Vivek J. Tiwary (born May 15, 1973) is an American author and theater producer.

Early life

Vivek J. Tiwary was born in New York City to immigrant parents from India. He graduated from New York's Collegiate School high school and, in 1996, from the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...

, ''

magna cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some So ...

'', with undergraduate degrees from both the

Wharton School of Business The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania ( ; also known as Wharton Business School, the Wharton School, Penn Wharton, and Wharton) is the business school of the University of Pennsylvania, a private Ivy League research university in ...

and the

College of Arts and Sciences A College of Arts and Sciences or School of Arts and Sciences is most commonly an individual institution or a unit within a university that focuses on instruction of the liberal arts and pure sciences, although they frequently include programs and ...

Career

Early on in his career, Tiwary held several major label music-industry positions, including launching and heading the Alternative Marketing Department at Mercury/PolyGram Records, and managing Video Promotion for Mercury/PolyGram, where he worked closely with

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

and

VH1 VH1 (originally an initialism of Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network based in New York City and owned by Paramount Global. It was created by Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment, at the time a division of Warner Commun ...

. In 2004, Tiwary was a lead producer for a Broadway revival of Lorraine Hansberry's '' A Raisin in the Sun''. In 2010, Tiwary was a co-producer for both the Broadway productions of

Green Day Green Day is an American rock band formed in the East Bay of California in 1987 by lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, together with bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt. For most of the band's career, they have been a powe ...

's rock opera, '' American Idiot'' and '' The Addams Family''. In total, Tiwary's Broadway productions have garnered a total of 25 Tony Awards stemming from 44 Tony nominations. Tiwary produced a stage musical of ''

Jagged Little Pill ''Jagged Little Pill'' is the third studio album by Canadian singer Alanis Morissette, released on June 13, 1995, through Maverick. It was her first album to be released worldwide. It marked a stylistic departure from the dance-pop sound of her ...

'', inspired by

Alanis Morissette Alanis Nadine Morissette ( ; born June 1, 1974) is a Canadian-American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her emotive mezzo-soprano voice and confessional songwriting, Morissette began her career in Canada in the early 1990s with tw ...

’s groundbreaking album of the same name, with a new story by Academy Award-winner Diablo Cody, and directed by Tony Award-winner

Diane Paulus Diane Marie Paulus (born 1966) is an American theater and opera director who is currently the Terrie and Bradley Bloom Artistic Director of the American Repertory Theater at Harvard University.Colleen Walsh"Paulus reaches beyond boards" ''Harvar ...

. The musical played a record-breaking, sold-out world premiere at American Repertory Theater in Boston from May 5 – July 15, 2018. It opened on Broadway on December 5, 2019. The show ran for 171 performances, closing on December 17th, 2021 amid the

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

pandemic. On September 26, 2015, Tiwary hosted the Harvey Awards. Tiwary is also a pioneering producer in the world of site-specific, tech-based, and immersive theatre. He consulted on the creation and development of The Walking Dead Escape and The Walking Dead Experience. He served on the Board of Directors for New York’s seminal GAle GAtes—considered to be the founders of immersive theatre. He also produced experiential shows and installations for boundary-pushing companies such as The Wooster Group, Fischerspooner, and the São Paulo Art Biennial. Among many charitable pursuits, Tiwary is the Co-Founder o
Musicians On Call
a nonprofit organization that uses music and entertainment to complement the healing process.

The Fifth Beatle

Tiwary's

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 ...

'' The Fifth Beatle'' was released in November 2013 and spent several weeks on ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' best-seller list, reaching #1 in its third week of release. In June 2014, ''The Fifth Beatle'' was nominated for a True Believers Comics Award for "Favourite 2013 Original Graphic Novel". ''The Fifth Beatle'' was announced as an INDIEFAB 2013 GOLD Winner for Graphic Novels & Comics. On July 25, 2014, ''The Fifth Beatle'' received the

Eisner Award The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, commonly shortened to the Eisner Awards, are prizes given for creative achievement in American comic books, sometimes referred to as the comics industry's equivalent of the Academy Awards. They are named in ...

for Best Reality-Based work. On September 6, 2014, at

Baltimore Comic-Con Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was ...

, ''The Fifth Beatle'' won two Harvey Awards for "Best Graphic Album - Original" and "Best Biographical, Historical, or Journalistic Presentation". A

paperback A paperback (softcover, softback) book is one with a thick paper or paperboard cover, and often held together with adhesive, glue rather than stitch (textile arts), stitches or Staple (fastener), staples. In contrast, hardcover (hardback) book ...

edition was released in October 2016. Tiwary is attached to write and produce a television mini-series based on ''The Fifth Beatle''. Sonar Entertainment has optioned the rights to ''The Fifth Beatle'' for development as a multi-part television event series. Tiwary will pen the series adaptation and serve as executive producer. The project has also acquired rights to Beatles songs from

Sony , commonly stylized as SONY, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. As a major technology company, it operates as one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer and professional ...

TEG+

On February 23, 2022, Tiwary closed an equity investment to launch TEG+, expanding on his award-winning work at Tiwary Entertainment Group. With the addition of former Netflix and Donners’ Company exec, Jack Leslie, as co-president and Head of Film + Television, TEG+ is primed to impact film and television immediately. TEG+ focuses entirely on working with high-profile original music, premier established music catalogs, A-list musicians, and composers — creating narrative entertainment for all forms of media and technology (stage, film, TV, NFTs, etc.). TEG+’s first venture into TV and film is the previously announced limited TV series '' The Fifth Beatle: The Brian Epstein Story''. The Fifth Beatle is the only project about Brian Epstein with

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

music/song rights in place and is the first non-documentary bio project about the Beatles to have secured access to their music/songs. The Fifth Beatle is part of a slate of ten new projects revolving around high-profile music, the rest of which will be announced in the coming months. TEG+ named Elie Landau as Chief Operating Officer on March 11, 2022. TEG+ announced its next project on March 11, 2022. Acquiring the stage rights to the beloved children's book Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson with plans to adapt it into a Broadway production, the musical will feature new and original songs composed by pop group

AJR AJR may refer to: * AJR (motorcycle), Scotland * AJR (band), a pop band from New York City, United States *Abdominojugular test, to measure venous pressure * Academy for Jewish Religion (New York) * ''American Journal of Roentgenology'' * ''Americ ...

’s Jack and Ryan Met. TEG+ is still in the process of securing a book writer for the Broadway adaptation.

Personal life

Tiwary lives in New York with his wife, author, researcher, professor of psychology and neuroscience, Dr. Tracy Dennis-Tiwary, and their two children

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tiwary, Vivek Living people Writers from New York City Broadway theatre producers 1973 births Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania alumni Collegiate School (New York) alumni American graphic novelists American television producers American male writers of Indian descent American male artists of Indian descent University of Pennsylvania School of Arts and Sciences alumni Grammy Award winners