Film Experience

For Billy Johnson, alcohol and drug abuse forced him to live a life on the streets even though his family "wasn't a street family."

A self-described career hustler, he spent a total of 25 years behind bars on various drug, weapons, and robbery charges. Homeless and still using drugs after getting out of prison, he had to give up parental rights to his son. When his son's mother died, he pledged to seek help and get clean. He has now been sober for five years while pursuing a career in the culinary arts with the help of D.C. Central Kitchen. He hopes to have his own food truck one day and reconnect with his son. In the meantime, success is staying sober and being consistent, but it's still a daily struggle.

"My life has been one crisis after another," said Billy.

To him, the American dream means everyone has the same opportunities to achieve success, but it may be harder for some than others.

Washington, D.C.'s Escape Lounge tests the wit and creative thinking of participants who have 60 minutes to solve puzzles and find the key to escape.

In the midst of the 2008 economic crisis, these second generation immigrants gave up their jobs and risked all their savings to chase the dream of opening a restaurant. Not realizing how much they didn't know about the industry, Tim and Joey Ma were one day from going bankrupt when they found out they were pregnant with their first child. A combination of hard work, luck, and the support of others helped turn things around. Seven years later they have three children and three successful restaurants, and he has been recognized as one of the top chefs in Washington, D.C.