Today we’d like to introduce you to Malachi Johnson.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I have always had a passion for storytelling and a love for films and television. Creating stories has always been a talent of mine. Growing up in the 90’s, I was able to enjoy and golden era for movies as well as television. The movies and shows I grew up with helped shape my life as well as my creativity. My father brought me my first video camera when I was 14. In high school I knew I wanted to go into entertainment but didn’t know which genre was for me. While in college at The University of Maryland Eastern shore, I finally realized my passion for film and media arts. After graduating in 2016, the next week I started my first company HOTG FILMS, dedicated to urban content and community uplift. From there I began to create different projects that brought awareness to that affect the black community such as gentrification. “GEN” on YouTube was my first project that shed light on gentrification in Washington, DC. During this time, I was unemployed and had to find a way to raise money and find a new job. I only had $200 To my name and A handheld camera. So, I began to teach myself How to screen write and write movies and shows. From there I wanted to create more than one company to target more than one audience. So, I created FHAH FILMS (For Her and Her Films) dedicated to Black women and black girls, ONEA (One Afternoon Films) dedicated to kids and youth, and 400th Century Productions, dedicated to faith and conscious uplift. Each company was created to produce content for a different targeted audience and create stories that uplift, inspire, and entertain the next generation. In 2019 I created MANMC Entertainment (Mid-Atlantic Network Media Company) as the umbrella for my companies and future companies/ endeavors. In 2021 I partnered up with writer and producer Aisha Washington (Jeter) from Richmond, VA and directed my debut feature film “5D LOVE” based on the Novel “Urban Garden Twin Flame” by Aisha Washington. From that point on I have done a series of films and short film projects. In November 2024, I lunched MUUI (Mu-eye) an AI film, animation, and media company for shorts and series. It is on YouTube and has a series of shorts and stories from Sci-fi, afro-futurism, drama, and mystery. I will continue to create stories that inspire and encourage the next generation.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The road has not always been smooth. When I create new projects and scripts the first thing to come to mind is “How am I going to pay for this?” most of the time I come out of pocket but sometimes I’ll have to change a project from a feature to a short film just to have a reasonable budget and still put out a project. Since I’ve started filmmaking Iv’e learned to and how to do more with less, which has been my saving grace and has allowed me to continue to create.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a Filmmaker, Director, Producer and content creator. I create content in the form of feature films, shorts, web series and AI filmmaking. Genres that I specialize in are Sci-fi, drama, Afro-futurism, mystery, thriller, and animation. My goal is to create projects and stories that inspire the next generation and give them films that hold value but also spark their imagination. I want them (viewers) to see themselves in the characters and in the plot and understand the diverse ways of storytelling and how it relates to what we see, hear, and experience on a daily basis and what we see in the real world. What sets me apart from others is the ability to create stories that have not been told yet and stories that keep audiences in thought process.
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
The qualities and characteristics that help contribute to my success are integrity, patience, and the mindset to never give up or quit. And lastly, to believe your dream and vision, and see it through.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: Instagram.com/Hegotheart
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/malachi.johnson.142
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/malachi-johnson-a48826363/
- Twitter: https://X.com/@HEARTFILMMAKER
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@fhahfilms/videos and https://www.youtube.com/@OfficialMalachi.J/videos
- Other: https://www.youtube.com/@MUUIAIFILMS
