Author of Walk, Don’t Run

Steven “Rusty” Johnson and Edward James Olmos have enjoyed a forty year working relationship. As told in Walk, Don’t Run, they met in high school when they were both young musicians with dreams of stardom. Their friendship and working relationship has continued ever since. Steven is the archivist of their history as struggling musicians and actors in Hollywood through four decades.

At Olmos Productions, Steven and Edward produced several documentaries concerning gangs, drugs, guns, and domestic violence for the United States. It Ain’t Love is their most recent work together. Former President Clinton recorded the introductions for each of these documentaries when they aired on NBC. Steven also was a columnist for Olmos Productions from 1989 to 1996.

From his involvement at Olmos Productions, Rusty was approached to write a series of articles about the early struggles of Edward and himself. From these articles he developed the book, Walk, Don’t Run. It is a four-decade adventure into the light and dark side of the entertainment business. Persistence and determination are the thematic cornerstones of this book.

Apart from his close association with Edward James Olmos, Rusty has had a very successful career of his own. From 1984 to 1988 he worked with Michael Landon on the television series “Highway to Heaven” as an actor, a musical cue arranger, and a photo double. Steven has appeared in over seventeen films, twenty-seven television programs, and countless theater productions as an actor, music composer, and writer.

Besides acting in the film A Million To Juan with his friends Edward James Olmos and Paul Rodriquez, Steven composed the music score for the Samuel Goldwyn and Prism Motion Picture. At Paramount Pictures Steve was hired to teach actor Jeff Daniels how to play the drums for the character Daniels was playing. The Butcher’s Wife starred Demi Moore and Daniels.

Rusty has written music and lyrics for live theater productions at the Los Angeles Actors Theater and has served at the staff composer and lyricists for the MET theater, Dexter Freeman’s company in Hollywood. He has composed music and lyrics for countless live theater production by director Jim Kennedy with Edward James Olmos and Darrell Fetty. He has been the house composer and lyricists for The Cellar Theater. Steve wrote, sang, and acted with Georgia Brown, Steve Allen, and Jim Boothin in the play The Al Chemist Show at the Los Angeles Actors Theater.

Currently, Steven is working with his jazz band, The Catz in the Hatz.