Tom Stern
Encyclopedia
Tom Stern is an American actor
, director, writer
, and producer from New York City
.
(NYU) from 1983-87, where he met Alex Winter
. The two collaborated on a number of 16 mm short films including Squeal of Death, which was noticed by an executive at Columbia Pictures
in 1986. The film attempted to bring the Tex Avery
cartoon aesthetic to live action, several years before The Mask
did it.
Weird Howie was partially based on Bernhard Goetz
, but was performed by Winter. Squeal of Death was poorly scheduled at the NYU Film festival and passed largely un-noticed by the world at large. Stern and Winter received one letter from an executive at Columbia Studios, who had seen Squeal of Death.
, who responded enthusiastically. He and his partner Rob Tapert optioned an anthology comedy feature film script from Stern and Winter and attempted to raise funds to produce it. Ultimately they could not find the money and the project died. The pair then worked on a number of short films and music videos for bands such as Red Hot Chili Peppers
and Butthole Surfers
. They also directed Impact Video Magazine for producer Stuart Shapiro. Impact was a counter-culture arts magazine that featured short films and interviews.
In 1989, Stern, Winter, and fellow writer Tim Burns were hired to develop "The Idiot Box", a sketch comedy show for MTV
. Immediately following The Idiot Box, the trio wrote and directed the 1993 film Freaked
. The film was barely released largely as a result of a change of regimes at 20th Century Fox
. Joe Roth
was the president of Fox when he green-lit the film, but he left the studio while it was in post production. The new president was Peter Chernin
, who expressed his distaste for Freaked and dumped it into two theaters with no advertising. It vanished quickly but later developed a cult following after being shown on cable television, finally being released on DVD.
Stern and Burns wrote the screenplay to An American Werewolf in Paris
, the sequel to the 1981 film An American Werewolf in London
. Stern was contracted to direct, but after Freaked was dumped by Fox the producers decided not to honor the contract and hired a different director, Marco Brambilla
, had Stern and Burns fired as writers and the script went through 12 subsequent writers before essentially dying in development. The project went into turn around and was later picked up and produced by Walt Disney Pictures
with writer/director Anthony Waller
. Although Stern and Burns received screen credit as the principal writers, almost none of their dialogue appears in the movie. The tone was changed from comedy/horror (a la An American Werewolf in London
) to chiller/thriller, aimed at the youth market.
Stern's next project was another horror/comedy, Bad Pinocchio, developed for Trimark Pictures. He wrote the script and was excited to direct it, but got into a dispute with Trimark about the budget. Stern felt he could not produce his vision of the film for a total budget of one million dollars, but that was all that the company was willing to spend. As a result he left the project, which was finished with a different writer and director, and Stern's script was not used. The resulting film was called Pinocchio's Revenge
and disappeared with little notice. Stern and Burns also collaborated on "The Chimp Channel
" and "Monkey-ed Movies
".
Since then, he has often worked closely with Jimmy Kimmel
, having written, directed, and produced several episodes of shows off of Kimmel's production company Jackhole Productions
, including The Man Show
, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and Crank Yankers
. Stern has also worked as a writer on Trey Parker
and Matt Stone
's presidential parody, That's My Bush!
, as a director and writer on The Andy Milonakis Show
, and was the creator of the Comedy Central
travel show parody Gerhard Reinke's Wanderlust
.
In May 2008 Stern directed a music video for Russia
n metal band ANJ called Gorbachev: Bigger and Russianer. He posted it on his Vimeo
page in July and within four weeks it had been viewed over four hundred and eighty thousand times (372 K on Vimeo) and 111K on You Tube) all by word of mouth. In July 2008 Stern directed the Kanye West
hosted puppet show pilot Alligator Boots. In August 2008 Stern and his wife Tamara Hernandez completed the rear projection content for Cheech & Chong's Light Up America tour.
.
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, director, 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 from New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
Education
Stern attended film school at New York UniversityNew York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
(NYU) from 1983-87, where he met Alex Winter
Alex Winter
Alexander Ross "Alex" Winter is an English-born American actor, film director, and film writer, best known for his role as Bill S. Preston Esq. in the 1989 film Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure and its 1991 sequel Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey...
. The two collaborated on a number of 16 mm short films including Squeal of Death, which was noticed by an executive at Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
in 1986. The film attempted to bring the Tex Avery
Tex Avery
Frederick Bean "Fred/Tex" Avery was an American animator, cartoonist, voice actor and director, famous for producing animated cartoons during The Golden Age of Hollywood animation. He did his most significant work for the Warner Bros...
cartoon aesthetic to live action, several years before The Mask
The Mask (film)
The Mask is a 1994 American superhero comedy film based on a series of comic books published by Dark Horse Comics. This film was directed by Chuck Russell, and produced by Dark Horse Entertainment and New Line Cinema, and originally released to movie theatres on July 29, 1994 through New Line...
did it.
Weird Howie was partially based on Bernhard Goetz
Bernhard Goetz
Bernhard Goetz is an American man best known for shooting four young African American men who tried to mug him on a New York City Subway train, resulting in his conviction for illegal possession of a firearm. He came to symbolize New Yorkers’ frustrations with the high crime rates of the early...
, but was performed by Winter. Squeal of Death was poorly scheduled at the NYU Film festival and passed largely un-noticed by the world at large. Stern and Winter received one letter from an executive at Columbia Studios, who had seen Squeal of Death.
Hollywood
In 1987 Stern graduated from NYU. The same year, he and Winter drove from New York to Hollywood and settled in Venice Beach. Nothing came of the meeting at Columbia, but Stern and Winter also sent a copy of Squeal of Death to Sam RaimiSam Raimi
Samuel Marshall "Sam" Raimi is an American film director, producer, actor and writer. He is best known for directing cult horror films like the Evil Dead series, Darkman and Drag Me to Hell, as well as the blockbuster Spider-Man films and the producer of the successful TV series Hercules: The...
, who responded enthusiastically. He and his partner Rob Tapert optioned an anthology comedy feature film script from Stern and Winter and attempted to raise funds to produce it. Ultimately they could not find the money and the project died. The pair then worked on a number of short films and music videos for bands such as Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers is an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles in 1983. The group's musical style primarily consists of rock with an emphasis on funk, as well as elements from other genres such as punk, hip hop and psychedelic rock...
and Butthole Surfers
Butthole Surfers
Butthole Surfers is an American alternative rock band formed by Gibby Haynes and Paul Leary in San Antonio, Texas in 1981. The band has had numerous personnel changes, but its core lineup of Haynes, Leary, and drummer King Coffey has been consistent since 1983. Teresa Nervosa served as second...
. They also directed Impact Video Magazine for producer Stuart Shapiro. Impact was a counter-culture arts magazine that featured short films and interviews.
In 1989, Stern, Winter, and fellow writer Tim Burns were hired to develop "The Idiot Box", a sketch comedy show for MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
. Immediately following The Idiot Box, the trio wrote and directed the 1993 film Freaked
Freaked
Freaked is a 1993 American comedy film, directed by Tom Stern and Alex Winter, and written by Stern, Winter and Tim Burns...
. The film was barely released largely as a result of a change of regimes at 20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
. Joe Roth
Joe Roth
Joe Roth is an American film executive, producer and film director. He co-founded Morgan Creek Productions in 1987 and was chairman of 20th Century Fox , Caravan Pictures , and Walt Disney Studios before founding Revolution Studios in 2000.-Life and career:Roth was born in New York, New York,...
was the president of Fox when he green-lit the film, but he left the studio while it was in post production. The new president was Peter Chernin
Peter Chernin
Peter Chernin currently owns and runs Chernin Entertainment and The Chernin Group, both of which he founded in 2009. He was formerly President and COO of News Corporation, and Chairman and CEO of Fox Entertainment Group. He is a Corporate Director for American Express and sits on the Board of...
, who expressed his distaste for Freaked and dumped it into two theaters with no advertising. It vanished quickly but later developed a cult following after being shown on cable television, finally being released on DVD.
Stern and Burns wrote the screenplay to An American Werewolf in Paris
An American Werewolf in Paris
An American Werewolf in Paris is a 1997 horror/comedy film about werewolves. It was directed by Anthony Waller and stars Tom Everett Scott and Julie Delpy...
, the sequel to the 1981 film An American Werewolf in London
An American Werewolf in London
An American Werewolf in London is a 1981 British-American horror film, written and directed by John Landis. It stars David Naughton, Jenny Agutter, and Griffin Dunne....
. Stern was contracted to direct, but after Freaked was dumped by Fox the producers decided not to honor the contract and hired a different director, Marco Brambilla
Marco Brambilla
Marco Brambilla is an Italian-born Canadian artist and filmmaker who works in the United States. Educated at Ryerson University, Toronto, Canada, where he studied film, he first worked in commercials and feature films, directing the successful 1993 science fiction film Demolition Man...
, had Stern and Burns fired as writers and the script went through 12 subsequent writers before essentially dying in development. The project went into turn around and was later picked up and produced by Walt Disney Pictures
Walt Disney Pictures
Walt Disney Pictures is an American film studio owned by The Walt Disney Company. Walt Disney Pictures and Television, a subsidiary of the Walt Disney Studios and the main production company for live-action feature films within the Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group, based at the Walt Disney...
with writer/director Anthony Waller
Anthony Waller
-Filmography:*Mute Witness *An American Werewolf in Paris *Nine Miles Down *The Singularity Is Near -External links:*...
. Although Stern and Burns received screen credit as the principal writers, almost none of their dialogue appears in the movie. The tone was changed from comedy/horror (a la An American Werewolf in London
An American Werewolf in London
An American Werewolf in London is a 1981 British-American horror film, written and directed by John Landis. It stars David Naughton, Jenny Agutter, and Griffin Dunne....
) to chiller/thriller, aimed at the youth market.
Stern's next project was another horror/comedy, Bad Pinocchio, developed for Trimark Pictures. He wrote the script and was excited to direct it, but got into a dispute with Trimark about the budget. Stern felt he could not produce his vision of the film for a total budget of one million dollars, but that was all that the company was willing to spend. As a result he left the project, which was finished with a different writer and director, and Stern's script was not used. The resulting film was called Pinocchio's Revenge
Pinocchio's Revenge
Pinocchio's Revenge is a 1996 Horror film about a mother who brings home a wooden puppet that was found buried with a boy supposedly killed by his father. Her little girl Zoe mistakenly finds the doll and takes it as her own...
and disappeared with little notice. Stern and Burns also collaborated on "The Chimp Channel
The Chimp Channel
The Chimp Channel is an American comedy television series which aired on TBS Superstation in 1999. Based on the highly popular Monkey-ed Movies interstitials that TBS aired one year prior. It is the network's first original sitcom...
" and "Monkey-ed Movies
Monkey-ed Movies
Monkey-ed Movies is a series of short films broadcast on the Turner Broadcasting System in the 1990s. The films parodied popular films or television programs that were currently being broadcast on TBS with the use of costumed chimpanzees and orangutans voiced by human actors.Ray Richmond of Variety...
".
Since then, he has often worked closely with Jimmy Kimmel
Jimmy Kimmel
James Christian "Jimmy" Kimmel is an American television host and comedian. He is the host of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, a late-night talk show that airs on ABC. Prior to that, Kimmel was best known as the co-host of Comedy Central's The Man Show and Win Ben Stein's Money...
, having written, directed, and produced several episodes of shows off of Kimmel's production company Jackhole Productions
Jackhole Productions
Jackhole Productions, also credited as "Jackhole Industries", is an American production company started by Jimmy Kimmel, Daniel Kellison and Adam Carolla. It has produced several comedy shows on television...
, including The Man Show
The Man Show
The Man Show is an American comedy television show on Comedy Central. It was created in 1999 by its two original co-hosts, Jimmy Kimmel and Adam Carolla, and their executive producer Daniel Kellison.-Format:...
, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and Crank Yankers
Crank Yankers
Crank Yankers is an American TV show produced by Adam Carolla, Jimmy Kimmel and Daniel Kellison that featured actual prank calls made by show regulars and celebrity guests, and re-enacted onscreen by puppets for a visual aid to show the viewer what is happening in the call...
. Stern has also worked as a writer on Trey Parker
Trey Parker
Trey Parker is an American animator, screenwriter, director, producer, voice artist, musician and actor, best known for being the co-creator of the television series South Park along with his creative partner and best friend Matt Stone.Parker started his film career in 1992, making a holiday short...
and Matt Stone
Matt Stone
Matthew Richard "Matt" Stone is an American screenwriter, producer, voice artist, musician and actor, best known for being the co-creator of South Park along with creative partner and best friend, Trey Parker....
's presidential parody, That's My Bush!
That's My Bush!
That's My Bush! is an American comedy television series that aired on Comedy Central from April 4 to May 23, 2001. Created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, best known for also creating South Park, the series centers on the fictitious personal life of President George W. Bush, as played by Timothy...
, as a director and writer on The Andy Milonakis Show
The Andy Milonakis Show
The Andy Milonakis Show is an American sketch comedy television show starring Andy Milonakis, which aired on MTV2, the first season having aired on MTV...
, and was the creator of the Comedy Central
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and syndicated....
travel show parody Gerhard Reinke's Wanderlust
Gerhard Reinke's Wanderlust
Gerhard Reinke's Wanderlust was a mockumentary television comedy broadcast on the American cable channel Comedy Central in Spring 2003. It starred writer-comedian Josh Gardner as a German backpacker who has several misadventures as he travels around the world on small budget for the fictional...
.
In May 2008 Stern directed a music video for Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n metal band ANJ called Gorbachev: Bigger and Russianer. He posted it on his Vimeo
Vimeo
Vimeo is a video-sharing website on which users can upload, share, and view videos. It was founded by Zach Klein and Jake Lodwick in November 2004...
page in July and within four weeks it had been viewed over four hundred and eighty thousand times (372 K on Vimeo) and 111K on You Tube) all by word of mouth. In July 2008 Stern directed the Kanye West
Kanye West
Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and...
hosted puppet show pilot Alligator Boots. In August 2008 Stern and his wife Tamara Hernandez completed the rear projection content for Cheech & Chong's Light Up America tour.
Personal life
Stern lives with his wife, filmmaker Tamara Hernandez, and their two-year old daughter, Tuesday, in Silver Lake, Los AngelesSilver Lake, Los Angeles, California
Silver Lake is a hilly neighborhood in the city of Los Angeles, California east of Hollywood and northwest of Downtown Los Angeles. Silver Lake is inhabited by a wide variety of ethnic and socioeconomic groups, but it is best known as an eclectic gathering of hipsters and the creative class.The...
.
Filmography
- "Alligator Boots (Comedy Central Pilot)" (2008) - Director
- "Harden High (MTV Pilot)" 2007 - Writer Director Executive Producer, Co-Creator with Jason Jordan
- "Saul of the Molemen" (2007) - Writer, Director, Executive Producer
- "The Andy Milonakis ShowThe Andy Milonakis ShowThe Andy Milonakis Show is an American sketch comedy television show starring Andy Milonakis, which aired on MTV2, the first season having aired on MTV...
" (2005) - Writer, Director, Executive Producer - "Gerhard Reinke's WanderlustGerhard Reinke's WanderlustGerhard Reinke's Wanderlust was a mockumentary television comedy broadcast on the American cable channel Comedy Central in Spring 2003. It starred writer-comedian Josh Gardner as a German backpacker who has several misadventures as he travels around the world on small budget for the fictional...
" (2003) - Writer, Director, Executive Producer - "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" (2003) - Director
- "That's My Bush!That's My Bush!That's My Bush! is an American comedy television series that aired on Comedy Central from April 4 to May 23, 2001. Created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, best known for also creating South Park, the series centers on the fictitious personal life of President George W. Bush, as played by Timothy...
" (2001) - Writer - "The Chimp ChannelThe Chimp ChannelThe Chimp Channel is an American comedy television series which aired on TBS Superstation in 1999. Based on the highly popular Monkey-ed Movies interstitials that TBS aired one year prior. It is the network's first original sitcom...
" (1999) - Writer, Producer - "The Man ShowThe Man ShowThe Man Show is an American comedy television show on Comedy Central. It was created in 1999 by its two original co-hosts, Jimmy Kimmel and Adam Carolla, and their executive producer Daniel Kellison.-Format:...
" (1999) - Director - An American Werewolf in ParisAn American Werewolf in ParisAn American Werewolf in Paris is a 1997 horror/comedy film about werewolves. It was directed by Anthony Waller and stars Tom Everett Scott and Julie Delpy...
(1997) - Co-writer - FreakedFreakedFreaked is a 1993 American comedy film, directed by Tom Stern and Alex Winter, and written by Stern, Winter and Tim Burns...
(1993) - Co-Writer, Co-director, Actor - "The Idiot Box" (1991) - Writer, Actor
Music videos
- Butthole SurfersButthole SurfersButthole Surfers is an American alternative rock band formed by Gibby Haynes and Paul Leary in San Antonio, Texas in 1981. The band has had numerous personnel changes, but its core lineup of Haynes, Leary, and drummer King Coffey has been consistent since 1983. Teresa Nervosa served as second...
- "Cherub" (live at CBGBCBGBCBGB was a music club at 315 Bowery at Bleecker Street in the borough of Manhattan in New York City.Founded by Hilly Kristal in 1973, it was originally intended to feature its namesake musical styles, but became a forum for American punk and New Wave bands like Ramones, Misfits, Television, the...
, February 12, 1986) - Red Hot Chili PeppersRed Hot Chili PeppersRed Hot Chili Peppers is an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles in 1983. The group's musical style primarily consists of rock with an emphasis on funk, as well as elements from other genres such as punk, hip hop and psychedelic rock...
"Taste the PainTaste the Pain"Taste the Pain" is a song by the Red Hot Chili Peppers from the album Mother's Milk, and was the third and final single from that album. The music video was filmed with the band playing in an art room, where artists are in the middle of painting a mural artwork, directed by Tom Stern and Alex Winter...
" (1990) (co-directed by Alex Winter) - Ice CubeIce CubeO'Shea Jackson , better known by his stage name Ice Cube, is an American rapper and actor. He began his career as a member of the hip-hop group C.I.A. and later joined the rap group N.W.A. After leaving N.W.A in December 1989, he built a successful solo career in music, and also as a writer,...
- "Who's the Mack" (1990) (co-directed by Alex Winter) - Human RadioHuman RadioHuman Radio was an American rock band from Memphis, Tennessee. The group was formed in 1989 by lead singer Ross Rice, and in 1990 they released a self-titled LP on Columbia Records. The single "Me and Elvis" was a hit in the US, reaching #32 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart...
"Me and ElvisHuman Radio (album)Memphis band Human Radio's self-titled debut album was released in 1990 on Columbia Records. It contained the hit single Me and Elvis, which reached #32 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart...
" (1990) (co-directed by Alex Winter) - ExtremeExtreme (band)Extreme is an American rock band, headed by frontmen Gary Cherone and Nuno Bettencourt, that reached the height of their popularity in the late 1980s and early 1990s.Among some of Extreme's musical influences are Queen and Van Halen...
"Decadence DanceDecadence DanceDecadence Dance is the first single from Extreme's highly successful second studio album Pornograffitti.The single was not successful in the United States, although it had minor success in the UK, peaking at #36 - their first single to appear in the United Kingdom's Top 40.The song is recorded in...
" (1990) (co-directed by Alex Winter) - Marilyn MansonMarilyn MansonMarilyn Manson may refer to:* Marilyn Manson , an American rock musician* Marilyn Manson , the American rock band led by the singer of the same name...
"Dope HatDope Hat"Dope Hat" is a promotional single from Marilyn Manson's debut album, Portrait of an American Family. It was first recorded for a demo tape that they released in 1993, entitled The Family Jams....
" (1995) - Spork - "Naked Invasion" (1996)
- ANJ - "Gorbachev" (2008)
External links
- Tom Stern on VimeoVimeoVimeo is a video-sharing website on which users can upload, share, and view videos. It was founded by Zach Klein and Jake Lodwick in November 2004...
- Freekland: The Official Homepage of Alex Winter, Tom Stern and Tim Burns