Marianne

Desiree Stone, (nee Johnson) is a native of Chicago and began her love of the cinema, screenwriting and filmmaking when she was seven years old after her father took her to the twentieth anniversary of High Noon.
Ms. Stone, began making movies with a Super 8 camera growing up in her South Chicago neighborhood, influenced by Bergman, Fellini, Coppola, Charlie Chaplin, Agnes Varda and Kurasawa. Desiree Stone made films and plays for viewing in her neighborhood from 1972-78 until her family moved to Kansas City.
In Kansas City, Ms. Stone at thirteen began her professional career in the theatre working as an actor, director, playwright and designer. Desiree eventually received a B.F.A. in Performing Arts.
After college Ms. Stone continued work as a dancer/actress, and wrote, directed and produced short films and plays before moving to Portland, Oregon in 1989. Desiree started a career in filmmaking, theatre and expanded her knowledge and expertise into design for theatre, film and producing and teaching for both. Desiree has written and optioned screenplays, doctored scripts for Hollywood, and mentored screenwriter students at various University Film programs.

Desiree acquired script doctoring jobs, writing and selling treatments and acquiring few options in Hollywood during the 1990’s while raising her young family of four boys. Desiree became a SAG/AFTRA Producer Signatory in 1991 and began making short films again, and small feature films to screen in Portland and Los Angeles under her company Sojourner Films, Ltd.

Desiree currently operates as Producer, Production Manager & HR for her sons’ film company and continues to write screenplays, doctor scripts for film students and writers. Desiree has a canon of short films, and a feature, Marianne on Amazon Video Prime while developing scripts and films for Knightstone Productions. She is the happy mother of four grown sons.