polaroid-style photo of Dawn Johnston

I am a Canadian screenwriter who specializes in drama, dramedy and elevated sci-fi exploring contemporary themes. I’ve had two short scripts produced with one currently playing in festivals (OUTSIDE CHANCE). My feature script MOTHER was a Nicholl Fellowship quarter-finalist and I am developing a modern adaptation of a classic book with director/producer Barnet Bain (WHAT DREAMS MAY COME, MILTON’S SECRET). My most recent script is the sci-fi dramatic thriller THE JANUS.

I grew up outside Toronto in a family of four, including two engineers, none of whom cared much about reading or movies, my passions. But libraries have books and universities have English degrees, and in this way I overcame the most suburban childhood it’s possible to imagine.

After university, and having never travelled outside of North America, I took a job teaching English in Istanbul, Turkey. Later, I became a teaching consultant for students with physical disabilities in one of the most diverse school districts in Canada. Both of those experiences opened worlds outside my own upbringing and have informed much of my writing.

Management:
Valleywood Entertainment, Los Angeles
John Ferraro
(323) 428-3042
John@valleywoodent.com

Find me on: IMDbTwitter, Mastodon

Icons of pencil, film strip and video camera as page break

Produced

OUTSIDE CHANCE (short) – 2022
By filmmaker Michael Das.

GOODBYE TODAY (short) – 2014
Produced by filmmaker David Desoeur.

In development

RADICAL SPIRITS (1 hour, dramedy)
In development with producers John Ferraro and Joseph DiPasquale.
In the mid-nineteenth century, a young woman struggles to find her public voice by channeling voices of the dead.

MARY, MARY (drama)
Developing a modern adaptation of a classic book with director/producer Barnet Bain.

Published Writing

Girls with Disabilities
Out Front – CBC Radio
Wrote and produced the radio documentary: Girls with Disabilities which aired nationally.

Hold the Halo – It Makes Me Impatient
Globe and Mail
Wrote a Facts & Arguments article on the social implications of working with students with disabilities.

Step Dance Camp
Metro Morning – CBC Radio
Wrote and produced a humorous radio piece about attending sleep-away camp and learning to step-dance with kids.