Tod Swindell
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
- Writer
- Producer
About Tod Swindell...
Tod Evan Swindell was born in Yonkers, New York and grew up in southern California and Bucks County, Pennsylvania. A Cinema Arts graduate of the University of Arizona where he was a Dean's Honor List student, he is a veteran of the film industry who is special for evaluating Intellectual Properties that potential film story research & development. He is also a part-time journalist with published articles on Pop-Culture, Baseball, and the Golden Age of Aviation.
Tod's film career began with Touchstone's 'Can't Buy Me Love' and Universal Television's 'Desperado' western mini-series for NBC, a Walter Mirisch property. He traveled the country making television movies with Desperado Films Inc. while it was under contract with Universal in the 1980s and 1990s, serving a term as Desperado Films' company president. He was the co-creator and original R & D head of the 1992-93 CBS Television series, 'Miracles and Other Wonders' presented by Paul Klein (PKO) and Sun International's Charles Sellier. His producer credits include 'The Woman in the Moon' 'The Legend of the Phantom Rider' 'Ghost Rock' 'Spin' and 'The Secret Agent Dingledorf.' His other major film production credits include 'Geronimo' 'Major League' 'Six Days and Seven Nights' 'Tin Cup' 'Posse' and 'Perdita Durango,' and his past TV series credits include 'The Young Riders' 'Legend' 'The Game' and 'The Magnificent Seven' to go along with numerous commercials and music videos.
A long term project of Tod's is a deeply researched documentary that examines different theories about Amelia Earhart's 1937 disappearance. Amelia Earhart was technically the victim of an unsolved 'missing person' case, that dovetailed into a famous mystery that endlessly pondered her true fate. His revisionist film carefully examines the known facts of Amelia's disappearance and displays the startling results of a 21st century forensic research analysis-that has nothing to do with locating Amelia's plane or long-ago discarded bones found in the 1940s on a remote Pacific Island. Tod has been quoted to say, "If there was ever a JFK-like Amelia Earhart story, I have it." He is also the first to remind people that worldwide, Amelia Earhart was the most influential woman of the 20th century, a reality overshadowed today by the mystery of her disappearance.
Otherwise, Tod co-owns and manages the Grizzly Adams trademarked brand with his wife, Julie Magnuson Swindell. [See GrizzlyAdams.com] The brand is a business partner of the Vital Ground Foundation, a non-profit land trust based in Missoula, Montana. Vital Ground is a Pacific Northwest organization that works to reconnect severed habitat areas of umbrella species wildlife such as grizzly bears, elk, and wolves. It also helps to educate the public on how to coexist with umbrella species wildlife, with a portion of Grizzly Adams' licensing proceeds going directly to Vital Ground. Other current Grizzly Adams brand activities include bringing it back to the screen.
A former shortstop in high school and college, Tod is an avid book collector who enjoys his artist hobbies of charcoal and pencil drawing, photography, and composing music for piano and guitar. His parents, both UCLA graduates, were Cinema Scholar and Screen Star biographer, the late Larry Swindell, a long time Arts and Literary editor for the Philadelphia Inquirer and later for the Fort Worth Star Telegram. Born in Texas, Larry was inducted into the Texas Literary Hall of Fame in the same class as former First lady Laura Bush. Tod's mother was a former musical theater actress, the late Ellie Eby Swindell, who was credited by her friend, Carol Burnett, for helping to kick-start Carol's legendary career when Ellie endorsed her into New York City's famous Rehearsal Club, from where both began their Equity Theater careers. Tod is also the grandson of Hollywood's 1950s' Lux Video Theater Director & Executive Producer, the late Earl Eby, who once partnered with actor-comedian, Danny Thomas.
Tod and Julie, both die hard Dodgers fans, split time between their home in the Pacific northwest and southern California.
Tod Evan Swindell was born in Yonkers, New York and grew up in southern California and Bucks County, Pennsylvania. A Cinema Arts graduate of the University of Arizona where he was a Dean's Honor List student, he is a veteran of the film industry who is special for evaluating Intellectual Properties that potential film story research & development. He is also a part-time journalist with published articles on Pop-Culture, Baseball, and the Golden Age of Aviation.
Tod's film career began with Touchstone's 'Can't Buy Me Love' and Universal Television's 'Desperado' western mini-series for NBC, a Walter Mirisch property. He traveled the country making television movies with Desperado Films Inc. while it was under contract with Universal in the 1980s and 1990s, serving a term as Desperado Films' company president. He was the co-creator and original R & D head of the 1992-93 CBS Television series, 'Miracles and Other Wonders' presented by Paul Klein (PKO) and Sun International's Charles Sellier. His producer credits include 'The Woman in the Moon' 'The Legend of the Phantom Rider' 'Ghost Rock' 'Spin' and 'The Secret Agent Dingledorf.' His other major film production credits include 'Geronimo' 'Major League' 'Six Days and Seven Nights' 'Tin Cup' 'Posse' and 'Perdita Durango,' and his past TV series credits include 'The Young Riders' 'Legend' 'The Game' and 'The Magnificent Seven' to go along with numerous commercials and music videos.
A long term project of Tod's is a deeply researched documentary that examines different theories about Amelia Earhart's 1937 disappearance. Amelia Earhart was technically the victim of an unsolved 'missing person' case, that dovetailed into a famous mystery that endlessly pondered her true fate. His revisionist film carefully examines the known facts of Amelia's disappearance and displays the startling results of a 21st century forensic research analysis-that has nothing to do with locating Amelia's plane or long-ago discarded bones found in the 1940s on a remote Pacific Island. Tod has been quoted to say, "If there was ever a JFK-like Amelia Earhart story, I have it." He is also the first to remind people that worldwide, Amelia Earhart was the most influential woman of the 20th century, a reality overshadowed today by the mystery of her disappearance.
Otherwise, Tod co-owns and manages the Grizzly Adams trademarked brand with his wife, Julie Magnuson Swindell. [See GrizzlyAdams.com] The brand is a business partner of the Vital Ground Foundation, a non-profit land trust based in Missoula, Montana. Vital Ground is a Pacific Northwest organization that works to reconnect severed habitat areas of umbrella species wildlife such as grizzly bears, elk, and wolves. It also helps to educate the public on how to coexist with umbrella species wildlife, with a portion of Grizzly Adams' licensing proceeds going directly to Vital Ground. Other current Grizzly Adams brand activities include bringing it back to the screen.
A former shortstop in high school and college, Tod is an avid book collector who enjoys his artist hobbies of charcoal and pencil drawing, photography, and composing music for piano and guitar. His parents, both UCLA graduates, were Cinema Scholar and Screen Star biographer, the late Larry Swindell, a long time Arts and Literary editor for the Philadelphia Inquirer and later for the Fort Worth Star Telegram. Born in Texas, Larry was inducted into the Texas Literary Hall of Fame in the same class as former First lady Laura Bush. Tod's mother was a former musical theater actress, the late Ellie Eby Swindell, who was credited by her friend, Carol Burnett, for helping to kick-start Carol's legendary career when Ellie endorsed her into New York City's famous Rehearsal Club, from where both began their Equity Theater careers. Tod is also the grandson of Hollywood's 1950s' Lux Video Theater Director & Executive Producer, the late Earl Eby, who once partnered with actor-comedian, Danny Thomas.
Tod and Julie, both die hard Dodgers fans, split time between their home in the Pacific northwest and southern California.