Todd Livingston is a filmmaker and author.
Biography
Livingston began his career as a comedian in the critically acclaimed quintette (later trio) 'Open Season'. The group toured the U.S. and Canada, headlining clubs and colleges and becoming regulars at L.A's
Comedy Store
The Comedy Store is an American comedy club opened in April 1972. It is located in West Hollywood, California, at 8433 Sunset Boulevard on the Sunset Strip. An associated club is located in La Jolla, San Diego, California.
History
The Comedy ...
, New York's Comic Strip and Improv, where they would often share the stage with
Jerry Seinfeld
Jerome Allen Seinfeld ( ; born April 29, 1954) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and producer. He is best known for playing a Jerry Seinfeld (character), semi-fictionalized version of himself in the sitcom ''Seinfeld'', which he ...
,
Adam Sandler
Adam Richard Sandler (born September 9, 1966) is an American comedian, actor, screenwriter, producer and singer. He was a cast member on ''Saturday Night Live'' from 1990 to 1995, before going on to star in numerous Hollywood films, those of wh ...
and
Chris Rock
Christopher Julius Rock (born February 7, 1965) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and filmmaker. Known for his work in comic film, television and stage, he has received multiple accolades, including three Grammy Awards for best come ...
.
Livingston co-wrote and produced the group's novelty song "The Shakespeare Rap," which became a top 10 hit on the
Dr. Demento
Barret Eugene Hansen (born April 2, 1941), known professionally as Dr. Demento, is an American radio broadcaster and record collector specializing in novelty songs, comedy, and strange or unusual recordings dating from the early days of phonograp ...
radio show, and became the group's signature bit.
During the slim non-touring time, Todd took gigs acting for network TV and movies, including ''
Unsolved Mysteries
''Unsolved Mysteries'' is an American mystery documentary television show, created by John Cosgrove and Terry Dunn Meurer. Documenting cold cases and paranormal phenomena, it began as a series of seven specials, presented by Raymond Burr, Karl ...
'' and
Umberto Lenzi
Umberto Lenzi (6 August 1931 – 19 October 2017) was an Italian film director, screenwriter, and novelist.
A fan of film since young age, Lenzi studied at the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia and made his first film in 1958 which went unr ...
’s cult horror favorite ''Hitcher in the Dark''.
Livingston co-wrote & produced and directed the supernatural comedy film ''So, You've Downloaded a Demon'' at Accidental Films and the
graphic novel
A graphic novel is a long-form, fictional work of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comic scholars and industry ...
s, mainly published by
Image Comics
Image Comics is an American comic book publisher and is the third largest comic book and graphic novel publisher in the industry in both unit and market share. It was founded in 1992 by several high-profile illustrators as a venue for creator-ow ...
: ''America jr.'', ''
The Black Forest'' and ''
The Wicked West'', as well as ''The Living and The Dead'', ''Chopper Zombie'' and the mini-series ''
The Odd Squad''. From 2006 to 2010, he served on the advisory Board and nominating committee for the
Spike TV Scream Awards.
In 2007, Livingston was the model for Professor X for the Marvel comic boo
X-MEN Origins: Jean Greypainted photo-realistically by artist Mike Mayhew. Actress
Ashley Benson
Ashley Victoria Benson (born December 18, 1989) is an American actress, model, and singer. She is known for her role as Hanna Marin in the teen mystery-drama series ''Pretty Little Liars'' (2010–2017). Benson has starred in films, including ' ...
was the model for Jean Grey as a teen.
Since 2017, Livingston has been writing
Rocky & Bullwinkle
''The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends'' (commonly referred to as simply ''Rocky and Bullwinkle'') is an American animated television series that originally aired from November 19, 1959, to June 27, 1964, on the ABC and NBC te ...
comics published by
American Mythology Productions
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
.
Awards
''
The Black Forest'' won the Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards for Best Horror Comic of 2004, and in 2005 ''The Black Forest 2'' won the award again.
[Kong Stomps Competition in 4th Rondo Awards]
: Great ape takes 7 awards; Lorre bio is best book; Busam is Monster Kid of Year," Rondo Awards press release (Feb. 19, 2006).
In February 2021 Livingston's comic ''Starring Sonya Devereaux'' was voted Best Comic of 2020 by a poll on pop culture site Critical Blast. The book's illustrators, Brendon and Brian Fraim, were voted Best Artists, and Livingston and co-writer Nick Capetanakis were voted Best Comic Writers. It is only the second time in history of the awards that a book and its team have swept all three categories.
Sources:
http://criticalblast.com/articles/2021/02/04/horror-and-action-give-way-comedy-readers-select-best-comics-writers-2020-todd
http://criticalblast.com/articles/2021/02/03/sonya-devereaux-americas-306th-best-actress-comes-first-best-comic-2020
Publications
*The Black Forest (27 April 2004, co-authored with Robert Tinnell)
*The Wicked West Volume 1 (2 November 2004, co-authored with Robert Tinnell)
*The Black Forest Book 2: The Castle of Shadows (4 October 2005, co-authored with Robert Tinnell)
*The Living and the Dead (30 November 2005, co-authored with Robert Tinnell)
*The Wicked West Volume 2: Abomination & Other Tales'' (31 October 2006, co-authored with Robert Tinnell)
*The ODD Squad (2008)
*Sheena, Queen of the Jungle: Dark Rising (2007, co-authored with Steven de Souza)
*America Jr. Volume 1 (7 August 2007, co-authored with Nick Capetanakis)
*Chopper Zombie (12 August 2008)
*Starring Sonya Devereaux (10 August 2016 – present)
*Rocky & Bullwinkle Adventures (2017)
*Rocky & Bullwinkle: As Seen on TV (26 June 2019 – present)
Notes
References
*
*
External links
Accidental Films*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Livingston, Todd
American comics writers
American film directors
Living people
Year of birth missing (living people)