Writers,Directors and Producers
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Däniken attended a Jesuit boarding school, where his interest in religion also led him to deal with philosophical problems. The high school student was passionate about archaeology and futurology, space travel and molecular biology. After attending school, Däniken trained as a cook and waiter. As such, he initially began working in the hotel industry and in the catering industry in major Swiss cities. His job also took him on ocean liners, on which he crossed the Atlantic as a steward. In 1963, Däniken worked in a large hotel in Nuremberg. From 1964 onward he worked his way to the top of the Davos sports hotel "Rosenhügel" until he finally managed the hotel.
During these years, Däniken continued his scientific and futurological studies, which eventually led him to thesis that there was a prehistoric civilization on Earth that was brought to the planet by the landing of alien astronauts. Däniken tried to prove his assumptions on extensive trips around the world, which, however, mainly caused him financial problems. Apparently through no fault of his own, he came into conflict with the Swiss tax authorities at the end of the 1960s. At the same time, the futurologist triggered the first wave of popularization of his fascinating world of ideas with the publication of his hypotheses as "Memories of the Future" (1968). The bestseller was made into a film in 1969.
In the 1970s, millions of readers around the world devoured the numerous books in which Däniken sought to prove the extraterrestrial origins of human culture and civilization. The "Ancient Astronaut Society" in Chicago, founded in 1973 by the American lawyer Gene M. Phillips, also helped his theses to spread. In the following years, numerous other scientists took part in the scientific discussion of Däniken's theses. Although the tireless publicist continued to publish numerous publications in the 1980s, public attention has now waned. However, with his first books for young people, Däniken regained a recognized place in futurological and science fiction literature at the beginning of the 1990s.
In 1993 he appeared in a 25-part series "In the Footsteps of the All-Mighty" for the private television station SAT.1. The CD-ROM "Contact with the Universe", with which Däniken once again published a summary of his theses in 1995, also represented a concession to the mass appeal of the new media. In 1996 he fascinated the television audience of the private RTL broadcaster with the documentary "Extraterrestrials - Are They Returning?". However, Däniken realized the largest project to spread and popularize his worldview with the 60,000 square meter, EUR80 million expensive "Mysteries of the World" adventure park, which opened in Interlaken, Switzerland, in May 2003. Mystery Park closed on November 19, 2006 due to bankruptcy.
The member of the Swiss Writers' Association and the Swiss PEN Center was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Boliviana in 1975 for his commitment to science journalism. He received further awards from several South American bodies.
Erich von Däniken has been married to Elisabeth Skaja since 1960 and is the father of a daughter.- Producer
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One of the most influential personalities in the history of cinema, Steven Spielberg is Hollywood's best known director and one of the wealthiest filmmakers in the world. He has an extraordinary number of commercially successful and critically acclaimed credits to his name, either as a director, producer or writer since launching the summer blockbuster with Jaws (1975), and he has done more to define popular film-making since the mid-1970s than anyone else.
Steven Allan Spielberg was born in 1946 in Cincinnati, Ohio, to Leah Frances (Posner), a concert pianist and restaurateur, and Arnold Spielberg, an electrical engineer who worked in computer development. His parents were both born to Russian Jewish immigrant families. Steven spent his younger years in Haddon Township, New Jersey, Phoenix, Arizona, and later Saratoga, California. He went to California State University Long Beach, but dropped out to pursue his entertainment career. Among his early directing efforts were Battle Squad (1961), which combined World War II footage with footage of an airplane on the ground that he makes you believe is moving. He also directed Escape to Nowhere (1961), which featured children as World War Two soldiers, including his sister Anne Spielberg, and The Last Gun (1959), a western. All of these were short films. The next couple of years, Spielberg directed a couple of movies that would portend his future career in movies. In 1964, he directed Firelight (1964), a movie about aliens invading a small town. In 1967, he directed Slipstream (1967), which was unfinished. However, in 1968, he directed Amblin' (1968), which featured the desert prominently, and not the first of his movies in which the desert would feature. Amblin' also became the name of his production company, which turned out such classics as E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982). Spielberg had a unique and classic early directing project, Duel (1971), with Dennis Weaver. In the early 1970s, Spielberg was working on TV, directing among others such series as Rod Serling's Night Gallery (1969), Marcus Welby, M.D. (1969) and Murder by the Book (1971). All of his work in television and short films, as well as his directing projects, were just a hint of the wellspring of talent that would dazzle audiences all over the world.
Spielberg's first major directorial effort was The Sugarland Express (1974), with Goldie Hawn, a film that marked him as a rising star. It was his next effort, however, that made him an international superstar among directors: Jaws (1975). This classic shark attack tale started the tradition of the summer blockbuster or, at least, he was credited with starting the tradition. His next film was the classic Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), a unique and original UFO story that remains a classic. In 1978, Spielberg produced his first film, the forgettable I Wanna Hold Your Hand (1978), and followed that effort with Used Cars (1980), a critically acclaimed, but mostly forgotten, Kurt Russell/Jack Warden comedy about devious used-car dealers. Spielberg hit gold yet one more time with Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), with Harrison Ford taking the part of Indiana Jones. Spielberg produced and directed two films in 1982. The first was Poltergeist (1982), but the highest-grossing movie of all time up to that point was the alien story E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982). Spielberg also helped pioneer the practice of product placement. The concept, while not uncommon, was still relatively low-key when Spielberg raised the practice to almost an art form with his famous (or infamous) placement of Reese's Pieces in "E.T." Spielberg was also one of the pioneers of the big-grossing special-effects movies, like "E.T." and "Close Encounters", where a very strong emphasis on special effects was placed for the first time on such a huge scale. In 1984, Spielberg followed up "Raiders" with Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984), which was a commercial success but did not receive the critical acclaim of its predecessor. As a producer, Spielberg took on many projects in the 1980s, such as The Goonies (1985), and was the brains behind the little monsters in Gremlins (1984). He also produced the cartoon An American Tail (1986), a quaint little animated classic. His biggest effort as producer in 1985, however, was the blockbuster Back to the Future (1985), which made Michael J. Fox an instant superstar. As director, Spielberg took on the book The Color Purple (1985), with Whoopi Goldberg and Oprah Winfrey, with great success. In the latter half of the 1980s, he also directed Empire of the Sun (1987), a mixed success for the occasionally erratic Spielberg. Success would not escape him for long, though.
The late 1980s found Spielberg's projects at the center of pop-culture yet again. In 1988, he produced the landmark animation/live-action film Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988). The next year proved to be another big one for Spielberg, as he produced and directed Always (1989) as well as Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989), and Back to the Future Part II (1989). All three of the films were box-office and critical successes. Also, in 1989, he produced the little known comedy-drama Dad (1989), with Jack Lemmon and Ted Danson, which got mostly mixed results. Spielberg has also had an affinity for animation and has been a strong voice in animation in the 1990s. Aside from producing the landmark "Who Framed Roger Rabbit", he produced the animated series Tiny Toon Adventures (1990), Animaniacs (1993), Pinky and the Brain (1995), Freakazoid! (1995), Pinky, Elmyra & the Brain (1998), Family Dog (1993) and Toonsylvania (1998). Spielberg also produced other cartoons such as The Land Before Time (1988), We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story (1993), Casper (1995) (the live action version) as well as the live-action version of The Flintstones (1994), where he was credited as "Steven Spielrock". Spielberg also produced many Roger Rabbit short cartoons, and many Pinky and the Brain, Animaniacs and Tiny Toons specials. Spielberg was very active in the early 1990s, as he directed Hook (1991) and produced such films as the cute fantasy Joe Versus the Volcano (1990) and An American Tail: Fievel Goes West (1991). He also produced the unusual comedy thriller Arachnophobia (1990), Back to the Future Part III (1990) and Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990). While these movies were big successes in their own right, they did not quite bring in the kind of box office or critical acclaim as previous efforts. In 1993, Spielberg directed Jurassic Park (1993), which for a short time held the record as the highest grossing movie of all time, but did not have the universal appeal of his previous efforts. Big box-office spectacles were not his only concern, though. He produced and directed Schindler's List (1993), a stirring film about the Holocaust. He won best director at the Oscars, and also got Best Picture. In the mid-90s, he helped found the production company DreamWorks, which was responsible for many box-office successes.
As a producer, he was very active in the late 90s, responsible for such films as The Mask of Zorro (1998), Men in Black (1997) and Deep Impact (1998). However, it was on the directing front that Spielberg was in top form. He directed and produced the epic Amistad (1997), a spectacular film that was shorted at the Oscars and in release due to the fact that its release date was moved around so much in late 1997. The next year, however, produced what many believe was one of the best films of his career: Saving Private Ryan (1998), a film about World War Two that is spectacular in almost every respect. It was stiffed at the Oscars, losing best picture to Shakespeare in Love (1998).
Spielberg produced a series of films, including Evolution (2001), The Haunting (1999) and Shrek (2001). he also produced two sequels to Jurassic Park (1993), which were financially but not particularly critical successes. In 2001, he produced a mini-series about World War Two that definitely *was* a financial and critical success: Band of Brothers (2001), a tale of an infantry company from its parachuting into France during the invasion to the Battle of the Bulge. Also in that year, Spielberg was back in the director's chair for A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001), a movie with a message and a huge budget. It did reasonably at the box office and garnered varied reviews from critics.
Spielberg has been extremely active in films there are many other things he has done as well. He produced the short-lived TV series SeaQuest 2032 (1993), an anthology series entitled Amazing Stories (1985), created the video-game series "Medal of Honor" set during World War Two, and was a starting producer of ER (1994). Spielberg, if you haven't noticed, has a great interest in World War Two. He and Tom Hanks collaborated on Shooting War: World War II Combat Cameramen (2000), a documentary about World War II combat photographers, and he produced a documentary about the Holocaust called Eyes of the Holocaust (2000). With all of this to Spielberg's credit, it's no wonder that he's looked at as one of the greatest ever figures in entertainment.- Writer
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George Walton Lucas, Jr. was raised on a walnut ranch in Modesto, California. His father was a stationery store owner and he had three siblings. During his late teen years, he went to Thomas Downey High School and was very much interested in drag racing. He planned to become a professional racecar driver. However, a terrible car accident just after his high school graduation ended that dream permanently. The accident changed his views on life.
He decided to attend Modesto Junior College before enrolling in the University of Southern California film school. As a film student, he made several short films including Electronic Labyrinth THX 1138 4EB (1967) which won first prize at the 1967-68 National Student Film Festival. In 1967, he was awarded a scholarship by Warner Brothers to observe the making of Finian's Rainbow (1968) which was being directed by Francis Ford Coppola. Lucas and Coppola became good friends and formed American Zoetrope in 1969. The company's first project was Lucas' full-length version of THX 1138 (1971). In 1971, Coppola went into production for The Godfather (1972), and Lucas formed his own company, Lucasfilm Ltd.
In 1973, he wrote and directed the semiautobiographical American Graffiti (1973) which won the Golden Globe and garnered five Academy Award nominations. This gave him the clout he needed for his next daring venture. From 1973 to 1974, he began writing the screenplay which became Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977). He was inspired to make this movie from Flash Gordon and the Planet of the Apes films. In 1975, he established ILM. (Industrial Light & Magic) to produce the visual effects needed for the movie. Another company called Sprocket Systems was established to edit and mix Star Wars and later becomes known as Skywalker Sound. His movie was turned down by several studios until 20th Century Fox gave him a chance. Lucas agreed to forego his directing salary in exchange for 40% of the film's box-office take and all merchandising rights. The movie went on to break all box office records and earned seven Academy Awards. It redefined the term "blockbuster" and the rest is history.
Lucas made the other Star Wars films and along with Steven Spielberg created the Indiana Jones series which made box office records of their own. From 1980 to 1985, Lucas was busy with the construction of Skywalker Ranch, built to accommodate the creative, technical, and administrative needs of Lucasfilm. Lucas also revolutionized movie theaters with the THX system which was created to maintain the highest quality standards in motion picture viewing.
He went on to produce several more movies that have introduced major innovations in filmmaking technology. He is chairman of the board of the George Lucas Educational Foundation. In 1992, George Lucas was honored with the Irving G. Thalberg Award by the Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for his lifetime achievement.
He reentered the directing chair with the production of the highly-anticipated Star Wars prequel trilogy beginning with Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999) . The films have been polarizing for fans and critics alike, but were commercially successful and have become a part of culture. The animated spin-off series Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) was supervised by Lucas. He sold Lucasfilm to Disney in 2012, making co-chair Kathleen Kennedy president. He has attended the premieres of new Star Wars films and been generally supportive of them.- Writer
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James Francis Cameron was born on August 16, 1954 in Kapuskasing, Ontario, Canada. He moved to the United States in 1971. The son of an engineer, he majored in physics at California State University before switching to English, and eventually dropping out. He then drove a truck to support his screenwriting ambition. He landed his first professional film job as art director, miniature-set builder, and process-projection supervisor on Roger Corman's Battle Beyond the Stars (1980) and had his first experience as a director with a two week stint on Piranha II: The Spawning (1982) before being fired.
He then wrote and directed The Terminator (1984), a futuristic action-thriller starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Michael Biehn and Linda Hamilton. It was a low budget independent film, but Cameron's superb, dynamic direction made it a surprise mainstream success and it is now regarded as one of the most iconic pictures of the 1980s. After this came a string of successful, bigger budget science-fiction action films such as Aliens (1986), The Abyss (1989) and Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991). In 1990, Cameron formed his own production company, Lightstorm Entertainment. In 1997, he wrote and directed Titanic (1997), a romance epic about two young lovers from different social classes who meet on board the famous ship. The movie went on to break all box office records and earned eleven Academy Awards. It became the highest grossing movie of all time until 12 years later, Avatar (2009), which invented and pioneered 3D film technology, and it went on to beat "Titanic", and became the first film to cost two billion dollars until 2019 when Marvel took the record.
James Cameron is now one of the most sought-after directors in Hollywood. He was formerly married to producer Gale Anne Hurd, who produced several of his films. In 2000, he married actress Suzy Amis, who appeared in Titanic, and they have three children.- Director
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- Camera and Electrical Department
Francis Lawrence is an American filmmaker. He started directing over sixty music videos before he directed the cult classic Keanu Reeves film Constantine, I Am Legend and Water for Elephants. He also directed The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Parts 1 and 2, and Red Sparrow, which all starred Jennifer Lawrence.- Writer
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Alex Garland is an English novelist, screenwriter, film producer and director. He is best known for the films Ex Machina (2015) and Annihilation (2018).
Garland's others works as a writer includes The Beach (2000), 28 Days Later (2002), Sunshine (2007), Never Let Me Go (2011) and Dredd (2012).
He is also the co-writer on the video game Enslaved: Odyssey to the West.
In 2015, Garland made his directorial debut with Ex Machina and was nominated for an Oscar in the Best Writing, Original Screenplay category.- Director
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Jonathan Goldstein was born on 2 September 1968 in New York City, New York, USA. He is a director and writer, known for Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), Horrible Bosses (2011) and Game Night (2018). He has been married to Adena Halpern since 26 August 2007. They have one child.- Director
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Nash Edgerton was born on 19 January 1973 in Australia. He is a director and actor, known for Mr Inbetween (2018), Gringo (2018) and The Square (2008). He has been married to Carla Ruffino since 1 April 2014.- Writer
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- Visual Effects
Anders Walter was born on 5 February 1978 in Århus, Denmark. He is a writer and director, known for I Kill Giants (2017), Ivalu (2023) and 9 Meter (2012).- Music Department
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John Howard Carpenter was born in Carthage, New York, to mother Milton Jean (Carter) and father Howard Ralph Carpenter. His family moved to Bowling Green, Kentucky, where his father, a professor, was head of the music department at Western Kentucky University. He attended Western Kentucky University and then USC film school in Los Angeles. He began making short films in 1962, and won an Academy Award for Best Live-Action Short Subject in 1970, for The Resurrection of Broncho Billy (1970), which he made while at USC. Carpenter formed a band in the mid-1970s called The Coupe de Villes, which included future directors Tommy Lee Wallace and Nick Castle. Since the 1970s, he has had numerous roles in the film industry including writer, actor, composer, producer, and director. After directing Dark Star (1974), he has helmed both classic horror films like Halloween (1978), The Fog (1980), and The Thing (1982), and noted sci-fi tales like Escape from New York (1981) and Starman (1984).- Director
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Garth Davis's work has been recognized in every major award show around the world. His rigorous commitment to detail, cinematic sensibilities and deep appreciation of the actor-director relationship are his trademark. Garth most recently directed Foe for Amazon, based on the novel of the same name and starring Saoirse Ronan and Paul Mescal. It premiered at the 2023 New York Film Festival. He is best known for his directorial feature debut Lion, which was nominated for six Academy Awards including Best Picture, and for which Garth won a DGA Award. Garth's second feature film Mary Magdalene starred Rooney Mara and Joaquin Phoenix, and on the television side he directed Top of the Lake alongside director Jane Campion, for which he received Emmy and BAFTA nominations.- Writer
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Helen Edmundson is known for Belgravia: The Next Chapter (2024), Dalgliesh (2021) and Mary Magdalene (2018).- Producer
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- Actress
Philippa Goslett is known for The Nevers (2021), How to Talk to Girls at Parties (2017) and Little Ashes (2008).- Writer
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Bryan Woods was born on 14 September 1984 in Davenport, Iowa, USA. He is a writer and producer, known for A Quiet Place (2018), 65 (2023) and Haunt (2019).- Writer
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Scott Beck was born on 22 October 1984 in Denver, Colorado, USA. He is a writer and producer, known for A Quiet Place (2018), 65 (2023) and Haunt (2019).- Director
- Editor
- Actor
Mark Polonia was born on 30 September 1968 in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, USA. He is a director and editor, known for Camp Murder (2021), Land Shark (2017) and Bigfoot Vs. Zombies (2016). He is married to Maria Davis.- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Kathy Nolan is known for Men of War (1994).- Art Department
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Daniel Anghelcev is known for The Second Coming of Christ (2018), Dracula: The Impaler (2013) and The Assault (2017).- Producer
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Rob Greenberg is known for The Moodys (2019), The Valet (2022) and Overboard (2018). He is married to Gabrielle Allan. They have two children.- Producer
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Michael Duggan began his career working in production for Steven Bochco on Hill Street Blues (1981). He began writing on the TV show St. Elsewhere (1982) and continued his career writing and producing at Universal for Michael Mann on Miami Vice (1984) and Law & Order (1990). Duggan has also executive produced Crime & Punishment (1993). He created and executive produced Earth 2 (1994)for Steven Spielberg, and _"C-16: FBI" on ABC(1997)_, before he wrote and executive produced for the third season of Millennium (1996) with Chris Carter, and Secret Agent Man with Barry Sonnenfeld.- Producer
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Timothy Walter Burton was born in Burbank, California, to Jean Rae (Erickson), who owned a cat-themed gift shop, and William Reed Burton, who worked for the Burbank Park and Recreation Department. He spent most of his childhood as a recluse, drawing cartoons, and watching old movies (he was especially fond of films with Vincent Price). When he was in the ninth grade, his artistic talent was recognized by a local garbage company, when he won a prize for an anti-litter poster he designed. The company placed this poster on all of their garbage trucks for a year. After graduating from high school, he attended California Institute of the Arts. Like so many others who graduated from that school, Burton's first job was as an animator for Disney.
His early film career was fueled by almost unbelievable good luck, but it's his talent and originality that have kept him at the top of the Hollywood tree. He worked on such films as The Fox and the Hound (1981) and The Black Cauldron (1985), but had some creative differences with his colleagues. Nevertheless, Disney recognized his talent, and gave him the green light to make Vincent (1982), an animated short about a boy who wanted to be just like Vincent Price. Narrated by Price himself, the short was a critical success and won several awards. Burton made a few other short films, including his first live-action film, Frankenweenie (1984). A half-hour long twist on the tale of Frankenstein, it was deemed inappropriate for children and wasn't released. But actor Paul Reubens (aka Pee-Wee Herman) saw Frankenweenie (1984), and believed that Burton would be the right man to direct him in his first full-length feature film, Pee-wee's Big Adventure (1985). The film was a surprise success, and Burton instantly became popular. However, many of the scripts that were offered to him after this were essentially just spin-offs of the film, and Burton wanted to do something new.
For three years, he made no more films, until he was presented with the script for Beetlejuice (1988). The script was wild and wasn't really about anything, but was filled with such artistic and quirky opportunities, Burton couldn't say no. Beetlejuice (1988) was another big hit, and Burton's name in Hollywood was solidified. It was also his first film with actor Michael Keaton. Warner Bros. then entrusted him with Batman (1989), a film based on the immensely popular comic book series of the same name. Starring Michael Keaton and Jack Nicholson, the film was the most financially successful film of the year and Burton's biggest box-office hit to date. Due to the fantastic success of his first three films, he was given the green light to make his next film, any kind of film he wanted. That film was Edward Scissorhands (1990), one of his most emotional, esteemed and artistic films to date. Edward Scissorhands (1990) was also Burton's first film with actor Johnny Depp. Burton's next film was Batman Returns (1992), and was darker and quirkier than the first one, and, while by no means a financial flop, many people felt somewhat disappointed by it. While working on Batman Returns (1992), he also produced the popular The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), directed by former fellow Disney Animator Henry Selick. Burton reunited with Johnny Depp on the film Ed Wood (1994), a film showered with critical acclaim, Martin Landau won an academy award for his performance in it, and it is very popular now, but flopped during its initial release. Burton's subsequent film, Mars Attacks! (1996), had much more vibrant colors than his other films. Despite being directed by Burton and featuring all-star actors including Jack Nicholson, Glenn Close, Pierce Brosnan and Michael J. Fox, it received mediocre reviews and wasn't immensely popular at the box office, either.
Burton returned to his darker and more artistic form with the film Sleepy Hollow (1999), starring Johnny Depp, Christina Ricci and Casper Van Dien. The film was praised for its art direction and was financially successful, redeeming Burton of the disappointment many had felt by Mars Attacks! (1996). His next film was Planet of the Apes (2001), a remake of the classic of the same name. The film was panned by many critics but was still financially successful. While on the set of Planet of the Apes (2001), Burton met Helena Bonham Carter, with whom he has two children. Burton directed the film Big Fish (2003) - a much more conventional film than most of his others, it received a good deal of critical praise, although it disappointed some of his long-time fans who preferred the quirkiness of his other, earlier films. Despite the fluctuations in his career, Burton proved himself to be one of the most popular directors of the late 20th century. He directed Johnny Depp once again in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005), a film as quirky anything he's ever done.- Producer
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Ronald Krauss is a multi-award winning filmmaker known for creating many music videos and commercials. After graduating Syracuse University, his first film Puppies For Sale, starring Academy Award winner Jack Lemmon won "Best Short Film" in over twenty prestigious film festivals worldwide and was released theatrically accompanying Disney's re-release of The Little Mermaid. Ronald became the first recipient of the Kodak Vision Award presented by George Lucas. Shortly after, he would write and direct several feature films including the teen drama Rave and the James Spader Sci-Fi thriller, Alien Hunter. Working in television, he created the NBC series Chicken Soup for the Soul based on the best-selling books and received an Emmy Award nomination for his work on the series Beyond The Glory. Known for his signature storytelling, Ronald's work continues to grow with audiences worldwide. His acclaimed feature film Gimme Shelter, starring Vanessa Hudgens, Rosario Dawson, Brendan Fraser and James Earl Jones is a continuation of his success playing to audiences across the globe making Ronald one of today's most celebrated filmmakers.- Additional Crew
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Joel Eisenberg is an author, screenwriter, and producer. Joel's epic novel series with co-author Steve Hillard, "The Chronicles of Ara," was an Amazon bestseller that was optioned to Ovation Network in 2015.
Joel has also developed material acquired by Warner Brothers, CBS, Hulu, FOX Studios, Amazon Prime, Roddenberry Entertainment and more. His pilot script and format for M. Night Shyamalan's proposed reinvention of "Tales from the Crypt" was purchased by TNT in 2018.
He has written, co-written, and produced several independent feature films. In 2010, Joel executive produced "April Showers," a film about the Columbine school shooting tragedy. Following its theatrical and initial DVD platform, "April Showers" went on to receive a special commendation from the U.S. House of Representatives.
Upcoming feature film projects include the Alzheimer's-themed "January Rain," as co-writer, and "Louis vs Schmeling," a boxing biopic to be directed by Bill Duke and executive produced by Gilbert Adler.
Along with Adler, Eisenberg presently has a first-look deal with science fiction and fantasy book publisher Aethon Books.- Actor
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Born in Puducherry, India, and raised in the posh suburban Penn Valley area of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, M. Night Shyamalan is a film director, screenwriter, producer, and occasional actor, known for making movies with contemporary supernatural plots.
He is the son of Jayalakshmi, a Tamil obstetrician and gynecologist, and Nelliate C. Shyamalan, a Malayali doctor. His passion for filmmaking began when he was given a Super-8 camera at age eight, and even at that young age began to model his career on that of his idol, Steven Spielberg. His first film, Praying with Anger (1992), was based somewhat on his own trip back to visit the India of his birth. He raised all the funds for this project, in addition to directing, producing and starring in it. Wide Awake (1998), his second film, he wrote and directed, and shot it in the Philadelphia-area Catholic school he once attended--even though his family was of a different religion, they sent him to that school because of its strict discipline.
Shyamalan gained international recognition when he wrote and directed 1999's The Sixth Sense (1999), which was a commercial success and later nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Original Screenplay. Shyamalan team up again with Bruce Willis in the film Unbreakable (2000), released in 2000, which he also wrote and directed.
His major films include the science fiction thriller Signs (2002), the psychological thriller The Village (2004), the fantasy thriller Lady in the Water (2006), The Happening (2008), The Last Airbender (2010), After Earth (2013), and the horror films The Visit (2015) and Split (2016).- Writer
- Producer
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Growing up in Portland, Oregon, Matt Groening did not particularly like school, which is what originally turned him towards drawing. In the mid-1980s, he moved to Los Angeles and started drawing a comic strip named "Life in Hell", which eventually became published in the newspaper where he worked. In 1988, James L. Brooks, looking for a filler in the television show, The Tracey Ullman Show (1987), turned towards a framed "Life in Hell" strip on his wall and contacted Groening. The animated shorts that Groening created were The Simpsons (1989).- Producer
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Josh Weinstein was born on 5 May 1966 in Alexandria, Virginia, USA. He is a producer and writer, known for The Simpsons (1989), Futurama (1999) and Disenchantment (2018). He has been married to Lisa Simmons since 2 July 1995. They have two children.- Writer
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Jeff Rowe was born on 9 July 1986 in Hometown, Illinois, USA. He is a writer and director, known for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem (2023), The Mitchells vs. the Machines (2021) and Gravity Falls (2012).- Director
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Patricia Riggen was born on 2 June 1970 in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. She is a director and producer, known for The 33 (2015), La milpa (2002) and Under the Same Moon (2007). She is married to Checco Varese. They have one child.- Producer
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Born in Mexico City, Cuse grew up in Boston, Massachusetts, and in Orange County, California. He attended Harvard University, graduating with a degree in American History.
Cuse, along with Damon Lindelof, served as writer and showrunner for all six seasons of Lost (2004) for ABC. He wrote, directed, and was the showrunner for the first two seasons of Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan (2018). Other credits include Locke & Key (2020), Bates Motel (2013), The Strain (2014), and Colony (2016). In feature films, Cuse wrote San Andreas (2015), starring Dwayne Johnson, Warner Bros. highest grossing film of that year. He followed up by co-writing Warner Brothers' Rampage (2018), also starring Dwayne Johnson.
Cuse started his career in feature films working first as a development executive then formed a partnership with feature writer, Jeffrey Boam. He started his career in television as a writer on the Michael Mann series, Crime Story (1986), and then as co-creator and executive producer of the critically-acclaimed Fox series The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. (1993). He went on to create and executive produce Nash Bridges (1996) for CBS, starring Don Johnson and Cheech Marin, which ran for six seasons and 121 episodes.
Cuse has received 10 Emmy nominations and won 2 Emmys, a Golden Globe, a Writer's Guild Award, a Peabody Award, and was named to Time Magazine's annual List of the 100 Most Influential People in the World.- Director
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Morten Tyldum was born on 19 May 1967 in Bergen, Norway. He is a director and producer, known for Headhunters (2011), The Imitation Game (2014) and Passengers (2016).- Writer
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Matt Duffer of The Duffer Brothers, born in Durham, February 15, 1984, is a writer, producer, and director for film and television. He is most known as the creator and showrunner of the hit Netflix Sci-Fi TV series Stranger Things. Other works include the thriller film Hidden and he has written episodes for the TV series Wayward Pines.- Writer
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Ross Duffer is known for Stranger Things (2016), We All Fall Down (2005) and Wayward Pines (2015). He has been married to Leigh Janiak since 22 December 2015.- Producer
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Shawn Levy was born on July 23, 1968 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He is a producer and director, known for Stranger Things (2016), Real Steel (2011), and the Night at the Museum franchise. He is the founder and principal of 21 Laps Entertainment. He is married to Serena Levy and they have four daughters.- Writer
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Andrew Stanton has been a major creative force at Pixar Animation Studios since 1990, when he became the second animator and ninth employee to join the company's elite group of computer animation pioneers. As Vice President, Creative he currently oversees all shorts and feature projects at the studio. Stanton wrote and directed the Academy Award®-winning Disney and Pixar feature film "WALL.E," for which he also received a Best Original Screenplay Oscar®-nomination. In 2016 Stanton directed Disney and Pixar's "Finding Dory," which, upon release, became the highest-grossing domestic animated feature of all time and in 2019 Stanton served as screenwriter and executive producer of "Toy Story 4."
Stanton made his directorial debut with the record-shattering "Finding Nemo," an original story of his that he also co-wrote. The film garnered Stanton two Academy Award® nominations (Best Original Screenplay and Best Animated Film), and "Finding Nemo" was awarded an Oscar® for Best Animated Feature Film of 2003, the first such honor Pixar Animation Studios received for a full-length feature film.
One of the four screenwriters to receive an Oscar® nomination in 1996 for his contribution to "Toy Story," Stanton went on to receive credit as a screenwriter on every subsequent Pixar film - "A Bug's Life," "Toy Story 2," "Monsters, Inc." and "Finding Nemo." Additionally, he served as co-director on "A Bug's Life," and was the executive producer of "Monsters, Inc.," and "Monsters University," and Academy Award®-winning films "Ratatouille" and "Brave."
In addition to his multi-award winning animation work, Stanton made his live-action writing and directorial debut with Disney's "John Carter," released in March 2012.
A native of Rockport, Massachusetts, Stanton earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Character Animation from California Institute of the Arts (Cal Arts), where he completed two student films. In the 1980s, he launched his professional career in Los Angeles animating for Bill Kroyer's Kroyer Films studio, and writing for Ralph Bakshi's production of "Mighty Mouse, The New Adventures" (1987).- Director
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Uta Briesewitz was born in Leverkusen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. She is a director and cinematographer known for "The Wheel of Time", "Stranger Things", "Fellow Travelers" and "The Wire". Uta is a graduate of the Berlin Film and Television Academy where she studied directing. She received her MFA in cinematography from The American Film Institute (AFI) where she was also honored with the Mary Pickford Foundation Award for her outstanding work in Cinematography. She received an Emmy Nomination for her work as a cinematographer on the HBO Series "Hung". She made Variety's ten "Cinematographers to watch" list and was honored by Kodak with the Vision Award. Uta lives with her husband and two children in Los Angeles.- Director
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Robert Stromberg is known for Avatar (2009), Maleficent (2014) and Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003).- Director
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Felix Gary Gray is an African-American music video director, film producer and film director from New York City known for directing films such as Friday, Men in Black: International, Be Cool, The Fate of the Furious, Set It Off, The Negotiator, Straight Outta Compton and The Italian Job. He directed 22 music videos.- Director
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Mika Collins is a writer, actor, and executive producer originally from South Africa. She has written and performed on series and films for HBO, Netflix, Syfy, CW, Lifetime, CBC, CTV and Showcase. Mika has also created, written, and produced award-winning web series and short films, including the sci-fi series Deep Six, the Bravo short, The Pamplemousse, and the award-winning play, Capturing Freedom. Mika is a graduate of the Canadian Film Centre's TV Writing Residency.- Producer
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Giorgio A. Tsoukalos is a Swiss-born writer, ufologist, television presenter and producer. He is a proponent of the pseudo-archaeological theory that ancient alien astronauts interacted with ancient humans. He is best known for his appearances on the television series Ancient Aliens. Tsoukalos also hosted the H2 series In Search of Aliens, which ran for one season in 2014.
In 2021 he appeared as himself on the television series Resident Alien.- Writer
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Hogan was born in Brisbane, Queensland. As a teenager, he lived on the North Coast of New South Wales and attended Mt St Patrick's College. He was said to have had a difficult time in high school as he was a victim of bullying. His film Mental is based upon his difficult adolescent years.- Writer
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Ben Coccio was born on 2 August 1975 in the USA. He is a writer and director, known for Zero Day (2002), The Place Beyond the Pines (2012) and The Beginner (2010).- Producer
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Hill was born in Long Beach, California and educated at Mexico City College and Michigan State University. He worked in oil drilling and construction in the 60s before becoming a 2nd assistant director in 1967. He has written and co-written screenplays, including several uncredited works. He has produced and directed films since 1975.- Producer
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Mike Judge is an American actor, animator, film director, screenwriter, and television producer.
In 1962, Judge was born in Guayaquil, the largest city of Ecuador and the country's main port. His parents were expatriate Americans. His father was archaeologist William James Judge and his mother was librarian Margaret Yvonne Blue. At the time of Mike's birth, William Judge was working for a non-profit organization which promoted agricultural development in Ecuador.
Around 1969, the Judge family returned to the United States, and settled in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Mike spend most of his school years in Albuquerque. He received his secondary education at St. Pius X High School, a private, Roman Catholic high school located in Albuquerque. The school was named after Pope Pius X (1835-1914, term 1903-1914), who is venerated as a saint,
Following his graduation from high school, Judge enrolled at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD). The UCSD is a public land-grant research university, located in San Diego, California. Judge was interested in a science career, and followed science studies. In 1985, Judge graduated with a Bachelor of Science in physics. From 1985 to 1987, Judge held various jobs relating to either physics or mechanical engineering. He was dissatisfied with his work life, because he found that these jobs were boring.
In 1987, Judge was hired by Parallax Graphics, a startup video card company. Its headquarters were located in Santa Clara, California. Santa Clara is located at the center of Silicon Valley, and houses the headquarters of several high-tech companies. Parallax only had about 40 employees. Judge quit following only 3 months of work, because he disliked the company's corporate culture and his co-workers. In later interviews, Judge claimed that his co-workers reminded him of the Stepford Wives. His negative experiences contributed to his unflattering portrayal of Silicon Valley in his television career.
Judge next attempted to start a new career as a musician, serving as bass player in a blues band. For a couple of years, Judge was part of a music group headed by blues guitarist Anson Funderburgh (1954-). In the early 1990s, Judge worked alongside singer and drummer Doyle Bramhall (1949-2011). Bramhall was a well-known figure in the Texas music scene. During his musical career, Judge was taking graduate math classes at the University of Texas at Dallas.
In 1989, Judge was shown animation cels on display, and became fascinated with animation. Judge purchased a Bolex 16 mm film camera, and started working on his own animated short films. The amateur animator worked from his home at the time, located in Richardson, Texas. His short films were initially on display in local animation festivals.
In 1991, Judge developed "Milton", a series of short films satirizing the typical life of office workers. Judge voiced all the characters. The films were acquired by Comedy Central, and showcased Judge's talents to a wider audience. In 1992, Judge created the animated short "Frog Baseball", depicting two cruel and stupid teenagers. The short film was featured in the television series "Liquid Television" (1991-1995), which showcased works by independent animators. The network MTV was sufficiently impressed with the short film to order an animated television series featuring its main characters.
Judge's first work as a television producer was the animated series "Beavis and Butt-Head" (1993-1997), a satirical, scathing commentary on modern society. Besides producing the series, Judge voiced the two protagonists. He also wrote and directed most of its episodes. The series was considered quite controversial in its own era, but was commercially successful. In its initial incarnation, it lasted for 7 seasons, and 200 episodes. Judge gave permission for the use of supporting character Daria Morgendorffer in the spin-off series "Daria" (1997-2002), which was also successful. Judge was otherwise not involved in the production of the spin-off.
In 1997, Judge directed the animated feature film "Beavis and Butt-Head Do America". It featured the protagonists in a road trip across the United States. It earned about 63 million dollars in the North American box office, and was critically well-received as a satire of youth culture.
Judge's next television series was the animated sitcom "King of the Hill" (1997-2010), which was broadcast by the Fox Broadcasting Company. For this series, Judge's partner and co-creator was the experienced comedy writer Greg Daniels (1963-). Daniels was previously a screenwriter on the popular animated sitcom "The Simpsons". Daniels had written several episodes in seasons 5 to 7 (1993-1996), and some of them were considered among the highlights of the series. For "King of the Hill", the duo of creators decided to maintain a relatively realistic depiction of modern life. Much of the humor derived from depicting the frustrations and absurdities of an otherwise mundane existence. "King of the Hill" was both a critical and commercial hit, and commercial hit. It lasted for 13 seasons and 259 episodes.
In the late 1990s, Judge wrote and directed the live-action film "Office Space" (1999). It was loosely based in his own "Milton" series of animated short films,, but featured additional characters. The film under-performed at the box office, only earning about 12 million dollars from its worldwide release. However the film sold surprisingly well in the home video market, and became a cult hit.
In 2003, Judge and fellow animator Don Hertzfeldt (1976-) co-founded the annual film festival "The Animation Show". It showcased animated short films from various eras, with its initial goal being to cover "everything from forgotten classics to the very latest in computer animation". In its first year, the touring festival visited over 200 movie theaters in North America.
Judge's third feature film was the dystopian science fiction comedy "Idiocracy" (2006). It depicted a soldier from the early 21st century who spends 500 years in suspended animation. He awakes in the 26th century, in a future world which has fully embraced anti-intellectualism. The film never received a wide theatrical release, and only earned 495,000 dollars at the box office. However it sold very well in the home video market, and became a cult film.
In 2008, Fox decided to cancel "King of the Hill" despite the series' decent ratings. At the time it was the 105th most watched series on American television. The final group of episodes were broadcast over the following 2 years.
In 2009, Judge directed his fourth (and so far last) feature film. It was the live-action comedy film "Extract". It features a successful flavoring-extracts company who has to deal with a lawsuit by an injured employee, with the schemes of a female con-artist, and with the sexual frustration and impaired judgment of its owners. The film earned about 11 million dollars at the box office, and was critically well-received.
In 2009, Judge developed his third television series, the animated comedy "The Goode Family" (2009) for ABC. Compared to "King of the Hill", this series contained more political satire. The series failed to find an audience, and some critics considered that its humor more properly belonged in the 1990s than the 2000s. It only lasted 1 series and 13 episodes, canceled by ABC due to its low ratings. It was the first series created by Judge to be considered a failure.
In 2011, "Beavis and Butt-Head" was revived for another season, with Judge as a producer and an updated setting. The 8th season only lasted for 2 months (October 27-December 29, 2011) and 2011. The opening audience attracted an audience of 3,3 million viewers. Ratings fell during the season, and the final episode only had 900,000 viewers. MTV decided not to order a 9th season.
Judge next developed his fourth television series, the live-action comedy "Silicon Valley" (2014-2019). The original premise was to focus on the competitive business environment of the Silicon Valley. Following the first season's success, "Silicon Valley" continued in the long-term. The series lasted for 6 seasons and 53 episodes. The series received critical acclaim for its "hilarious" take on the business world and modern technology, and was nominated for several awards. Conversely, a number of critics felt that a number of its characters were stereotypical nerds, and lacked proper character development.
While "Silicon Valley" was still ongoing, Judge developed his fifth television series. It was the animated documentary series "Mike Judge Presents: Tales from the Tour Bus" (2017-2018), which focused on the oral history of professional musicians and their associated musical genres. It presented anecdotes concerning the featured musicians, "as told by their families, band-mates, and close associates". The series lasted 2 seasons and 16 episodes .The series was critically acclaimed, but never attracted a large audience.
In its relatively short run, this series featured biographies of (in order of presentation): Johnny Paycheck (1938-2003), Jerry Lee Lewis (1935-), George Jones (1931-2013), Tammy Wynette (1942-1998), Billy Joe Shaver (1939-2020), Waylon Jennings (1937-2002), Blaze Foley (1949-1989), George Clinton (1941-), Rick James (1948-2004), Bootsy Collins (1951-), James Brown (1933-2006), Morris Day (1957-), and Betty Davis (1945-).
In 2021, Judge was 58-years-old. He has never fully retired, though he has yet to make a television comeback. His professional career in television has lasted 30 years so far, and he has gained a reputation for innovative series concepts.- Producer
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Jeffrey Jacob Abrams was born in New York City and raised in Los Angeles, the son of TV producer parents. At 15, he wrote the music for Don Dohler's Nightbeast (1982). In his senior year of college, he and Jill Mazursky teamed up to write a feature film, which became Taking Care of Business (1990). He went on to write and produce Regarding Henry (1991) and Forever Young (1992). He also co-wrote Gone Fishin' (1997) with Mazursky. Along with other Sarah Lawrence alumni, he experimented with computer animation and was contracted to develop pre-production animation for Shrek (2001).
Abrams worked on the screenplay for Armageddon (1998) and co-created (as well as composing the opening theme of) Felicity (1998), which ran for four seasons. He founded the production company Bad Robot in 2001 with Bryan Burk. He created and executive-produced Alias (2001) and Lost (2004), composing the theme music for both, and co-writing episodes of "Lost". He also co-wrote and produced thriller Joy Ride (2001). He made his feature directing debut with Mission: Impossible III (2006), reinvigorating the series. He produced the hit mystery film Cloverfield (2008) and co-created Fringe (2008).
He directed the Star Trek (2009) reboot, proving successful with fans and newcomers to the franchise. He next directed Super 8 (2011), co-produced by Steven Spielberg and produced Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (2011). He returned to direct the follow-up to his reboot, Star Trek Into Darkness (2013). Disney and Lucasfilm announced J.J. as their choice for director of the first episode in the new 'Star Wars' trilogy, Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015). He initially resisted, as he didn't want to travel away from his family to London, but Kathleen Kennedy convinced him that his voice would be the best to reinvigorate this franchise, as he had done with two others before. He also produced Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation (2015) and Star Trek Beyond (2016), and executive-produced Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (2017). When it was announced that Colin Trevorrow would no longer direct Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker (2019), it was announced that J.J. would return to complete the trilogy he started.- Writer
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American science fiction author and story editor who worked primarily for television. An aspiring novelist from the age of eleven, Fontana began as a writer of horror and adventure stories. After graduating with an associate arts degree from Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey she got her first job as a junior secretary to Screen Gems president Ralph Cohn. From New York, she relocated to California to work in a typing pool at Revue Studios and then become a script reader and editor for producer Samuel A. Peeples who specialised in writing and creating TV westerns. As 'Dorothy C. Fontana' she contributed several scripts to The Tall Man (1960) and (under the pseudonym 'Michael Edwards') to The Wild Wild West (1965). By 1965, she worked as a production secretary for Gene Roddenberry who was producing a military-themed drama series at the time, entitled The Lieutenant (1963) (future Star Trek guest star Gary Lockwood had the lead role). The series was however cancelled after a single season because of public apathy (or, indeed, antipathy) resulting from the war in Vietnam. Roddenberry later introduced Fontana to science fiction when he went on to create Star Trek (1966). As "D.C. Fontana" (avoiding prevalent gender-based bias from studio executives) she eventually graduated to full script writer and became one of a select group of pioneering female authors associated with the science fiction genre. Fontana was at once engaged as script consultant/story editor and as writer or co-writer of several key episodes, including The Enterprise Incident, Tomorrow is Yesterday, Catspaw, The Ultimate Computer and Journey to Babel (which introduced Spock's parents). Remaining with the franchise, she later co-wrote the two-part pilot episode Encounter at Farpoint for Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987) and served as associate producer during much of the first season. Her other forays into sci-fi as writer included Logan's Run (1977) and Babylon 5 (1993). Perhaps ironically, a later interview revealed that she considered herself proudest of her contributions to The Streets of San Francisco (1972). Of her work, she said that she was primarily concerned with writing about people: "The best shows are always about people" and "Creating characters from scratch, I usually go to their strengths first and then their weaknesses. Every hero should have vulnerabilities and flaws. Perfect people may exist - somewhere - but I never met any. Every character has to have a need for something, and every character has to have some kind of conflict in his/her life".
In addition to her TV work, Fontana also wrote the Star Trek novelisation Vulcan's Glory (1989) and The Questor Tapes (1978), a novel based on a screenplay by Roddenberry and Gene L. Coon. She latterly held a position as a lecturer in the screenwriting department of the American Film Institute Conservatory. A member of the Writers Guild of America, she was twice inducted into the American Screenwriters Association Hall of Fame (in 1997 and in 2002).- Writer
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Nick Castle was born on 21 September 1947 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He is a writer and director, known for The Last Starfighter (1984), The Boy Who Could Fly (1986) and Escape from New York (1981). He has been married to Mary Charlene Napp since 31 December 1981. They have one child.- Writer
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Matthew Feitshans is a screenwriter, works as Executive VP of Development for Raffaella Productions, and has a production background as assistant director on several films. He is a graduate of USC's School of Cinema-TV with a degree in Screenwriting. Son of Buzz Feitshans; younger brother of Buzz Feitshans IV; stepson of Raffaella De Laurentiis.- Producer
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Olaf de Fleur studied physics in Reykjavik, graduating in 1995. Since then he has participated in numerous film projects, including both feature and documentary films. After working for two years for a production company, focusing primarily on TV documentaries, he founded the independent production company Poppoli Pictures. Headed by Johannesson as director and producer, the team created Blindsker that won the "Best Documentary" in the Icelandic Film Awards 2004 and Africa United that won the same prize in 2005.
He was nominated as the best Icelandic Filmmaker in 2005 and 2006 at cultural DV (newspaper) awards and best director in 2005 at the Icelandic Film Awards. Selected for the Berlinale Talent Campus in 2003 and 2004.
Olaf and his team have finished filming Act Normal, a documentary following an English Buddhist monk who decides to disrobe and get married, shot in Iceland and Thailand between 1995-2006. Johannesson is currently working on The Amazing Truth about Queen Raqauela, a feature produced by his own company, Poppoli Pictures, with Nimbus Films (dk) Blueeyes Productions (is). The film tells the story of a naïve, but street smart Filipino ladyboy - a career prostitute who decides to travel to Paris to find love and acceptance, but ends up working at a fish factory in Iceland. After that Olaf is preparing for the Icelandic feature "The Higher Force" in January 2007 along with developing the feature "Diary of a Circledrawer" with Screenwriter Stefan Schaefer for filming in early 2008.- Writer
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Ben Ketai was born on 25 July 1982 in West Bloomfield, Michigan, USA. He is a writer and producer, known for Chosen (2013), Beneath (2013) and The Strangers: Prey at Night (2018).- Writer
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Eva Konstantopoulos was born in New York City, New York, USA. Eva is a writer, known for Malevolent (2018), Re/collection (2017) and Emmageddon (2020).- Writer
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Carly Stone is known for The New Romantic (2018), North of Normal (2022) and Kim's Convenience (2016).- Producer
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Criss Angel was born on December 19, 1967 and raised in East Meadow, New York. He grew up loving music, playing the drums and always having an interest in magic. Two of his biggest magic influences are Harry Houdini and Richiardi Jr.. His father was also a big influence on him, especially after a long battle with cancer until his death in 1998. As a teenager, he performed as a magician at birthday parties, night clubs and private events. He got his pyrotechnics license at age 18. He also has a 7th degree black belt and a background in dance and gymnastics. Criss played in a band called "AngelDust" with friend Klay Scott, who produced and helped arranged his CD's and music for Criss' Mindfreak show. He performed in "World Of Illusion" at Madison Square Garden in 1998. Criss then scored a show on Broadway titled "Mindfreak", which ran up until Jan. 6, 2003 with almost 600 performances. He has had many television appearances and specials such as The Science of Magic (1997), The Science of Magic II (2003), the ABC Family special Criss Angel Mindfreak (2002), and the Sci-Fi channel's Criss Angel Supernatural (2003). He became a household name with the A&E channel Criss Angel Mindfreak (2005) television series airing every Wednesday night. Seasons 1 & 2 were filmed at the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas with season 3 filmed at the Luxor Hotel in Las Vegas.
Angel is the only magician to have won the Merlin Magician of the Year award twice: in 2001 and 2004. He holds the world records for longest time submerged underwater (24 hours), the longest body suspension (5 hours, 42 minutes), fastest time to perform the "Metamorphosis" illusion (under a second) and the fastest straight-jacket escape (2 minutes & 30 seconds). One of his favorite musicians is Korn and he is now a personal friend of Jonathan Davis, who has appeared on his television series.- Director
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Liz Friedlander was born on 9 December 1970 in New York, New York, USA. She is a director and producer, known for Conviction (2016), Take the Lead (2006) and Revolution (2012).- Writer
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As a child Williamson was a fond fan of movies, especially those of Steven Spielberg. After high school, Williamson went to college for a future in acting. Though he landed very small parts on T.V. shows and movies, nothing had happened. Williamson moved out to L.A in 1990 in hopes it would aid his career, but nothing had come up. While in L.A. he took up a class at UCLA on screenwriting. There he wrote his first script, "Teaching Ms. Tingle" (titled at this time Killing Ms. Tingle). After the movie was complete, Williamson ended up on the streets again looking for work. One night, while house-sitting for a friend, Williamson watched a special on the Gainesville Ripper. This gave birth to what would soon be Scream. After this, he went out to Palm Springs for three days and wrote the script. After the grueling few months of production hell, Scream was released to the public on December 20th, 1996. This spiraled four sequels and a new chapter in horror film history forever.- Director
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Isabelle Link-Levy is known for Cam (2018), Swiss Army Man (2016) and Sleeping with Other People (2015).- Producer
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Director Chris Renaud has established himself as a heavyweight in the world of animation following the phenomenal box office success of recent movies Despicable Me (2010), Dr. Seuss' The Lorax (2012) and Despicable Me 2 (2013). Along with Pierre Coffin and Eric Guillon, he also co-created the iconic Minion characters featured in the Despicable Me films and the global smash Minions (2015). Most recently, he directed 'The Secret Life of Pets' which debuted to $104M, breaking the weekend opening record for an original animated film.
Renaud comes from the world of comic books, and worked at Marvel and DC Comics from 1994 to 2000. After a stint as a animation production designer at Shadow Projects and Big Big Productions, Renaud moved to Blue Sky Studios/20th Century Fox Animation. While there, he worked as a story artist on projects like Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who! (2008) and Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (2009).
Renaud took some of the skills he was learning at Blue Sky and conceived, wrote and storyboarded the animated short No Time for Nuts (2006), which featured the popular Ice Age character Scrat. It wound up scoring an Academy Award nomination for Best Short Film, Animated, and won Renaud an Annie Award for Best Animated Short Subject.
In 2007, producer Christopher Meledandri left his post as head of 20th Century Fox animation and founded Illumination Entertainment, and soon after brought Renaud on board to direct that company's first project. Despicable Me (2010), which Renaud directed with Pierre Coffin, went on to become one of the highest-grossing movies of 2010 with over $251 million at the domestic box office. Renaud went on to direct the company's next fully animated projects, Dr. Seuss' The Lorax (2012) and Despicable Me 2 (2013), both of which where sizable hits, making a combined $1.3 billion worldwide. Despicable Me 2 was also nominated for an Academy Award in the Feature Animation category.
Renaud's current project is 'The Secret Life of Pets 2' which is set to be released in the summer of 2019.- Writer
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Brian Lynch is a native of New Jersey. Big Helium Dog (1999) was the first feature film that he wrote and directed and despite not yet getting nationwide distribution, it has received tremendous reviews due to its showings at various festivals. The film is primarily a series of sketches which are tied together by a loose plot, in the same vein as The Kentucky Fried Movie (1977).
Since Big Helium Dog, Lynch has worked on various other projects. He was commissioned to write a Muppet Movie for the Jim Henson Company (which fell through), and has written many other scripts which are in various stages of production. Lynch is also writing a brand new television programme for FOX Television called The Paranormals. He also had cameo roles in Kevin Smith's Chasing Amy (1997) and Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001). Even through all the glitz and glamour of writing for Hollywood studios and big name televsion companies, Lynch's pride and joy remains a little comic strip he drew whilst still in college called Angry Naked Pat, a character who takes pleasure in lambasting celebrites and happens to be completely naked from head to toe. Pat went online in mid 2001 and grew at such a healthy rate that not only is there a series of online cartoons for which a DVD release has just been struck but there is also an Angry Naked Pat Movie at an early stage of development. The cartoon and the movie are being animated and directed by the hand of genius and all-round good guy Bob Cesca of CampChaos.com fame. John Balfe- Producer
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Jessica Seinfeld was born on 12 September 1971 in Oyster Bay, New York, USA. She is a producer and writer, known for The Marriage Ref (2010), Unfrosted (2024) and Daughters (2024). She has been married to Jerry Seinfeld since 25 December 1999. They have three children. She was previously married to Eric Nederlander.- Director
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Brian De Palma is one of the well-known directors who spear-headed the new movement in Hollywood during the 1970s. He is known for his many films that go from violent pictures, to Hitchcock-like thrillers. Born on September 11, 1940, De Palma was born in Newark, New Jersey in an Italian-American family. Originally entering university as a physics student, De Palma became attracted to films after seeing such classics as Citizen Kane (1941). Enrolling in Sarah Lawrence College, he found lasting influences from such varied teachers as Alfred Hitchcock and Andy Warhol.
At first, his films comprised of such black-and-white films as To Bridge This Gap (1969). He then discovered a young actor whose fame would influence Hollywood forever. In 1968, De Palma made the comedic film Greetings (1968) starring Robert De Niro in his first ever credited film role. The two followed up immediately with the films The Wedding Party (1969) and Hi, Mom! (1970).
After making such small-budget thrillers such as Sisters (1972) and Obsession (1976), De Palma was offered the chance to direct a film based on Stephen King's classic novel "Carrie". The story deals with a tormented teenage girl who finds she has the power of telekinesis. The film starred Sissy Spacek, Piper Laurie and John Travolta, and was for De Palma, a chance to try out the split screen technique for which he would later become famous.
Carrie (1976) was a massive success, and earned the two lead females (Laurie and Spacek) Oscar nominations. The film was praised by most critics, and De Palma's reputation was now permanently secured. He followed up this success with the horror film The Fury (1978), the comedic film Home Movies (1979) (both these films featured Kirk Douglas), the crime thriller Dressed to Kill (1980) starring Michael Caine and Angie Dickinson, and another crime thriller entitled Blow Out (1981) starring John Travolta.
His next major success was the controversial, ultra-violent film Scarface (1983). Written by Oliver Stone and starring Al Pacino, the film concerned Cuban immigrant Tony Montana's rise to power in the United States through the drug trade. While being a critical failure, the film was a major success commercially.
Moving on from Scarface (1983), De Palma made two more movies before landing another one of his now-classics: The Untouchables (1987), starring old friend Robert De Niro in the role of Chicago gangster Al Capone. Also starring in the film were Kevin Costner as the man who commits himself to bring Capone down, and Sean Connery, an old policeman who helps Costner's character to form a group known as the Untouchables. The film was one of De Palma's most successful films, earning Connery an Oscar, and gave Ennio Morricone a nomination for Best Score.
After The Untouchables (1987), De Palma made the Vietnam film Casualties of War (1989) starring Michael J. Fox and Sean Penn. The film focuses on a new soldier who is helpless to stop his dominating sergeant from kidnapping a Vietnamese girl with the help of the coerced members of the platoon. The film did reasonably well at the box office, but it was his next film that truly displayed the way he could make a hit and a disaster within a short time. The Bonfire of the Vanities (1990) starred a number of well-known actors such as Bruce Willis and Morgan Freeman, however it was still a commercial flop and earned him two Razzie nominations.
But the roller coaster success that De Palma had gotten so far did not let him down. He made the horror film Raising Cain (1992), and the criminal drama Carlito's Way (1993) starring Al Pacino and Sean Penn. The latter film is about a former criminal just released from prison that is trying to avoid his past and move on. It was in the year 1996 that brought one of his most well-known movies. This was the suspense-filled Mission: Impossible (1996) starring Tom Cruise and Jon Voight.
Following up this film was the interesting but unsuccessful film Snake Eyes (1998) starring Nicolas Cage as a detective who finds himself in the middle of a murder scene at a boxing ring. De Palma continued on with the visually astounding but equally unsuccessful film Mission to Mars (2000) which earned him another Razzie nomination. He met failure again with the crime thriller Femme Fatale (2002), the murder conspiracy The Black Dahlia (2006), and the controversial film Redacted (2007) which deals with individual stories from the war in Iraq.
Brian De Palma may be down for the moment, but if his box office history has taught us anything, it is that he always returns with a major success that is remembered for years and years afterwards.- Director
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Casey Neistat was born on 25 March 1981 in New London, Connecticut, USA. He is a director and editor, known for Casey Neistat Vlog (2015), Project Power (2020) and Under the Influence (2022). He has been married to Candice Pool since 29 December 2013. They have three children.- Producer
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Peter Farrelly was born on 17 December 1956 in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, USA. He is a producer and writer, known for Green Book (2018), There's Something About Mary (1998) and Dumb and Dumber (1994). He has been married to Melinda Farrelly since 31 December 1996. They have two children.- Writer
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- Kaylaera Miller is known for North Troy Roughcut (2010).
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Stephen Edwin King was born on September 21, 1947, at the Maine General Hospital in Portland. His parents were Nellie Ruth (Pillsbury), who worked as a caregiver at a mental institute, and Donald Edwin King, a merchant seaman. His father was born under the surname "Pollock," but used the last name "King," under which Stephen was born. He has an older brother, David. The Kings were a typical family until one night, when Donald said he was stepping out for cigarettes and was never heard from again. Ruth took over raising the family with help from relatives. They traveled throughout many states over several years, finally moving back to Durham, Maine, in 1958.
Stephen began his actual writing career in January of 1959, when David and Stephen decided to publish their own local newspaper named "Dave's Rag". David bought a mimeograph machine, and they put together a paper they sold for five cents an issue. Stephen attended Lisbon High School, in Lisbon, in 1962. Collaborating with his best friend Chris Chesley in 1963, they published a collection of 18 short stories called "People, Places, and Things--Volume I". King's stories included "Hotel at the End of the Road", "I've Got to Get Away!", "The Dimension Warp", "The Thing at the Bottom of the Well", "The Stranger", "I'm Falling", "The Cursed Expedition", and "The Other Side of the Fog." A year later, King's amateur press, Triad and Gaslight Books, published a two-part book titled "The Star Invaders".
King made his first actual published appearance in 1965 in the magazine Comics Review with his story "I Was a Teenage Grave Robber." The story ran about 6,000 words in length. In 1966 he graduated from high school and took a scholarship to attend the University of Maine. Looking back on his high school days, King recalled that "my high school career was totally undistinguished. I was not at the top of my class, nor at the bottom." Later that summer King began working on a novel called "Getting It On", about some kids who take over a classroom and try unsuccessfully to ward off the National Guard. During his first year at college, King completed his first full-length novel, "The Long Walk." He submitted the novel to Bennett Cerf/Random House only to have it rejected. King took the rejection badly and filed the book away.
He made his first small sale--$35--with the story "The Glass Floor". In June 1970 King graduated from the University of Maine with a Bachelor of Science degree in English and a certificate to teach high school. King's next idea came from the poem by Robert Browning, "Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came." He found bright colored green paper in the library and began work on "The Dark Tower" saga, but his chronic shortage of money meant that he was unable to further pursue the novel, and it, too, was filed away. King took a job at a filling station pumping gas for the princely sum of $1.25 an hour. Soon he began to earn money for his writings by submitting his short stories to men's magazines such as Cavalier.
On January 2, 1971, he married Tabitha King (born Tabitha Jane Spruce). In the fall of 1971 King took a teaching job at Hampden Academy, earning $6,400 a year. The Kings then moved to Hermon, a town west of Bangor. Stephen then began work on a short story about a teenage girl named Carietta White. After completing a few pages, he decided it was not a worthy story and crumpled the pages up and tossed them into the trash. Fortunately, Tabitha took the pages out and read them. She encouraged her husband to continue the story, which he did. In January 1973 he submitted "Carrie" to Doubleday. In March Doubleday bought the book. On May 12 the publisher sold the paperback rights for the novel to New American Library for $400,000. His contract called for his getting half of that sum, and he quit his teaching job to pursue writing full time. The rest, as they say, is history.
Since then King has had numerous short stories and novels published and movies made from his work. He has been called the "Master of Horror". His books have been translated into 33 different languages, published in over 35 different countries. There are over 300 million copies of his novels in publication. He continues to live in Bangor, Maine, with his wife, and writes out of his home.
In June 1999 King was severely injured in an accident, he was walking alongside a highway and was hit by a van, that left him in critical condition with injuries to his lung, broken ribs, a broken leg and a severely fractured hip. After three weeks of operations, he was released from the Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston.- Writer
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- An LA native, Michelle Alexandria, began her career working in finance with high-net-worth individuals and major banks. After many years as a finance manager for Jaguar cars, she pursued acting and began studying at the prestigious Beverly Hills Playhouse where she remained for several years. She lived between LA and Paris studying at the Sorbonne University and continued studying acting with Luc Besson's casting director, Nathalie Cheron. Within time on film sets she naturally gravitated towards the business side of the film industry working in production and distribution. Since she started in Hollywood with financial success producing small theater and short French films Michelle was already being sought-after to produce feature films.
Since 2002 Michelle has been a regular attendee at the major film festivals and markets including the Cannes Film Festival, AFM, Berlin, Buenos Aires, UniFrance, Sundance, and more working in distribution, production development, and acquisitions for established film sales distributors. She continues to represent film investors, working with them to obtain strong content according to the current market. Her knowledge and experience in production and distribution has made her an invaluable asset in the entertainment industry.
Michelle's producing credits include family film First Dog starring Eric Roberts, and Priscilla Barnes successfully remaining #1 on Redbox for several weeks; comedy feature film, The Extendables starring Mark Dacascos, Kevin Sorbo, and Martin Kove. She also produced films in France including her romantic comedy Coup De Foudre à Saint Germain Des Pres (English title: "Love At First Site in Paris) which screened in Cannes then picked up immediate distribution; additionally she produced comedy feature Mon Pere S'Appelle Bernard starring veteran French actor Bernard Menez. More recently her film A Life Lived with Denise Richards and Jennifer Taylor of Two and a Half Men received great festival recognition. Although she is not a fan of the horror genre she still had success in producing #Screamers which reached #1, on iTunes Horror; and also thriller Trauma Therapy (2019) staring Chase Coleman and Brian Krause. - Producer
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Hank Green was born on 5 May 1980 in Birmingham, Alabama, USA. He is a producer and writer, known for Vlogbrothers (2007), SciShow (2012) and mental_floss: The Big Question (2014).- Director
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Otto Bathurst was born in June 1971 in Hammersmith, London, England, UK. He is a director and producer, known for Robin Hood (2018), Peaky Blinders (2013) and Black Mirror (2011).- Ben Chandler is known for Robin Hood (2018).
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David James Kelly is known for Untitled Ulysses S. Grant Project, Robin Hood (2018) and The Deep Blue Good-By.- Director
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Richard Price was born on 12 October 1949 in The Bronx, New York, USA. He is a writer and producer, known for Sea of Love (1989), Ransom (1996) and The Color of Money (1986). He was previously married to Judith Hudson.- Producer
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Toby Haynes is working on the as yet un-named Star Wars: Cassian Andor series for Disney+. In 2020, he was nominated by BAFTA for his work on Brexit: The Uncivil War for both Best Director and Best Single Film. Brexit written by James Graham and starring Benedict Cumberbatch was also nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Television Movie in 2019.
In 2019, Toby's Black Mirror episode USS Callister received seven Emmy nominations and went on to win four, including Outstanding Television Movie. He also won a Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation (Short Form) for his work on the acclaimed Doctor Who season five finale, The Pandorica Opens/The Big Bang.
Toby directed and exec produced all seven episodes of Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell for Cuba Pictures and BBC ONE. This project received four BAFTA nominations and went on to win two.
Toby's audacious finale to series 2 of Sherlock: The Reichenbach Fall ignited a media frenzy around Sherlock's apparent death plunge. Andrew Scott went on to win a best supporting actor BAFTA for his work in the episode. In his review of the episode Andrew Billen of The Times wrote, "This detective story so transcended its genre, it should be considered alongside British TV drama's highest achievements."
Toby has opened a number of hit series for the BBC including The Musketeers starring Peter Capaldi, Tom Burke and Denise Gough; Being Human - winner of the Broadcast Award for Best New Programme, starring Aidan Turner, Leonora Crichlow and Russell Tovey; and the acclaimed series three finale of Wallander: An Event in Autumn, starring Kenneth Branagh.- Writer
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Susanna Fogel was born on 8 October 1980 in Providence, Rhode Island, USA. She is a writer and producer, known for Booksmart (2019), The Spy Who Dumped Me (2018) and The Flight Attendant (2020).- Director
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Courtney Hunt was born in 1964 in Memphis, Tennessee, USA. She is a director and writer, known for Frozen River (2008), The Whole Truth (2016) and Utopia (2020).- Director
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Axelle Carolyn started out as a freelance reporter for some of the world's most prestigious film magazines and websites. Her non-fiction writing career culminated with the 2009 publication of her book 'Horror Movies In The New Millennium'. After a brief stint in front of the camera (most notably in CENTURION for Pathe), she directed her first short films in 2011: THE LAST POST and THE HALLOWEEN KID- both of which gained awards and acclaim in festivals worldwide -, and HOOKED, which premiered on FearNet. Her first feature, British ghost story SOULMATE, came out in the US and UK in 2014. It toured festivals around the world and won, amongst others, a Best Director accolade at Rome's FantaFestival. In 2015 she created, co-produced and co-directed horror anthology TALES OF HALLOWEEN, which also featured directors such as Lucky McKee and Neil Marshall. It is certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes and won a Rondo Award, as well as a prestigious 2017 Saturn Award. It also prompted Fandango to list her as one of their new directors to look out for, and Tribeca Film to declare she 'holds the key to indie horror's future.- Director
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Mike Flanagan is a prolific writer, director, and editor. He entered into an exclusive overall deal with Amazon Studios in 2023 for television projects (after a similar exclusive deal with Netflix from 2018-2022), and has made feature films for Warner Bros., Universal Pictures, Netflix and more. Flanagan is best known for his work in horror films and television series, which has attracted the praise of critics for his focus on character and lack of reliance on jump scares. Stephen King, Quentin Tarantino, and William Friedkin, among others, have praised him.
Flanagan was born in Salem, Massachusetts to Timothy and Laura Flanagan. The family relocated frequently, as Timothy was in the U.S. Coast Guard, and finally settled in Bowie, Maryland. As a child, he would shoot and edit short movies on VHS. This continued as he attended Archbishop Spalding High School in Severn, Maryland, where he was active in the theatre department and the president of the Student Government Association. A graduate of Towson University's Electronic Media and Film department, Mike moved to Los Angeles in 2003 and began working as an editor of sketch comedy shows, reality television, documentary programming and commercials before his Kickstarter-funded breakout feature Absentia (2011) launched his filmmaking career.
Flanagan's films, all of which he directed, wrote, and edited, include Oculus (2013), Hush (2016), Before I Wake (2016), Ouija: Origin of Evil (2016), Gerald's Game (2017), Doctor Sleep (2019), and The Life of Chuck (2024). He also created, directed, and served as showrunner on the series The Haunting of Hill House (2018), The Haunting of Bly Manor (2020), Midnight Mass (2021), the teen horror series The Midnight Club (2022) and The Fall of the House of Usher (2023).
Flanagan has been nominated for dozens of awards for writing, directing and editing, and was presented with the Visionary Award by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films in 2022. He is an active member of the Producers Guild of America, Directors Guild of America, Writers Guild of America West, Motion Picture Editors Guild, and Screen Actors Guild.
Flanagan lives in Los Angeles with his wife, actress Kate Siegel, whom he married in 2016. They have a son and a daughter together, as well as a son from Flanagan's previous relationship with Absentia actress Courtney Bell. He has been sober since 2018, and frequently uses his work to explore themes of addiction, recovery, and empathy.- Producer
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Ben Howling is known for Cargo (2017) and Cargo (2013).- Producer
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E.L. Katz got his start in the industry working as a horror/music journalist for While You Were Sleeping, Fangoria, Creature-Corner, and Life Sucks Die.
After graduating Full Sail Film School in Orlando, he collaborated with acclaimed director Adam Wingard on several features as a screenwriter/producer, including "Home Sick", which was cited by Fangoria Magazine as being "A gorefest that does what so many recent low budget shockers only claim to do.", and "Pop Skull", a psychological ghost story which garnered great reviews from Variety, Twitch, and Bloody-Disgusting.
His directorial debut "Cheap Thrills", starring Pat Healy, Sara Paxton, David Koechner, and Ethan Embry, premiered at SXSW where it won the Midnighter Audience award.- Writer
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Rich Blomquist is known for The Daily Show (1996), The Last Man on Earth (2015) and Fresh Off the Boat (2015). He has been married to Kristen Schaal since 14 September 2012. They have one child.- Writer
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Guillermo del Toro was born October 9, 1964 in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. Raised by his Catholic grandmother, del Toro developed an interest in filmmaking in his early teens. Later, he learned about makeup and effects from the legendary Dick Smith (The Exorcist (1973)) and worked on making his own short films. At the age of 21, del Toro executive produced his first feature, Dona Herlinda and Her Son (1985). Del Toro spent almost 10 years as a makeup supervisor, and formed his own company, Necropia in the early 1980s. He also produced and directed Mexican television programs at this time, and taught film.
Del Toro got his first big break when Cronos (1992) won nine Ariel Awards (the Mexican equivalent of the Oscars), then went on to win the International Critics Week Prize at Cannes. Following this success, del Toro made his first Hollywood film, Mimic (1997), starring Mira Sorvino.
Del Toro had some unfortunate experiences working with a demanding Hollywood studio on Mimic (1997), and returned to Mexico to form his own production company, The Tequila Gang.
Next for del Toro, was The Devil's Backbone (2001), a Spanish Civil War ghost story. The film was hailed by critics and audiences alike, and del Toro decided to give Hollywood another try. In 2002, he directed the Wesley Snipes vampire sequel, Blade II (2002).
On a roll, Del Toro followed up Blade II (2002) with another successful comic-book inspired film, Hellboy (2004), starring one of Del Toro's favorite actors, Ron Perlman.
Del Toro is divorced, has a daughter and a son and lives in Los Angeles and Toronto.- Producer
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Bobby Farrelly was born on 17 June 1958 in Cumberland, Rhode Island, USA. He is a producer and director, known for There's Something About Mary (1998), Osmosis Jones (2001) and Me, Myself & Irene (2000). He has been married to Nancy Farrelly since 1990. They have two children.- Director
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Jalmari Helander was born on 21 July 1976 in Helsinki, Finland. He is a director and writer, known for Rare Exports (2010), Sisu (2022) and Big Game (2014).