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April 29, 2021The Century College Alumni Nominated by a fellow classmate at Lakewood Community College, Dr. Greg Eastlund, Mindy Johnson was already a leader in Dr. John Zdechlik’s band classes, and on campus. He remembers her as a talented multi-instrumentalist, playing trombone, tuba, and harp. Mindy’s start at Lakewood as a leader grew into the pursuit of lifelong learning in her profession.
Mindy is an award-winning author, historian, filmmaker, playwright, Grammy-nominated songwriter and musician, and expert on women in early animation. She is the recipient of the 2020 ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Educators Forum Grant, as well as the 2019 AMPAS/Oscars.org Film Scholar Award for her continued research revealing the contributions of the earliest women of animation.
Dr. Eastlund remembers Mindy always inspiring others. She overcame the obstacles of breaking outside typical stereotypes for women and established her career as a successful, determined creative with a sense of humor.
Her most notable print works include: winner of the Family Choice Awards, Tinker Bell - An Evolution; Pencils, Pens and Brushes – A Great Girls Guide to Disney Animation, and Ink & Paint – The Women of Walt Disney’s Animation. In addition to her researching and writing career, she has appeared in several documentaries, the ABC special Behind the Magic: The Making of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, plus numerous appearances at studios, campuses, international festivals and conferences. When she’s not busy traveling as a speaker, lecturer and panelist, she teaches film/animation studies, women’s animation history, screenwriting & intercultural film at CalArts, and other campuses in Southern California.
Dr. Eastlund writes, “Mindy’s educational foundation at Lakewood was the building block leading her to a lifetime of achievement. Mindy has taken all her education, all her hard work and all her kindness and has given back exponentially to make this a better world.”