The Team

Director/Writer/Producer

Derek Wayne Johnson is an award-winning director, writer, producer, editor and graduate of Stephen F. Austin State University film school where, in his senior year, he made his first feature film. Johnson has directed and produced several features and documentaries including Broken Blood, John G. Avildsen: King of the Underdogs (about the Academy Award-winning director of Rocky and The Karate Kid), 40 Years of Rocky: The Birth of a Classic (aka Becoming Rocky) (of which Sylvester Stallone handpicked Johnson to direct) and STALLONE: Frank, That Is.

Producer

Chris May is a producer living in Hollywood, CA. While interested in movies from an early age, his passion was truly ignited in film school where he  graduated with a BFA in Cinematography from Stephen F. Austin State University. May has served as a producer on John G. Avildsen: King of  the Underdogs, 40 Years of Rocky: The Birth of a Classic (aka Becoming Rocky) and  STALLONE: Frank, That Is. He has also worked on multiple feature films, commercials and industrials.

Cinema 83 Entertainment (and its twin company Cinema 83 Documentary Films) is a newly formed production company based in Hollywood, CA, created by longtime filmmaking partners Derek Wayne Johnson and Chris May.

Cinema 83 Entertainment's primary focus is on the production of narrative feature-length motion pictures. Cinema 83 Documentary Films specializes in documentary filmmaking.

Cinema 83 is committed to telling captivating stories designed to inspire, educate and entertain the world.