Ed Naha
Encyclopedia
Ed Naha is an American science fiction
and mystery writer
and producer. He was born June 10, 1950 in the town of Linden, New Jersey
. His first known publication was artwork that appeared in the first issue of Modern Monsters magazine, dated June 1966.
in New Jersey
wfith a degree in Secondary English Education. His early career was as a journalist
, writing pieces about film
and rock music
for American publications such as Playboy
, The Village Voice
, Rolling Stone
, and The New York Post.
He worked in publicity
and artistic development at Columbia Records
, where he was mentored by the producer and talent scout John Hammond
. He produced the spoken-word album Inside Star Trek in 1976, featuring the series creator Gene Roddenberry
with guests William Shatner
, DeForest Kelley
, and Mark Lenard
. That same year, the Bruce Springsteen
album Born to Run
, for which Naha was A&R Coordinator, was certified gold.
magazine Starlog
. Under the pseudonym Joe Bonham (a name borrowed from the protagonist of Dalton Trumbo
's anti-war novel Johnny Got His Gun
) he edited the first issue of Starlogs sister magazine, the popular horror film magazine Fangoria
.
Naha has written more than 25 novels in the horror
, mystery and science fiction genres, including the Traveler science fiction series under the "house pseudonym" D.B. Drumm, which Naha shared with John Shirley
. His mystery novel Cracking Up was nominated for the Edgar Award
for "Best Paperback Original" by the Mystery Writers of America
in 1992. His novelizations include prose adaptations of the films Dead-Bang, Ghostbusters II
, and the first two RoboCop
pictures. Naha's nonfiction works include The Science Fictionary, The Films of Roger Corman: Brilliance on a Budget, The Making of Dune, and the posthumous editions of Lillian Roxon's Rock Encyclopedia
.
, Oddballs
and Wizards of the Lost Kingdom, and three scripts for producer Charles Band: Troll
, Dolls
, and Spellcaster
. Naha achieved his greatest commercial success through a screenplay collaboration with Dolls director Stuart Gordon
and Brian Yuzna
on the script for a comedy/science-fantasy feature, The Teenie-Weenies, which became the family-friendly franchise, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids
. He served as a writer and producer of the TV shows Honey, I Shrunk the Kids
and The Adventures of Sinbad
. Naha's contractual work for Hollywood is done through his company A Fine Mess, Inc., named in honor of his comedy idols, Laurel and Hardy
.
Most recently, Naha has been credited with the screenplays for the first three titles in the "Epic Stories of the Bible" series of animated features produced by Promenade Pictures, a "family entertainment" unit formed by Frank Yablans
, the former president of Paramount Studios.
A remake of Troll is reportedly in preproduction for 2012 release, though there is no indication that Naha will be in any way involved.
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
and mystery writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
and producer. He was born June 10, 1950 in the town of Linden, New Jersey
Linden, New Jersey
- Local government :, the Mayor of Linden is . The former longtime Mayor of Linden is 82-year-old John T. Gregorio, who served as mayor of Linden for 30, nonconsecutive years and was repeatedly tagged with scandal during his mayoral career, including one felony conviction, later pardoned, which...
. His first known publication was artwork that appeared in the first issue of Modern Monsters magazine, dated June 1966.
Education and early career
Naha graduated from Kean UniversityKean University
Kean University is a coeducational, public research university located in Union and Hillside, New Jersey, United States. Kean University serves its students in the liberal arts, the sciences, and the professions with a dedication to intellectual and cultural growth and is best known for its...
in New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
wfith a degree in Secondary English Education. His early career was as a journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
, writing pieces about film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
and rock music
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
for American publications such as Playboy
Playboy
Playboy is an American men's magazine that features photographs of nude women as well as journalism and fiction. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. The magazine has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc., with...
, The Village Voice
The Village Voice
The Village Voice is a free weekly newspaper and news and features website in New York City that features investigative articles, analysis of current affairs and culture, arts and music coverage, and events listings for New York City...
, Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
, and The New York Post.
He worked in publicity
Publicity
Publicity is the deliberate attempt to manage the public's perception of a subject. The subjects of publicity include people , goods and services, organizations of all kinds, and works of art or entertainment.From a marketing perspective, publicity is one component of promotion which is one...
and artistic development at Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
, where he was mentored by the producer and talent scout John Hammond
John H. Hammond
John Henry Hammond II was an American record producer, musician and music critic from the 1930s to the early 1980s...
. He produced the spoken-word album Inside Star Trek in 1976, featuring the series creator Gene Roddenberry
Gene Roddenberry
Eugene Wesley "Gene" Roddenberry was an American television screenwriter, producer and futurist, best known for creating the American science fiction series Star Trek. Born in El Paso, Texas, Roddenberry grew up in Los Angeles, California where his father worked as a police officer...
with guests William Shatner
William Shatner
William Alan Shatner is a Canadian actor, musician, recording artist, and author. He gained worldwide fame and became a cultural icon for his portrayal of James T...
, DeForest Kelley
DeForest Kelley
Jackson DeForest Kelley was an American actor known for his iconic roles in Westerns and as Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy of the USS Enterprise in the television and film series Star Trek.-Early life:...
, and Mark Lenard
Mark Lenard
Mark Lenard was an American actor, primarily in television.-Biography:Lenard was born Leonard Rosenson in Chicago, Illinois, the son of a Russian Jewish immigrant, Abraham, and his wife, Bessie...
. That same year, the Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
album Born to Run
Born to Run
The album's release was accompanied by a $250,000 promotional campaign by Columbia directed at both consumers and the music industry, making good use of Landau's "I saw rock 'n' roll's future—and its name is Bruce Springsteen" quote. With much publicity, Born to Run vaulted into the top 10 in its...
, for which Naha was A&R Coordinator, was certified gold.
Journalism, novels and non-fiction
Naha worked as a staff writer and editor for the science fiction filmScience fiction film
Science fiction film is a film genre that uses science fiction: speculative, science-based depictions of phenomena that are not necessarily accepted by mainstream science, such as extraterrestrial life forms, alien worlds, extrasensory perception, and time travel, often along with futuristic...
magazine Starlog
Starlog
Starlog was a monthly science-fiction film magazine published by Starlog Group Inc. The magazine was created by publishers Kerry O'Quinn and Norman Jacobs. O'Quinn was the magazine's editor while Jacobs ran the business side of things, dealing with typesetters, engravers and printers. They got...
. Under the pseudonym Joe Bonham (a name borrowed from the protagonist of Dalton Trumbo
Dalton Trumbo
James Dalton Trumbo was an American screenwriter and novelist, and one of the Hollywood Ten, a group of film professionals who refused to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee in 1947 during the committee's investigation of Communist influences in the motion picture industry...
's anti-war novel Johnny Got His Gun
Johnny Got His Gun
Johnny Got His Gun is an anti-war novel written in 1938 by American novelist and screenwriter Dalton Trumboand published by J. B. Lippincott company.-Plot:...
) he edited the first issue of Starlogs sister magazine, the popular horror film magazine Fangoria
Fangoria
Fangoria is an American magazine devoted to horror and exploitation films, which has a number of associated brands:* Fangoria Comics* Fangoria Films* Fangoria RadioFangoria may also refer to:* Fangoria , a Spanish electro pop band...
.
Naha has written more than 25 novels in the horror
Horror fiction
Horror fiction also Horror fantasy is a philosophy of literature, which is intended to, or has the capacity to frighten its readers, inducing feelings of horror and terror. It creates an eerie atmosphere. Horror can be either supernatural or non-supernatural...
, mystery and science fiction genres, including the Traveler science fiction series under the "house pseudonym" D.B. Drumm, which Naha shared with John Shirley
John Shirley
John Shirley is an American fantasist, author of noir fiction, and science-fiction writer. Shirley is a prolific writer of novels and short stories, TV scripts and screenplays who has published over 30 books and 10 collections...
. His mystery novel Cracking Up was nominated for the Edgar Award
Edgar Award
The Edgar Allan Poe Awards , named after Edgar Allan Poe, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America...
for "Best Paperback Original" by the Mystery Writers of America
Mystery Writers of America
Mystery Writers of America is an organization for mystery writers, based in New York.The organization was founded in 1945 by Clayton Rawson, Anthony Boucher, Lawrence Treat, and Brett Halliday....
in 1992. His novelizations include prose adaptations of the films Dead-Bang, Ghostbusters II
Ghostbusters II
Ghostbusters II is a 1989 science fiction comedy film produced and directed by Ivan Reitman. It is the sequel to the 1984 film Ghostbusters and follows the further adventures of a group of parapsychologists and their organization which combats paranormal activities...
, and the first two RoboCop
RoboCop
RoboCop is a 1987 American science fiction-action film directed by Paul Verhoeven. Set in a crime-ridden Detroit, Michigan in the near future, RoboCop centers on a police officer who is brutally murdered and subsequently re-created as a super-human cyborg known as "RoboCop"...
pictures. Naha's nonfiction works include The Science Fictionary, The Films of Roger Corman: Brilliance on a Budget, The Making of Dune, and the posthumous editions of Lillian Roxon's Rock Encyclopedia
Lillian Roxon
Lillian Roxon was a noted Australian journalist and author, best known for Lillian Roxon's Rock Encyclopedia . Her niece Nicola Roxon, the Australian politician, is currently the federal Minister for Health....
.
Screenwriting and television production
Naha's screen work includes two screenplays for Roger CormanRoger Corman
Roger William Corman is an American film producer, director and actor. He has mostly worked on low-budget B movies. Some of Corman's work has an established critical reputation, such as his cycle of films adapted from the tales of Edgar Allan Poe, and in 2009 he won an Honorary Academy Award for...
, Oddballs
Oddballs
The Oddballs is a comedy act in the United Kingdom. It is best known for their "Naked Balloon Dance". It has caused controversy, including an attempt to ban the show from Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk...
and Wizards of the Lost Kingdom, and three scripts for producer Charles Band: Troll
Troll (film)
Troll is a 1986 cult dark fantasy film. Its plot has no relation to the films Troll 2 and Troll 3, which are intended to be more horror than fantasy. Its "sequel", Troll 2 is considered to be one of the worst films of all time.-Plot:...
, Dolls
Dolls
A doll is a model of a human being, usually a toy.Dolls may also refer to:*Dolls , short British film directed by Susan Luciani*Dolls , a 2002 film by Takeshi Kitano...
, and Spellcaster
Spellcaster
A spellcaster in role-playing games refers to a creature capable of casting magic spells.See also:*Mage *Magician , a practitioner of magic as portrayed in works of fiction...
. Naha achieved his greatest commercial success through a screenplay collaboration with Dolls director Stuart Gordon
Stuart Gordon
After the University of Wisconsin demanded future theatrical productions by Screw Theater be overseen by a University Professor, Gordon cut his University ties to form Broom Street Theater. Its first production, the new translation of the risque Lysistrata, premiered in May 1969. Gordon is...
and Brian Yuzna
Brian Yuzna
Brian Yuzna is a director, writer and producer of films.- Life :Yuzna grew up in Nicaragua, Puerto Rico and Panama before moving to the United States in the 1960s.- Career :...
on the script for a comedy/science-fantasy feature, The Teenie-Weenies, which became the family-friendly franchise, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids
Honey, I Shrunk the Kids
Honey, I Shrunk the Kids is a 1989 comedy film. The directorial debut of Joe Johnston and released through Walt Disney Pictures and Silver Screen Partners III, the film tells the story of an inventor who accidentally shrinks his and his neighbor's kids to 1/4 of an inch with his electromagnetic...
. He served as a writer and producer of the TV shows Honey, I Shrunk the Kids
Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show
Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show is an American syndicated science fiction sitcom based on the 1989 film, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids. It expands upon the original film's concept of a shrinking experiment gone wrong to include a myriad of experiments gone awry...
and The Adventures of Sinbad
The Adventures of Sinbad
The Adventures of Sinbad is a Canadian television series which aired from 1996 to 1998. It follows on the story from the pilot of the same name. It revolves around the series' protagonist, Sinbad. The series is a re-telling of the adventures of Sinbad from The Arabian Nights. Created by Ed Naha, it...
. Naha's contractual work for Hollywood is done through his company A Fine Mess, Inc., named in honor of his comedy idols, Laurel and Hardy
Laurel and Hardy
Laurel and Hardy were one of the most popular and critically acclaimed comedy double acts of the early Classical Hollywood era of American cinema...
.
Most recently, Naha has been credited with the screenplays for the first three titles in the "Epic Stories of the Bible" series of animated features produced by Promenade Pictures, a "family entertainment" unit formed by Frank Yablans
Frank Yablans
Frank Yablans is an American film producer and screenwriter The son of a Brooklyn cab driver and brother to fellow film producer Irwin Yablans, Yablans' first employers in the film business included Warner Bros., The Walt Disney Company and Filmways...
, the former president of Paramount Studios.
A remake of Troll is reportedly in preproduction for 2012 release, though there is no indication that Naha will be in any way involved.