Originally from Columbus, OH, Mandisa A. Johnson discovered her love of the arts at an early age. At six years old, Mandisa wrote her first play and performed with her next-door neighbor before family and friends. Mandisa continued with her artistic endeavors by writing and directing several productions for family and friends during the holiday season.
In high school, Mandisa interned as an actor with a junior theater troupe, traveling to multiple schools throughout Columbus, OH. In 1994, she was a part of Lorraine Hansberry's Readers Theater and Inducted into the International Thespian Society. Mandisa interned with The Ohio State University Theater Department and The Columbus Children's Theater. Upon graduating in 1995, she was cast in the musical The Wiz.
Mandisa got her first taste of on-camera acting as a background actor in the film, Stomp The Yard in 2006. In 2014, she portrayed Gloria Bridges in Its Supernatural with Sid Roth, and again in 2019. She was also in a Brighthouse Kimball Commercial and portrayed Bernice King in the audiobook version of Nationalism Without Compassion.
In 2014, Mandisa wrote, Cast, and Directed a Commercial for Extraordinary Church in Conyers, GA titled, I'll Never Do Church Again. During the summer of 2021, Mandisa directed five YouTube podcast episodes for the National Network of Young Adults, and most recently Cast over thirty children for Grammy-Nominated Children's DJ, DJ Willy WOW! music videos, My Hoodie, and Shirley Temple.
Mandisa graduated from Wright State University in Dayton, OH in Communication Studies/Broadcast Journalism, in 2000. In 2003, she married her husband Eddie L. Johnson, III. Together they have three children, Myles, 18, Madison, 16, and Milan, 13.
In May 2013, Mandisa received an Entertainment Business Master of Science Degree, and received a Course Director's Award in Project and Team Management from Full Sail University. In February 2017, she received a Creative Writing Master of Fine Arts Degree, and received a Course Directors Award in Film Screenwriting from Full Sail University.
In 2015, Mandisa and her business partner, Rashaad King, hosted an actors seminar where Talent Agent Tay Smith and Casting Director Brandon McCray were both panelists. In May 2021, Mandisa became a member of the Atlanta Writers Society, and she is currently the Founder, Entertainment Journalist, Coach, and Editor-in-Chief for Atlanta Film and TV.
