At his core, David Johnson is a story keeper and creative bridge builder. His early work as a commercial director and photographer can be traced back to his grandmother, who mounted a camera’s flash with loving urgency during family events. This anticipation of “the moment,” an awareness of the value in everyday lived experiences, trained Johnson to behold them too.His creative work has taken him worldwide. First, with a volunteer trip to El Salvador then as a staff photographer with an Ethiopian newspaper. Creative freedom to “go cover the city” meant he could traverse at his own pace, stopping to meet with people, hear their stories, and take part in their world, capturing it all in vivid color. These early encounters laid the groundwork for understanding himself as a cultural translator. Johnson communicates the visual language of the subject, audience, and brand, providing needed space for each group to see themselves fully within the work. Global campaigns sprouted from this foundation. Johnson has partnered with Motorola, Microsoft, and Google, among other brands in order to tell stories of communities including Shanghai, Sao Paolo, and Toronto. He views his work as a conduit: taking what is alive inside of him, and using it as an activating agent for other people’s purposes. It is a way of empowering a place, a people, or a community to share their narrative in the way that is most authentic to them. Johnson’s sense of what is meaningful also powered the formation of True Chicago in 2017. The arts non-profit empowers Black and brown youth in Chicago to own their creative futures. Born from a spontaneous workshop, the platform now hosts conferences and a quarterly mentorship program, all in the name of equipping the next generation with the resources, knowledge, and opportunities needed to thrive. Most of Johnson’s life has been spent within community: be it as a father, an all-American athlete, or directing creative collaborations. His childhood and young adult years were split between Naperville, Illinois, and Chicago’s South Side. Little did he know that would be the seed for a career as a guide, vessel, and connector. The husband and father of two continues to share that perspective through Kndrd.