Finding Founders #69: Johnny Harris - Himalayan Borders, Making Maps, Traveling with Purpose
8 snips
May 7, 2021 
Johnny Harris, an international multimedia journalist and filmmaker who made Vox's Borders series and co-founded Bright Trip. He dives into mapping and cinematic storytelling. He talks about traveling with purpose, the physical demands of on-location production, and building independent media that explains complex global issues in visual ways.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Bought A Camera With Plasma Money
- Johnny and Iz sold plasma to buy a Canon 7D and launched a wedding videography business to pay it off.
- That side hustle rebuilt his confidence and kept filmmaking central while he finished international relations.
Diagnosis Clarified A Strengths Path
- A dyslexia and ADHD diagnosis explained years of school struggle and opened practical options.
- That clarity let Johnny focus on visual work where he excelled and found a niche at CSIS.
Hack To Get Into Vox
- Johnny deliberately engineered a broken portfolio link to get face time at Vox and then made a pitch video when he didn't hear back.
- That pitch video landed him an interview and his dream job at Vox.