About
A bit about me.
I'm William Johnson
I’m a Vancouver-based writer and advisor operating at the intersection of tech and media.
In the past, I’ve led communications at a provincial crown agency, started and scaled a niche media property, and had work published in The Globe & Mail, Maclean’s, Billboard, and The Georgia Straight, among other publications.
I was born in Kingston, Jamaica, and then raised in Winchester, Ontario. I studied political science at Carleton University. I moved to Vancouver in the spring of 2015.
More below...
Media Entrepreneur
I founded the Vancouver Tech Journal in 2018. By the time I left in late 2023, it had grown to become the largest tech newsletter and community in Vancouver, B.C.
- Building Out Loud | Chatting With William Johnson of Vancouver Tech Journal (April 2023)
- Bigger Than Me Podcast | William Johnson: Vancouver Tech Journal, Entrepreneurship & Business (August 2022)
- The Hard Part | William Johnson from Vancouver Tech Journal (December 2022)
- AfternoonT | William Johnson of Vancouver Tech Journal (March 2022)
- Innovation Fuel | From Journalism to Community (August 2022)
- Startup Vancouver | #CanStartupStories Celebrating Black Entrepreneurs (July 2021)
- From the Georgia Straight: “If you want to know what’s really going on in the provincial economy, you need to stay up with the developments in high tech—and Johnson makes this easy.”
- Techcouver: William Johnson To Depart Vancouver Tech Journal (2023)
Non-Fiction Writer & Reporter
For over a decade, I’ve been writing about tech startups, entrepreneurs and digital culture.
- BetaKit stories
- BCBusiness stories
- Daily Hive–Venture stories
- Billboard stories
- Vancouver Tech Journal stories
Not tech:
- Georgia Straight food and drink stories
- Globe and Mail: I’m Black and privileged - and feeling guilty. You really don’t need to check up on me
- Maclean’s: Six steps for cultivating a career in the digital age
Strategic Advisor / Consultant / Educator
With expertise rooted in more than a decade in communications roles of increasing responsibility, I now advise organizations on communications, content and PR strategy. I lead Nevvco Strategies, a strategic communications consultancy, and teach quarterly public relations classes at Jelly Academy.
- Advice on how to get press for your startup from The Quiet Part Out Loud: “Think about why what you’re telling us matters, for you, for your industry, and for the world. What are the stakes? Think about who is involved and who should care.”
- How Business Owners Can Use Content Marketing to Grow Their Business [Video]
- Marketing Jam with Darian Kovacs | William Johnson, Director, Marketing + Communications at Innovate BC (February 2020)
Host / Moderator / Speaker
I’m frequently called on to MC events and moderate panels on a diverse mix of complex topics.
- Vancouver Entrepreneurs’ Forum: Blockchain: The Technology Most Likely to Change the World (2022) [Video]
- Mind Meld PR | How To Talk To Anyone About Anything (2020) [Video]
- Greater Vancouver Board of Trade: 2021 SMEs Economic Outlook (2021) [Video]
- Vancouver Entrepreneurs’ Forum: The Next Generation of Company Building and Financing: What Does it Look Like and Who is Leading the Change? (2022) [Video]
- Tech Vancouver: Building products for the Fortune 500 (2020) [Video]
- Tech Vancouver: The Top Skill in Business (and Life): Sales (2020) [Video]
Commentator
From time to time, I share my opinions and insights on the local technology industry.
- Alt-Text podcast with Erin Gee | Will Web Summit Vancouver Benefit the City? with William Johnson (July 2024)
- Alt-Text podcast with Erin Gee | The State of Vancouver Tech with William Johnson (December 2023)
- CBC British Columbia: "The second round of layoffs is surprising for a lot of people because usually when companies make these types of large-scale layoffs, really they designed the first round to be the last round," [Johnson] said.
- CBC Vancouver News: “These companies that had wind in their sails are now facing increasing headwinds.” (2022) [Video]
- Mind Your Biz Podcast The Vancouver Tech Scene | Expert William Johnson (August 2021)
- Vancouver Sun: "If you look at the last seven months, B.C. or Vancouver has produced seven companies worth over a billion dollars," said Johnson, founder and editor of Vancouver Tech Journal
Judge / Critic
- Since 2021, it’s been a privilege to help adjudicate multiple categories for the annual Webster Awards (hosted by the Jack Webster Foundation), which recognize excellence in journalism in British Columbia.
Other things... that can be followed on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.