Former Focus Features Exec Carlotta Florio Johnson Dies

By Rachel Yang

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Former Focus Features executive Carlotta Florio Johnson died on Sept. 19 at the Waterbury Hospital in Waterbury, Conn., after suffering a stroke.

Johnson began her entertainment career as Michael Eisner’s assistant at Paramount, and rose through the ranks from the theater division to the movie department. Johnson was first based in New York then moved to Los Angeles in 1986. She worked at TriStar Pictures, Columbia Pictures, Sony Pictures, Scott Rudin Productions, AMC, and more. She later became vice president at Columbia and headed the awards department for , where her efforts as an Academy consultant garnered numerous Oscar nominations for studio films. After retiring from full-time work in 2010, Johnson continued freelancing with various studios and ventured into television publicity.

Before working in entertainment, Johnson was a secretary to top executives like Estee Lauder, and spent five years at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

Johnson was born in Jamaica, Queens, and earned her B.A. from Vassar College. She is survived by her husband Ed Johnson and niece Giulia Casazza Zucca. A memorial will be held in L.A. at a date and location that’s currently undetermined.