Demarcus Johnson

Assistant Manager, Public Affairs, Disney Consumer Products, Games & Publishing

Continue Exploring

Demarcus, who helped develop the merchandise collection—which spanned toys to tote bags—for the Pixar movie Soul, works to bring diversity and representation to the products and games Disney makes.

Demarcus Johnson looking at the camera.

Even outside of the community, it's even more powerful for people who aren't a part of your community to really be able to see that and really authentically be able to see who you are as a person, who you are as a people, who you are as a community, what you bring to the table. Because each culture brings something completely different, something so rich to the global community.

What drives me. I think I've always had this drive in everything I do ... I've wanted to learn more about diversity. I've wanted to learn more about people. That is my passion. It's just always been ingrained in me, to really help people excel and help people to achieve those things that are aspirational to them.

I was surrounded by Black women growing up, and Black women are pillars in the Black community. So, the support that I got from them, the love that I got from them, the education, from my grandmother and mother, it was amazing.

Art based on characters from Disney and Pixar's Soul.

Representation matters. I am focusing on how to bring more diversity, more representation to the products that we make, the games that we put out, the stories that we tell overall for people around the world.

What drives me. I think I've always had this drive in everything I do ... I've wanted to learn more about diversity. I've wanted to learn more about people. That is my passion. It's just always been ingrained in me, to really help people excel and help people to achieve those things that are aspirational to them.

I was surrounded by Black women growing up, and Black women are pillars in the Black community. So, the support that I got from them, the love that I got from them, the education, from my grandmother and mother, it was amazing.

A reimagined tomorrow, to me, looks like utopia. It looks like where you are and you’re able to be yourself without any reservations, any notions of how the world views you, any notions of negative views of yourself. It really is rooted in you just waking up every single day and doing the things that you want to do and not being apologetic about those things in any form or fashion.