About
A bit about me.
Hi, I’m William Johnson — a writer, media entrepreneur, and advisor based in Vancouver. I’m currently the vice president of strategy at Overstory Media Group, where I help shape the direction of a network of local and niche publications across Canada.
Over the past decade, I’ve told stories about startups, entrepreneurs, and digital culture, with bylines in The Globe & Mail, Maclean’s, Billboard, and The Georgia Straight. I’ve always been drawn to the people and ideas shaping our world, and I feel lucky to share those stories with a wider audience.
I was born in Kingston, Jamaica, raised in Winchester, Ontario, and studied political science at Carleton University. After moving to Vancouver in 2015, I started Vancouver Tech Journal in 2018. What began as a solo newsletter has grown into the city’s largest tech publication. Today, I remain actively involved—supporting partnerships, leading events, and contributing the occasional story.
In 2024, I helped launch Startup TNT in BC—an angel investing network connecting promising founders with local capital—and co-founded Nevvco Strategies, a consultancy focused on communications, content, and PR strategy. I'm proud to have helped secure funding for early-stage companies and supported organizations working at the intersection of innovation and impact.
Outside of tech, I write about Vancouver’s chefs, restaurants, and food culture—one of my enduring passions. Whether I’m writing, advising, or hosting conversations, I care most about building community, amplifying great ideas, and telling stories that inspire.
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
- My conversation with Robert Belcham on the Mise en Place podcast
- 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
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.
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
Other things... that can be followed on Twitter and LinkedIn.