Richard Johnson

Canon for Media Ministry

Executive Director of GraceCom

Rick Johnson founded GraceCom in 1995 and serves as its Executive Director. GraceCom is the electronic media ministry of Grace Cathedral, San Francisco. It is a network of programming consisting of GraceCom’s award-winning Web site, television programming for broadcast and cable, radio programs, satellite teleconferences, and related programming such as The Forum, a live weekly conversation program on critical social and spiritual issues.

He envisions GraceCom as a vehicle for spiritual transformation. He and his team are pioneers and leaders in using Web streaming technologies to connect people in conversation and reconciliation, to educate the public on critical issues, and to facilitate spiritual growth and transformation. Their web site, www.GraceCathedral.org , was nominated for a 2002 Webby Award for Best Spirituality site.

As a Canon of Grace Cathedral, he preaches regularly in the Cathedral, is a Lay Eucharistic Minister and anointer, lector, and serves in other liturgical roles, and was a leader in the development of the Cathedral’s Strategic Plan. He officiates the Daily Office and preaches at the Sunday at Six evening Eucharist.

Mr. Johnson’s radio and TV broadcast career has spanned over 30 years. Before leaving commercial broadcast television to come to Grace Cathedral, he was national producer for Westinghouse Broadcasting’s Evening Magazine and PM Magazine series. His producing and directing credits include prime time specials for UPN44, San Francisco, which garnered him an Emmy for directing, and two New York Festivals awards. He has also produced series programming for Group W Television, Discovery, SciFi Channel, The Travel Channel, and Odyssey.

Other television credits include Vivaldi’s Gloria and Sing Your Own Messiah, entertainment specials, and documentaries. He received both a CINE Festival Golden Eagle, and the Parents Choice Award for Smart Start for Parents, a video program which teaches parents how to support their child’s learning.

As a teenager, he began his broadcasting career in radio, but was soon drawn to filmmaking and broadcast television. His first documentary project for television, Time of the First Moon, earned the national Scripps Howard Award in 1975 for Best Documentary.

Rick is Grace Cathedral’s Canon for Media Ministry. In year 2000 he produced and directed an Episcopal Church TV ad campaign that won honors at both national and international festivals including the 2002 Telly Award.

The recent documentary, Rediscovering the Labyrinth, won 2002 Aurora Gold Awards for Directing, Best Documentary, and Best of Show for Graphic Design. Johnson is nominated for a 2003 Emmy for Best Direction. The program has aired seven times on KQED-TV and KRON-TV.

He has served on the Board of Governors of the regional chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. He also served for six years on the board of the Academy of Friends, the AIDS fundraising organization that presents the Oscar Night Galas, and chaired the board for two years.

You can send Rick e-mail at rickj@gracecathedral.org .