nathan lee johnson.

I make films that find the humanity in complex issues. I’ve made feature documentaries, television specials, and viral Youtube content.

Much of my work has been short films for nonprofit communications, especially for use in fundraising.

I tend to work in Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa, but I’ve been all over.

Click to view my video portfolio.

My designs have been a part of advocacy campaigns for human rights, public health initiatives in the pandemic, and a really cool effort to block a jail expansion in Kansas(we won).

I have designed many brand identities for nonprofits and social enterprises, like this community solar project, or this Muslim advocacy group.

My video and design work have earned me a reputation for getting things done in challenging, international contexts. That means I’ve been asked to do a lot of other things over the years:

• I’ve managed grant management processes for a private family foundation.

• I’ve been a part of supporting or launching a few social enterprises: cocoa nibs from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, cold brew coffee from Ethiopia, a marmalade and fruit pulp company in Mexico.

• Trip design: I have organized experiential travel for major donors. I’ve also put together several “south-to-south global exchange” trips, most recently for agronomists in Mexico and DRC to visit field sites in Uganda.

• I led a Youth Storyteller Program, training young people how to create documentary stories about their own communities in Burkina Faso, Ecuador, Haiti, and India. This kind of capacity building has been a feature of many of my recent engagements.

• I’ve conducted site visits and program audits around the world.

Over the years, I have held several leadership roles within the sector.

I have been a Director of Communications at:

• Mavuno Congo

• Sustainable Harvest International

• Global Forest Generation

• Vatheuer Family Foundation

I have been on the Board of Directors for:

• Salaam USA

• The Murph Foundation