Phil Johnston

Biography:

Beverly and William Johnston welcomed Johnston into the world in Minneapolis. He grew up in Neenah, Wisconsin. An Episcopal priest was his father. Through a connection at his father’s church, he was given an annual pass as a child that gave him free admission to the Marcus Theatres, a chain of theaters in Wisconsin. Johnston completed his education at Neenah High School.

In 1994, he earned a journalism degree from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He spent nine years working in provincial news television after graduating. Despite having no knowledge in meteorology, he started out as a weatherman in Rochester, Minnesota. After that, he was employed as a bureau reporter at KETV, an ABC station in Omaha, Nebraska. He then moved to the Minneapolis KARE station.

In 2004, Johnston earned an MFA in film from the Film Program at Columbia University School of the Arts. He co-wrote Wreck-It Ralph with Jennifer Lee, a fellow student. Filmed in South Dakota, his short film Flightless Birds tells the story of a group of five people attempting to save their town. Johnston sold his first piece to ABC after graduating. Life is Super, a half-hour comedy, tells the story of a woman who adopts multiple children and then turns her experience into a podcast.