Jeff Johnson, a beloved figure at GSD&M who moved up the ranks to become the agency’s VP, executive producer, passed away on Sunday, June 1, after a courageous battle against cancer. He was 49.
Born in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1965, “J.J.,” as he was affectionately known, graduated from Texas State University and found his way to GSD&M when the agency was still just 18 years young.
He began as many did back then, as an intern, and doing stints in other departments before finding his way to the broadcast group in 1990. From there, he quickly moved up the ranks, first as coordinator, then as producer from 1993 to 2003, then as senior producer. In 2006, J.J. became an executive producer and was made an officer of the agency in 2008 as VP/executive producer. Along the way, he received many of the professional accolades you would dream about on a career path like this, including a couple of Cannes Lions, recognition from Art Directors Club, numerous nods from Communication Arts and a slew of others.
Yet, for all of the titles, honors and awards that came his way, J.J.’s most significant triumphs occurred outside the world of advertising.
He will always be remembered for being the proudest dad possible to his daughter, Jonah, and for being a soft-spoken, gentle-hearted soul who had almost as much passion for off-road mountain biking, motorcycles and fast cars as he did his devout faith that kept him grounded in all he did. His faith and relationship with God was as simple as it was profound. J.J. understood himself as a creation of God, and he saw all of us as equal creations. He truly lived his life in awe, seeing God everywhere he went. So many of his colleagues were blessed by his love, perspective, wisdom and friendship.
J.J. eloquently summed up his life one day, observing, “I’ve discovered that, big picture, a blessed life doesn’t involve things and money. A blessed life is having children who love you and friends and family who truly care and are there for you when you need them. I have a very blessed life.”
J.J.’s Austin community came together for a group hug on Monday morning. After many tears and not nearly enough stories, they promised a more fitting, more raucous, more J.J.-esque party to be held in the coming weeks.
GSD&M has turned over its website to honor Johnson. Click here.
Rom-Com Mainstay Hugh Grant Shifts To The Dark Side and He’s Never Been Happier
After some difficulties connecting to a Zoom, Hugh Grant eventually opts to just phone instead.
"Sorry about that," he apologizes. "Tech hell." Grant is no lover of technology. Smart phones, for example, he calls the "devil's tinderbox."
"I think they're killing us. I hate them," he says. "I go on long holidays from them, three or four days at at time. Marvelous."
Hell, and our proximity to it, is a not unrelated topic to Grant's new film, "Heretic." In it, two young Mormon missionaries (Chloe East, Sophie Thatcher) come knocking on a door they'll soon regret visiting. They're welcomed in by Mr. Reed (Grant), an initially charming man who tests their faith in theological debate, and then, in much worse things.
After decades in romantic comedies, Grant has spent the last few years playing narcissists, weirdos and murders, often to the greatest acclaim of his career. But in "Heretic," a horror thriller from A24, Grant's turn to the dark side reaches a new extreme. The actor who once charmingly stammered in "Four Weddings and a Funeral" and who danced to the Pointer Sisters in "Love Actually" is now doing heinous things to young people in a basement.
"It was a challenge," Grant says. "I think human beings need challenges. It makes your beer taste better in the evening if you've climbed a mountain. He was just so wonderfully (expletive)-up."
"Heretic," which opens in theaters Friday, is directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, co-writers of "A Quiet Place." In Grant's hands, Mr. Reed is a divinely good baddie — a scholarly creep whose wry monologues pull from a wide range of references, including, fittingly, Radiohead's "Creep."
In an interview, Grant spoke about these and other facets of his character, his journey... Read More