Founder

Cody Johnston

“I established 1519 Media out of a coffee shop in September, 2025 with the intention of using my creative abilities to serve others in a meaningful way. In a world of artificial intelligence I believe it is more important than ever for us to continue creating art that will last a lifetime. Every film is meticulously put together clip by clip to create something poetic, something human. ”
— Cody Johnston
Close-up of a smiling young man with short brown hair, beard, and a black earring, against a black background.

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What’s 1519?

A media startup, duh? No, but on a real note I named this 1519 as a reference to the year. In the year 1519 Spanish Conquistador Hernán Cortés set off on an unauthorized voyage that led to the conquest of the Aztec Empire. Legend goes upon arrival he ordered his men to burn their boats, so the options in front of them were either succeed or die. You know the saying burn-the-boats? Despite the historical inaccuracy the myth inspired me as a teenager, so 1519 Media has manifested into my do-or-die. Edgy, I know. In reality I was just a bad employee.

The Mission

1519 Media’s mission is to enable creatives to maximize their potential and serve others doing so. We act as an umbrella that creatives can work under and work with each other. Iron sharpens iron.

One day, 1519 media will bring together the best of the best to the big screen. We will take real art that’s human, and put it on a pedestal.

Creatives

Photographers, and cinematographers we work with.

A woman with long brown hair sitting on a black chair, smiling, with her chin resting on her hand. She is wearing a white blouse with floral patterns and black pants, and is holding a camera pointed at herself. The background is plain gray. 
Photographer | Liv Myska Photogrpahy

Liv Myska

23yr old photographer from Kansas City, MO. Over 5yrs of experience and a bachelor’s in journalism, Liv’s goal is to approach your photos from a fly-on-the-wall, documentary-style perspective capturing the candid, quiet moments rather than stiff and too posed.

A young man with curly blonde hair stands outdoors, wearing a yellow hoodie and brown overall with straps.

Toby Carlson

Born and raised in mid-MO, Toby has gained a vast amount of experience in editing, film, and photography. From being a church-hand to working full-time in media production, Toby has worked on movie sets, filmed and edited weddings, short films, you name it. Toby is scrappy, making all of his creative endeavors unique and stylistic. 

Cinematographer
A man wearing a beige baseball cap and large futuristic sunglasses with rainbow reflective lenses inside a fast-food restaurant. He's wearing a pink hoodie and has a beard. The background shows a window, some tables, and chairs inside the restaurant, and parking lot outside.
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Josiah Kee (@josiahkee) • Instagram photos and videos

Wholesome and unbelievably capable, Josiah is the former founder of Launch AV, which was the beginning of the founder of 1519 Media’s career in film. Josiah is obsessed with his craft with thousands of hours under his belt. From music, film, photo, and graphic design, Josiah can do it all, and do it well. Working full-time in media, Josiah continues to be a source of knowledge for us all to utilize. 

Cinematographer

JOsiah Kee