Bermudian entertainer Tamicka Johnson is making a big career move as director of an Atlanta-based drama series now showing online.The 35-year-old made her debut with StudvilleTV, a series about four professional lesbian women on a journey to find love.The show has already garnered interest from several television networks including Bravo TLC and HBO.A recent graduate of Atlanta Technical College, Ms Johnson has tried to use her new platform to help boost the careers of Bermudian entertainers.She said: “When I got the directing gig I called and e-mailed to see if the people I knew at home wanted to take part because we had interest from some well known networks.“So I will have Bermudians on the soundtrack as long as they send me music, just so we can get heard on a wider level.“Bermuda has more talented people per square mile than anywhere else in the world and I have performed everywhere all over the East Coast, London, Belgium, Paris and Montpellier.”Studville TV premiered last month. Ms Johnson said the opportunity to direct it came from a life-changing accident in June 2010.She was hit by a car while crossing the street in Atlanta, a week before she was set to graduate.“We weren’t sure if I would be able to walk again,” she said.She hasn’t really been able to dance at the same level since, but didn’t want that to stop her from reaching her goal of working in the performing arts.She decided to focus on her poetry and got a call to see if she would perform at a fundraising event.Ms Johnson ended up performing for an audience that included Cole Thomas, the founder of AGenda Benda Justice, a US programme aimed at bringing awareness and resources to the gay and lesbian community.She was invited to come and teach two acting workshops for Ms Thomas, which led to her taking a role in a play.She was then asked to direct it.“We had a successful run with it and she extended an offer for me to do an internship by taking over the art outreach [programme] and pioneering it.“We call it ‘edutainment’. The play had a lot of discussion about basic health and HIV health and other issues.”From there she began teaching performing arts and outreach activities, before being offered to direct Studville TV.While she cannot work in the United States, Ms Johnson has been fortunate to receive some performing arts scholarships which help fund her stay.She’s also had support from her mother, Sarah Johnson, but admits it “hasn’t been an easy road”.Her ultimate goal is to soak up as much knowledge about the performing arts as possible then return to the Island to share her skills.“I have been doing performing arts my whole life and have three different qualifications.“I don’t want to work in an office and do community theatre on the side. I want to open up an outreach programme for our kids.“My biggest fear is that I might have to go home before I get through this internship and learn everything I was sent here to learn.“I want to be able to come home and be able to do both dancing and theatre and establish some of the amazing things I have learned here and give young people the outlet to perform to stop the violence.”While teaching underprivileged youth in Atlanta through the Journey Performing Arts Centre, Ms Johnson learned how important the arts can be for young people.“A lot of people had never seen a dance school; a proper ballet shoe. A lot of times they thought it was something only available to the upper middle class community. Their only idea about dance was whatever they got to see on TV.“Same with acting and same with music. So I got to come in and teach lots of classical music, introduced them to musical theatre classes and dance like ballet, jazz and modern. No hip hop and stuff like that.”She said the role came with its challenges and sometimes she wasn’t sure whether to teach new dance steps or help them to get a hot shower first.Growing up on the Island, Ms Johnson said she took part in everything from Government’s Youth Theatrical Travelling Road Show, to dance classes at Jackson’s School of The Performing Arts and United Dance Productions.“You name it I have done it,” Ms Johnson said. “I was at Warwick Academy and in the music class and jazz band. My family is very musical so it‘s something I grew up in and theatre kind of happened along the way.“I started with theatre in elementary school, but got really serious towards the end of high school.”She said she did well academically growing up, but had to take medication for ADD. Arts helped her to better manage the disorder, she explained.“What I find is a lot of kids who are labelled troublemaker and disruptive the arts is a miracle worker for them,” she said. “I have worked with kids who get put out of every class, but can get through an hour of dance with no issue and a lot of times they are the most talented.“That is kind of my favourite thing about being an artist, helping the kids that people forget about, the so called ‘bad kids’ that just need an opportunity to shine.”Ms Johnson is also working on a manuscript for her first volume of poetry.Studville can be seen at www.studvilletv.com.