THE NEW ACTION HERO: MASTER DEREK WAYNE JOHNSON

THE NEW ACTION HERO Derek Wayne Johnson is a 4^th degree black belt in American Karate under the late-great Robert LaMont of the East Texas American Society of Karate (ETASK) and the American Society of Karate (ASK) founded by Bill Gray. Mr. Johnson is also a 4^th degree black belt in the Superfoot System under undefeated PKA world champion Bill “Superfoot” Wallace.

Having trained in karate and kickboxing since the age of 13, Mr. Johnson has dedicated his life for the past 30 years to the art, sport, and self-defense aspects of the martial arts. Mr. Johnson is not only a leader and innovator in the martial arts community, but also an award-winning filmmaker, and filmmaking professor at Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, TX.

As a martial artist, Mr. Johnson has trained with and been mentored by some of the greats, and has a solid competition record in karate tournaments ranging from grand championships and state championships in point fighting, continuous sparring, team sparring, kickboxing, boxing, kata, and weapons. He taught private lessons for many years, as well as teaching in the ETASK and ASK schools since earning his black belt in 2001.

For several years, Mr. Johnson lived in Los Angeles, CA, far away from his Texas karate roots, however, Mr. Johnson stayed involved in the martial arts by teaching private lessons and training at the Hollywood Boxing Gym and the UFC Gym. Upon his return to Texas, Mr. Johnson became heavily active once again in the ETASK and ASK karate schools.

In 2024, Mr. Johnson earned his 4^th degree black belt in American Karate, nine months before Robert LaMont’s passing.

Mr. Johnson also attends many Superfoot Seminars with Bill “Superfoot” Wallace and recently earned his 4^th degree black belt in the Superfoot System at Mr. Wallace’s 80^th Birthday Bash in Indianapolis, IN in 2025.

As a filmmaker, Johnson is known for his work with Sylvester Stallone, having directed, produced, and edited five documentaries with Mr. Stallone including “40 Years of Rocky: The Birth of a Classic” (about the making of the original “Rocky” and narrated by Stallone), “STALLONE: Frank, That Is” (about Grammy and Golden Globe nominee Frank Stallone, Sylvester Stallone’s brother featuring Sylvester, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bas Rutten, and many more), and “John G. Avildsen: King of the Underdogs” about the Oscar-winning director of “Rocky” and “The Karate Kid”, featuring Stallone, Ralph Macchio, Martin Scorsese, and many more.

As a university professor, Mr. Johnson teaches filmmaking at SFASU and runs the filmmaking program. In addition to teaching filmmaking, Mr. Johnson plans to start teaching martial arts at the university in addition to opening his own martial arts school.