Mitchell Kriegman (born June 4, 1952) is an American television writer, director, producer, consultant, story editor, author, composer and actor. He is the creator of ''

Clarissa Explains It All ''Clarissa Explains It All'' is an American teen sitcom created by Mitchell Kriegman for Nickelodeon. In the series, Clarissa Darling ( Melissa Joan Hart), is a teenager who addresses the audience directly to explain the things that are happenin ...

'' (1991) for

Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its networks division's Kids and Family Group. It ...

, ''

Bear in the Big Blue House ''Bear in the Big Blue House'' is an American children's television series created by Mitchell Kriegman and produced by Jim Henson Television for Disney Channel's Playhouse Disney preschool television block. Debuting on October 20, 1997, it aire ...

'' (1997) and ''

The Book of Pooh ''The Book of Pooh'' is an American children's television series that aired on the Playhouse Disney block on Disney Channel. It is the third television series to feature the characters from the Disney franchise based on A. A. Milne's works; th ...

'' (2001) for

Disney Channel Disney Channel, sometimes known as simply Disney, is an American pay television channel that serves as the flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney General Entertainment Content division of The Walt Disney Comp ...

and ''

It's a Big Big World ''It's a Big Big World'' is an American children's television series that aired on PBS Kids from January 2, 2006, to January 8, 2010. The series was created by Mitchell Kriegman, the creator of the Muppet television series, ''Bear in the Big ...

'' (2006) for PBS. Kriegman holds patents for a method of hybrid animation, known as Shadowmation, which combines high-definition virtual-environments with puppets and

animatronics Animatronics refers to mechatronic puppets. They are a modern variant of the automaton and are often used for the portrayal of characters in films and in theme park attractions. It is a multidisciplinary field integrating puppetry, anatomy ...

, composited and rendered in real time. The production technique was implemented in ''The Book of Pooh'' and ''It's a Big Big World''. Kriegman's first novel was ''Being Audrey Hepburn'' (2014). A second novel, ''Things I Can't Explain'', is a reimagining of the protagonist in the ''Clarissa Explains It All'' television series, in her twenties, published in November 2015.

Career and education

Kriegman attended

Bennington College Bennington College is a private liberal arts college in Bennington, Vermont. Founded in 1932 as a women's college, it became co-educational in 1969. It claims to be the first college to include visual and performing arts as an equal partner in ...

Bennington, Vermont Bennington is a town in Bennington County, Vermont, United States. It is one of two shire towns (county seats) of the county, the other being Manchester. As of the 2020 US Census, the population was 15,333. Bennington is the most populous t ...

, earning a BA in Literature in 1974. He began his career as a writer, video-artist and performance-artist, under the pseudonym Marshall Klugman. ''An Evening of Stories and Tricks You Won’t See Anywhere'', was performed at Dance Theater Workshop in New York City and surrounding venues. His video work of this period includes, ''The Marshall Klugman Show'' (1975) which aired on WNET television. As a short story writer, his work has been published in ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...

'', '' Between C & D'', the ''National Lampoon'', ''Glamour'', George Meyer's '' Army Man magazine'' and ''

Harper’s Bazaar ''Harper's Bazaar'' is an American monthly women's fashion magazine. It was first published in New York City on November 2, 1867, as the weekly ''Harper's Bazar''. ''Harper's Bazaar'' is published by Hearst and considers itself to be the s ...

''. ''The Telephone Stories'' (1979) is Kriegman's series of audio-plays for the telephone, one of the first installations of dial-in art. In addition to being available on a special phone-line, ''The Telephone Stories'' toured museums and galleries around the country, including the High Museum and The Boston Institute of Contemporary Art, after premiering at the

Whitney Museum The Whitney Museum of American Art, known informally as "The Whitney", is an art museum in the Meatpacking District and West Village neighborhoods of Manhattan in New York City. It was founded in 1930 by Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney (1875–194 ...

, as the department's first audio-only offering. Kriegman wrote and acted in ''Operation X'' segments for the PBS Series ''

Alive from Off Center ''Alive from Off Center'', renamed ''Alive TV'' in 1992, was an American arts anthology television series aired by PBS between 1985 and 1996. Each week, the series featured experimental short films by a mixture of up-and-coming and established d ...

'', which have been featured in the

Walker Art Center The Walker Art Center is a multidisciplinary contemporary art center in the Lowry Hill neighborhood of Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. The Walker is one of the most-visited modern and contemporary art museums in the United States and, to ...

and The Paley Center exhibits. During this period Kriegman collaborated with Bart Friedman and Nancy Cain of Videofreex on several pieces including "Turkey Dinner" (1982), a precursor to his full length ''My Neighborhood'', funded by the

American Film Institute The American Film Institute (AFI) is an American nonprofit film organization that educates filmmakers and honors the heritage of the motion picture arts in the United States. AFI is supported by private funding and public membership fees. Lead ...

, which aired on WNET/13, and featured a sad sack Kriegman gleefully greeting everyone in his neighborhood, who all ignore him. Kriegman joined ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves ...

'' in 1980 ( season 6), as a performer, writer and filmmaker. During his time there, he made three films:''The Dancing Man'', ''Heart to Heart'', and ''Someone is Hiding in My Apartment''. He appeared in the sketches "Blame The Kids" and "Virgin Search". He was also a contributor to

Michael O'Donoghue Michael O'Donoghue (January 5, 1940 – November 8, 1994) was an American writer and performer. He was known for his dark and destructive style of comedy and humor, was a major contributor to ''National Lampoon'' magazine, and was the ...

's ''Mr. Mike's Mondo Video'' (1979), which included Kriegman's shorts, "Cleavage" and "This is a Man in a Dog Suit". A third piece, "The Dancing Belly Button", was not televised but was included in the

Anthology Film Archives Anthology Film Archives is an international center for the preservation, study, and exhibition of film and video, with a particular focus on independent, experimental, and avant-garde cinema. After leaving ''Saturday Night Live'' his work turned markedly toward children's and young adult television programming.

Mouseterpiece Theater ''Mouseterpiece Theater'' is an American television show that ran on The Disney Channel that premiered on the channel's launch date on April 18, 1983, and continued with reruns into the 1990s. The show is a spoof of the PBS show ''Masterpiece Thea ...

(1983), hosted by

George Plimpton George Ames Plimpton (March 18, 1927 – September 25, 2003) was an American writer. He is widely known for his sports writing and for helping to found ''The Paris Review'', as well as his patrician demeanor and accent. He was also known for " ...

, was directed by Kriegman and co-written with Robert Cunniff for

The Disney Channel Disney Channel, sometimes known as simply Disney, is an American pay television channel that serves as the flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney General Entertainment Content division of The Walt Disney Com ...

; the show was a spoof on

Masterpiece Theatre ''Masterpiece'' (formerly known as ''Masterpiece Theatre'') is a drama anthology television series produced by WGBH Boston. It premiered on Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) on January 10, 1971. The series has presented numerous acclaimed Briti ...

, but instead of presenting serious works in film, Plimpton would introduce Disney cartoons. Further immersion into writing for children's television programming came from HBO's ''

Encyclopedia An encyclopedia (American English) or encyclopædia (British English) is a reference work or compendium providing summaries of knowledge either general or special to a particular field or discipline. Encyclopedias are divided into articles ...

'' (1988), and ''ALF Tales'' in 1988. Kriegman produced '' The Sweet Life'' (1989), and a sketch-comedy program called '' Higgins Boys and Gruber'' (1989) for

The Comedy Channel The Comedy Channel (promoted on air as comedy) is a defunct Australian subscription television channel available on Foxtel, and Optus Television. The channel ceased broadcasting on 1 September 2020. History A joint venture between Artist Serv ...

. Moving to

, Kriegman became involved in the writing and development of ''Nicktoons'' in 1991, including ''

Doug Doug is a male personal name (or, depending on which definition of "personal name" one uses, part of a personal name). It is sometimes a given name (or "first name"), but more often it is hypocorism (affectionate variation of a personal name) which ...

'', ''

Rugrats ''Rugrats'' is an American animated television series created by Arlene Klasky, Gábor Csupó, and Paul Germain for Nickelodeon. The show focuses on a group of toddlers; most prominently— Tommy, Chuckie, Angelica, and twins Phil and Lil, a ...

'', and ''

The Ren & Stimpy Show ''The Ren & Stimpy Show'' (also known as ''Ren & Stimpy'') is an American animated television series created by Canadian animator John Kricfalusi. Originally produced by Spümcø for Nickelodeon, the series aired from August 11, 1991, to Dece ...

''. Kriegman was nominated for a

Primetime Emmy Award The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...

for ''The Ren & Stimpy Show'' in 1992.''

Rocko's Modern Life ''Rocko's Modern Life'' is an American animated television series created by Joe Murray for Nickelodeon. The series centers on the surreal life of an anthropomorphic Australian immigrant wallaby named Rocko and his friends: the eccentric stee ...

'' was added to the animated programming in 1993. Kriegman was the creator and executive producer of ''

'' starring

Melissa Joan Hart Melissa Joan Hart (born April 18, 1976) is an American actress, producer, and director. She had starring roles as the title characters in the sitcoms '' Clarissa Explains It All'' (1991–1994), ''Sabrina the Teenage Witch'' (1996–2003), and '' ...

. The series ran for four seasons and Kriegman was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award in 1994, for Outstanding Children's Program. CBS commissioned a pilot for a ''Clarissa'' sequel, continuing her story as a young working age adult, but the pilot was not picked up. '' Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree'' (1995), narrated by

Kermit the Frog Kermit the Frog is a Muppet character created and originally performed by Jim Henson. Introduced in 1955, Kermit serves as the everyman protagonist of numerous Muppet productions, most notably ''Sesame Street'' and ''The Muppet Show'', as well ...

, and ''Twisted Puppet Theater'' (1996), had Kriegman writing for puppet characters. Kriegman created the Emmy Award-winning television series, ''

'' (1997), and created and directed, ''

'' (2001), based on the Milne books, both in association with the

. Cast with

bunraku (also known as ) is a form of traditional Japanese puppet theatre, founded in Osaka in the beginning of the 17th century, which is still performed in the modern day. Three kinds of performers take part in a performance: the or (puppeteers ...

puppets, both series employed Kriegman's shadowmation technique. Kriegman also wrote for

Sesame Street ''Sesame Street'' is an American educational children's television series that combines live-action, sketch comedy, animation and puppetry. It is produced by Sesame Workshop (known as the Children's Television Workshop until June 2000 ...

characters in the feature film, ''

The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland ''The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland'' is a 1999 American musical adventure comedy film directed by Gary Halvorson in his feature film debut. This was the second film to be based on the children's television series ''Sesame Street'', after '' ...

'' (1999), co-written with Joey Mazzarino, and produced by

The Jim Henson Company The Jim Henson Company (formerly known as Muppets, Inc., Henson Associates, Inc., and Jim Henson Productions, Inc.; commonly referred to as Henson) is an American entertainment company located in Los Angeles, California. The company is known for ...

. Kriegman is the creator, executive producer and co-director of ''

'' which aired on

PBS Kids PBS Kids is the brand for most of the children's programming aired by the Public Broadcasting Service ( PBS) in the United States. Some public television children's programs are not produced by PBS member stations or transmitted by PBS. Inste ...

from 2006- 2010. As of 2015, Kriegman is a novelist, instructor, and guest-lecturer, living in the Southern California area, and an adjunct professor at the

University College Dublin University College Dublin (commonly referred to as UCD) ( ga, Coláiste na hOllscoile, Baile Átha Cliath) is a public research university in Dublin, Ireland, and a member institution of the National University of Ireland. With 33,284 student ...

. Kriegman has taught webseries development and production and sitcom writing at Stony Brook Southampton, lectures at

University of California, Santa Barbara The University of California, Santa Barbara (UC Santa Barbara or UCSB) is a public land-grant research university in Santa Barbara, California with 23,196 undergraduates and 2,983 graduate students enrolled in 2021–2022. It is part of the U ...

(UCSB). Kriegman's second novel, ''Things I Can't Explain'', based on the central character in ''Clarissa Explains it All'', was published in 2015.

Filmography

Kriegman’s video-art works are in the Castelli-Sonnebend collection, as well as the

Paley Center The Paley Center for Media, formerly the Museum of Television & Radio (MT&R) and the Museum of Broadcasting, founded in 1975 by William S. Paley, is an American cultural institution in New York with a branch office in Los Angeles, dedicated to t ...

Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It plays a major role in developing and collecting modern art, and is often identified as one of t ...

(MoMA), The Kitchen Center, and the London

Institute of Contemporary Arts The Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) is an artistic and cultural centre on The Mall in London, just off Trafalgar Square. Located within Nash House, part of Carlton House Terrace, near the Duke of York Steps and Admiralty Arch, the I ...

among others.

Television credits

Feature film credits

Awards

Kriegman has won three

Daytime Emmy Awards The Daytime Emmy Awards, or Daytime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the New York–based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (N ...

and has been nominated for two

Primetime Emmy Awards The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...

, he is the winner of the

Directors Guild of America Award The Directors Guild of America Awards are issued annually by the Directors Guild of America. The first DGA Award was an "Honorary Life Member" award issued in 1938 to D. W. Griffith. The statues are made by New York firm, Society Awards. Catego ...

(1999), and has been nominated for a

Writers Guild of America Award The Writers Guild of America Awards is an award for film, television, and radio writing including both fiction and non-fiction categories given by the Writers Guild of America, East and Writers Guild of America West since 1949. Eligibility ...

. ''

'' (1997) garnered him two Emmys for Best Direction (in 2000 and 2002), as well as the Directors Guild Award in 1999, and an additional nomination in 2000. His work on ''

'' (2001) was recognized with a Best Direction Emmy in 2002. Other awards include three Parents Choice awards for

(1991), "Clarissa and Peter and the Wolf", and the UNIMA-USA Citation of Excellence for ''Bear in the Big Blue House'', and for ''The Book of Pooh''. ''

'' (2006) received a Webby award, two Emmy Nominations and two

Environmental Media Award The Environmental Media Awards have been awarded by the Environmental Media Association since 1991 to the best television episode or film with an environmental message. The Environmental Media Association (EMA) is a non-profit organization cre ...

nominations. , - , 1992 , ''

'' (1991) , Daytime Emmy Awards , , Outstanding Writing in an Animated Program , - , 1992 , ''

'' , Primetime Emmy Awards , , Outstanding Animated Program , - , 1993 , ''

'' (1991) , CableACE Award , , Animated Programming Special or Series , - , 1993 , ''The Ren & Stimpy Show'' (1991) , CableACE Award , , Animated Programming Special or Series , - , 1994 , ''

'' , Primetime Emmy Awards , , Outstanding Children's Program , - , 1998 , ''

'' (1997) , Daytime Emmy Awards , , Outstanding Pre-School Series , - , 1999 , ''Bear in the Big Blue House'' (1997) , Directors Guild of America , , Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Children's Programs, for "Love is All You Need" , - , 2000 , ''Bear in the Big Blue House'' (1997) , Daytime Emmy Awards , , Outstanding Directing in a Children's Series , - , 2000 , ''Mary Cassatt: An American Impressionist'' (1999) , Daytime Emmy Awards , , Outstanding Directing in a Children's Special , - , 2000 , ''Bear in the Big Blue House'' (1997) , Daytime Emmy Awards , , Outstanding Pre-School Children's Series , - , 2000 , ''Bear in the Big Blue House'' (1997) , Directors Guild of America , , Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Children's Programs, for "A Berry Bear Christmas" , - , 2001 , ''Bear in the Big Blue House'' (1997) , Writers Guild of America , , Children's Script, for "A Berry Bear Christmas" , - , 2002 , ''

'' (2001) , Daytime Emmy Awards , , Outstanding Directing in a Children's Series , - , 2003 , ''Bear in the Big Blue House'' (1997) , Daytime Emmy Awards , , Outstanding Directing in a Children's Series , - , 2003 , ''Bear in the Big Blue House'' (1997) , Daytime Emmy Awards , , Outstanding Pre-School Children's Series , - , 2004 , ''Bear in the Big Blue House'' (1997) , Daytime Emmy Awards , , Outstanding Pre-School Children's Series , - , 2004 , ''Bear in the Big Blue House'' (1997) , Daytime Emmy Awards , , Outstanding Directing in a Children's Series , - , 2005 , ''The Book of Pooh'' (2001) , Daytime Emmy Awards , , Outstanding Directing in a Children's Series , - , 2006 , ''

'' (2006) , Environmental Media Association Award , , Children's Live Action Television , - , 2007 , ''It's a Big Big World'' (2006) , Daytime Emmy Awards , , Outstanding Directing in a Children's Series , - , 2007 , ''It's a Big Big World'' (2006) , Daytime Emmy Awards , , Outstanding Pre-School Children's Series , - , 2007 , ''It's a Big Big World'' (2006) , Environmental Media Association Award , , Children's Live Action , - , colspan="5",

Writing

Kriegman has contributed works to ''

'', the ''National Lampoon'', ''Glamour magazine'', and ''

Harper's Bazaar ''Harper's Bazaar'' is an American monthly women's fashion magazine. It was first published in New York City on November 2, 1867, as the weekly ''Harper's Bazar''. ''Harper's Bazaar'' is published by Hearst and considers itself to be the ...

''. At the community level, Kriegman serves as the executive editor for the Montecito ''Morning Mojo'', he has written for the ''

Santa Barbara Independent The ''Santa Barbara Independent'' is a news, arts, and alternative newspaper published every Thursday in Santa Barbara, California, United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or ...

'' and the ''

Los Angeles Review of Books The ''Los Angeles Review of Books'' (''LARB'' is a literary review magazine covering the national and international book scenes. A preview version launched on Tumblr in April 2011, and the official website followed one year later in April 2012. ...

'' (LARB). As a screenwriter, Kriegman has written for Universal, Disney and Columbia Pictures. Kriegman created, produced and wrote screenplays for the television series, ''

'', He wrote the story and co-wrote the screenplay ''

'' (1999) with Joey Mazzarino for

. Kriegman is a staff writer at the ''Montecito Journal'', and creator of the ''Montecito Journal Morning Mojo''. * In July 2020, Kriegman donated his archives and working notes to the

, Performing Arts Collection. Portions of his performance art and video archives will go to the school's Design & Architecture Museum.

Books

* ''Being Audrey Hepburn: A Novel'' (2014) ::In September 2015, New Form Digital (

Brian Grazer Brian Thomas Grazer (born July 12, 1951) is an American film and television producer and writer. He founded Imagine Entertainment in 1986 with Ron Howard. The films they produced have grossed over $15 billion. Grazer was personally nominated f ...

Ron Howard Ronald William Howard (born March 1, 1954) is an American director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. He first came to prominence as a child actor, guest-starring in several television series, including an episode of '' The Twilight Zone''. ...

) announced plans to option Kriegman's novel, ''Being Audrey Hepburn'', for screenplay. * ''Things I Can’t Explain: A Clarissa Novel'' (2015)

Music

Kriegman is credited on ''Peter and the Wolf'' (1994), a Clarissa narrated version of the

Sergei Prokofiev Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev; alternative transliterations of his name include ''Sergey'' or ''Serge'', and ''Prokofief'', ''Prokofieff'', or ''Prokofyev''., group=n (27 April .S. 15 April1891 – 5 March 1953) was a Russian composer, ...

classic, featuring Clarissa & The Straightjackets. His additional songwriting credits are included in the collections: ''Songs from the Book of Pooh'' (2002) with Disney, including the closing theme with Brian Woodbury. For the ''

'' series, Kriegman's music credits include: ''Songs from Jim Henson's Bear in the Big Blue House'' (2000), ''More Songs from Bear in the Big Blue House'' (2002), ''Bear's Holiday Celebration'' (2002) and ''Greatest Hits'' (2005).

Innovation

Kriegman is credited with the patented design of the hybrid special-effects technique called Shadowmation, that combines live action puppets,

animatronic Animatronics refers to mechatronic puppets. They are a modern variant of the automaton and are often used for the portrayal of characters in films and in theme park attractions. It is a multidisciplinary field integrating puppetry, anatomy a ...

s, and computer animation utilizing video game engines and virtual environments. He holds a variety of patents for hybrid animation technologies.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kriegman, Mitchell Living people American male screenwriters American television writers American television producers Daytime Emmy Award winners Directors Guild of America Award winners American performance artists American video artists Stony Brook University faculty Bennington College alumni 1952 births American male television writers Screenwriters from New York (state)