ten firms worldwide by revenue. History The firm was launched on May 1, 1901 wh ...

Awards and recognition

In 2012, Congressional Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) presented Johnson with Public Counsel Law Center's Founders Award for his commitment to the organization.

References

External links

*
Act 4 EntertainmentMuseum of Contemporary Art, Los AngelesPublic Counsel Law CenterWhite and Case LLP International Law Firm, Global PracticeMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc.Human Rights WatchDream FoundationChildren NowAgility Capital, LLCAmerican Civil Liberties Union of Southern California
{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, David G. American film studio executives 1956 births Living people Harvard Law School alumni Yale College alumni People from Fort Wayne, Indiana Film producers from Indiana