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Samuel Johnson Is Set To Publish His Own Spin-Free Newspaper

The entire cover price will go to cancer research.
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He may have given acting the flick but everybody's favourite larrikin Samuel Johnson is set to entertain us in another (paper) form when he enters the publishing world next month with his very own newspaper "for people who care".

The quarterly edition titled The Stick is a no-nonsense, spin-free newspaper focusing on unique personal findings from the country's most interesting notables with the entire cover price going towards cancer research.

Johnson, who retired from acting earlier this year to focus on Love Your Sister, the charity he started with his sister following her breast cancer diagnosis said his latest project will bring together his love of storytelling.

"I was less of a story junkie before my sister got sick but now I'm totally hooked," Johnson told The Huffington Post Australia.

All I do these days is meet people -- and everyone's got a story -- there's a universality to it.

It will also feature some much-loved Aussie personalities including Andrew Denton, Carrie Bickmore, Tim Minchin, Charlie Pickering and Tom Gleeson.

"All I do these days is meet people -- and everyone's got a story -- there's a universality to it," Johnson said.

He admits he's a lot busier these days, though is enjoying every minute of his new venture.

Samuel Johnson and Carrie Bickmore at the Medibank Melbourne Celebrity T20.
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Samuel Johnson and Carrie Bickmore at the Medibank Melbourne Celebrity T20.

"Everyday is different but mainly it just involves a lot more cancer and a lot less acting."

"I'm certainly really enjoying it, I get to work with all of my heroes and work on a creative level with a lot more people than what I did when I was acting," Johnson said.

Johnson has also thrown his support behind Optus' latest campaign, Connect5, a five-minute video competition open to all Australians no matter their age focused on the theme of "connecting lives."

A pot of cash is up for grabs for the winning video as well as the opportunity for it to be viewed by millions of mobile users across the world.

"I support anything that supports artists and this project in particular is about sharing stories. You can be a filmmaker with something as small as a mobile which I find completely mind blowing."

"No matter which culture you look at -- the Indigenous from 60,000 years ago or the white fellas of today -- storytelling is an important part of our culture," Johnson said.

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