Talisha (Tee Cee) Johnson

Talisha (Tee Cee) Johnson - She/Her 

TV Producer, Presenter, Filmmaker, Author and Founder of Not Your Average Girl

Talisha Johnson, known professionally as Tee Cee, is a presenter, writer, and filmmaker known for her colourful style, youthful nature and passion for Caribbean heritage. Diagnosed with Autism aged 27, Tee Cee publicly revealed her diagnosis for the first time in her most recent documentary ‘Too Autistic for Black’. Commissioned by Warner Bros. Discovery as part of their Black British Unspoken series for Discovery Plus, the documentary explores what it’s like to be Black, British, and marginalised in the autism discourse. In 2022, Tee Cee hosted at the Birmingham 2022 Festival as part of Commonwealth Games, presenting the daily cultural programme. The festival saw over 750,000 visitors from all over the UK, the largest cultural programme to have accompanied a Commonwealth Games.

Skilled on and off screen, Tee Cee was nominated for the Royal Television Society’s Breakthrough Off-Screen Award for her stellar TV and digital concepts including a 45-episode short-form series ‘No Offence But’ which was published weekly on BBC Three’s socials and the 6-part iPlayer dating intervention series ‘My Mate’s A Bad Date’. Outside of her TV career, Tee Cee can be found inspiring the next generation through professional speaking and digital content creation. She champions personal and professional development through her platform 'Not Your Average Girl', which supports young women in the TV and digital sector. Her passion for inclusive storytelling continues in her written work. Aged 16, she wrote and published her debut children’s book ‘Snow Black, the Seven Rastas and Other Short Stories’, which was re-released in 2019.

Please tell us about your career

I currently work in TV as a Producer, mainly in the area of TV Development which is the team that come up with and develop ideas for linear and digital TV shows and pitch them to various commissioners and broadcasters. I love how creative the role is in terms of learning and understanding how to conceptualise ideas and formats that hopefully end up on screens for millions of people to watch.

I started working in media in 2014 as a Broadcast Assistant apprentice for 15 months at BBC Radio West Midlands. After this I got my first job in TV as a Runner in 2016 for what was initially a 3 month contract which turned into a one year contract at BBC Children's in their CBBC development team. My first presenting gig as a TV Presenter on the CBBC Saturday morning show 'Whoops I Missed The Bus' marked a career milestone that I wanted to achieve. From here, I was able to go on to present on two other CBBC shows including All Over the Place Asia: Part 2 where I got to travel to South Korea for 10 days.

My first credit as a TV Developer for the BBC Three dating intervention show - 'My Mate's A Bad Date' achieved history with it being BBC Three Birmingham's first in-house commission. My credit as a Writer-Director for my short documentary - Too Autistic For Black commissioned by Warner Bros. Discovery was significant as it was the first time I publicly revealed that I am Autistic.

I hope to present and produce more documentaries, series and features as well as mentoring the next generation of young female TV talent.

How has being Neurodivergent shaped the direction of your career?

Workwise, lockdown was one of the best things to happen for me. I loved working from home and not having to think about forced social interactions, sensory overload from artificial office lights which often gave me migraines, being overwhelmed by smells or poor hygiene from others, and being able to use my own home bathroom. I often had to move places in the office because working in the same spot all day was tedious, and I would sometimes use lunch breaks to sit in the dark and close my eyes because of fatigue or have a cry due to sensory overload and being overwhelmed. Working from home meant I didn’t have to mask or explain these aspects of myself, I didn’t have to worry about whether or not I was deemed anti-social for working with earphones in because happy jazz music helps me to focus, not wanting to have lunch with my work colleagues or go for team drinks after work or feeling pressured to having forced social interactions. Overall though, I am proud to know that being Autistic has not held me back. I am the example, not the exception.

Do you feel that your industry is a good fit for an ND woman?

Yes and no. I think the TV industry is and should be for everybody and I don't believe in limiting myself because I have autism. However, it is a busy and fast-paced industry where it's easy to become burnt out with long hours, deadlines and various other demands. The industry still has a long way to go in terms of reviewing workplace practices that better cater for and take into consideration people who are Neurodivergent.

What advice would you give to another Neurodivergent woman navigating their way through life?

My advice is to do at least one thing a day that makes you happy. From my own personal experience as a woman who is Autistic, a lot of energy can be spent on masking and code-switching to make others around me comfortable. However, taking the time to discover and appreciate what brings you joy is a necessary reminder that it's impossible to solely live for others whilst neglecting your own wellbeing. It's important to look after number one.