John Besmehn
Encyclopedia
John Charles Besmehn from San Jose, California, is a writer
, director, and producer of animated and live action shows, and a developer of toys and entertainment properties. He co-developed the toy line for "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
," a multi-billion dollar comic book, animated television series and movie franchise, originally conceived by the comic book team, Kevin Eastman
and Peter Laird
.
He co-created the toy and animation property, B.C. Bikers, about a rogue band of "chrome age" dinosaurs who ride motorcycles through an apocalyptic past. Besmehn has also conceived, designed and written for such eclectic kid-fare as the "Toxic Crusaders
," based on the bizarre exploitive Troma feature film, "The Toxic Avenger
." He co-wrote with his collaborator, John Schulte, the animated pilot for the series "Gormiti
": The Invincible Lords of Nature, which debuted on Cartoon Network (United States)
in 2009 and was based on the Italian toy collectible from Giochi Preziosi.
Besmehn writes and develops toy and entertainment properties with his longtime writing partners, John C. Schulte http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2357499/, Fred Fox Jr.http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0288848/, and business associate, Cheryl Ann Wong http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2383908/. He is a co-founder and general partner in Pangea Corporation
http://www.pangeacorp.com/.
and has been recorded and published since the 1980's, recounting her tales of her homeland in Wales. Besmehn has two entrepreneurial brothers, Gregory (b. 1961), and Paul (b. 1970), who starred in the cult psychopathic classic, "Duck Duck Goose."
. Besmehn filmed productions and performed in short films during this time and eventually met up with his long-time collaborator, John C. Schulte, whilst developing a reality-based series, "The Perfect Wedding." Besmehn's career as a performer ranged from stage appearances in regional theatre to pivotal roles in Hollywood blockbuster franchises, like Nightmare on Elm Street 3, where he played opposite Zsa Zsa Gabor and Dick Cavett, and appeared in B-movie fare such as Earth, and Return to Horror High
.
Besmehn pitched a number of intellectual properties to Dic Enterprises, the animation studio famous for the Inspector Gadget
series. Dic retained Besmehn to serve as an elite development team. There he developed concepts and series ideas, including ones for Arsenio Hall
's Chunky A character and "New Kids on the Block
."
Besmehn pursued the fusion of design, product development and writing to create toy lines and animated shows, like "Speed Racer
", "Zorro
," "Biker Mice from Mars
," "Gormiti
," "The Mask
," "Mirmo," "Toonsylvania
," "The Mummy
," "Penguins of Madagascar," and a host of others. Besmehn also created innovative interactive products, designing the logic and content for such breakthrough dolls as Amazing Ally from Playmates, virtual pets like Tamagotchi and Nano, and the character-based robot, Brian the Brain. The interactive storytellers, Yano, Wittley and Bubba are among his credits.
During the emergence of internet entertainment, Besmehn established a kid-centric community on America Online (Toy Network) and Apple's eWorld (ToyNet); the destination published "toytainment," so kids could get wind of the current new crop of shows and toys coming their way. As a programmer, Besmehn also created the visionary debut sites for many toy and entertainment companies, including Bandai.com, SpeedRacer.com, WhacAMole.com and sundry others.
Besmehn is the director and editor of the award-winning video for kids called "Yoga Divas." He has turned his hands-on approach most recently toward the development of new and original intellectual properties, though he continues to develop programs based on licensed entertainment, through his association with studios such as DreamWorks, Universal Studios, and Sony.
Besmehn collaborates with songwriter, performer and record producer Ron Dante
on his new musical http://www.bubblegumthemusical.com/; and he is co-writing with Edgar Award Winning author Barbara Brooks Wallace
on a show based on her "Miss Switch" book series. With his business partner John Schulte, they started writing, designing and developing a new animated series based on secondary characters from the anime series, Speed Racer
.
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....
, director, and producer of animated and live action shows, and a developer of toys and entertainment properties. He co-developed the toy line for "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are a fictional team of four teenage anthropomorphic turtles, who were trained by their anthropomorphic rat sensei in the art of ninjutsu and named after four Renaissance artists...
," a multi-billion dollar comic book, animated television series and movie franchise, originally conceived by the comic book team, Kevin Eastman
Kevin Eastman
Kevin Brooks Eastman is an American comic book artist and writer, best known as the creator of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Eastman is also the current owner, editor and publisher of the magazine Heavy Metal.-Early life:Eastman was born on May 30, 1962 in Springvale, Maine...
and Peter Laird
Peter Laird
Peter Alan Laird is an American comic book writer and artist. He is best known for co-creating Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles with writer and artist Kevin Eastman.-Early life and career:...
.
He co-created the toy and animation property, B.C. Bikers, about a rogue band of "chrome age" dinosaurs who ride motorcycles through an apocalyptic past. Besmehn has also conceived, designed and written for such eclectic kid-fare as the "Toxic Crusaders
Toxic Crusaders
Toxic Crusaders is an animated series based on The Toxic Avenger films. It features Toxie, the lead character of the films leading a trio of misfit superheroes who combat pollution. This followed a trend of environmentally considerate cartoons of the time, including Captain Planet and the...
," based on the bizarre exploitive Troma feature film, "The Toxic Avenger
The Toxic Avenger
The Toxic Avenger is a 1984 comedy horror film released by Troma Entertainment, known for producing low budget B-movies with campy concepts. Virtually ignored upon its first release, The Toxic Avenger caught on with filmgoers after a long and successful midnight movie engagement at the famed...
." He co-wrote with his collaborator, John Schulte, the animated pilot for the series "Gormiti
Gormiti
“Gormiti: The Invincible Lords of Nature” , later changed to "Gormiti: The Lords of Nature Return!", is a toy property based primarily on 2-inch tall non-articulated mini figures with a trading card game play aspect...
": The Invincible Lords of Nature, which debuted on Cartoon Network (United States)
Cartoon Network (United States)
Cartoon Network is an American cable television network owned by Turner Broadcasting which primarily airs animated programming. The channel was launched on October 1, 1992 after Turner purchased the animation studio Hanna-Barbera Productions in 1991...
in 2009 and was based on the Italian toy collectible from Giochi Preziosi.
Besmehn writes and develops toy and entertainment properties with his longtime writing partners, John C. Schulte http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2357499/, Fred Fox Jr.http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0288848/, and business associate, Cheryl Ann Wong http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2383908/. He is a co-founder and general partner in Pangea Corporation
Pangea Corporation
Pangea Corporation is an entertainment development and creative services company that specializes in the animation and toy industries. The company was part of the original creative team that launched the wildly popular "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" for Playmates Toys and Murakami-Wolf-Swenson, the...
http://www.pangeacorp.com/.
Early years
Besmehn was born in 1964 in San Jose, California, to Charles and Marion Besmehn. His father, Chuck, (b.1935), was an engineer for Bechtel Corporation; his mother Marion (1936) holds a masters in Storytelling from the University of TennesseeUniversity of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee is a public land-grant university headquartered at Knoxville, Tennessee, United States...
and has been recorded and published since the 1980's, recounting her tales of her homeland in Wales. Besmehn has two entrepreneurial brothers, Gregory (b. 1961), and Paul (b. 1970), who starred in the cult psychopathic classic, "Duck Duck Goose."
Education
Besmehn traveled extensively worldwide, receiving a broad liberal education as far away as Jakarta, Indonesia and as provencal as Edmonton, Alberta, Canada and Houston, Texas. He attended San Mateo College and Glendale College, studying theatre, law and computer programming.Career
Following his college days, Besmehn toured with an international theatre company, which became the foundation for David Houck's renaissance effort of resuscitating the Pasadena PlayhousePasadena Playhouse
The Pasadena Playhouse is a historic performing arts venue located 39 S El Molino Avenue in Pasadena, California. The 686-seat auditorium produces a variety of cultural and artistic events, professional shows, and community engagements each year.-History:...
. Besmehn filmed productions and performed in short films during this time and eventually met up with his long-time collaborator, John C. Schulte, whilst developing a reality-based series, "The Perfect Wedding." Besmehn's career as a performer ranged from stage appearances in regional theatre to pivotal roles in Hollywood blockbuster franchises, like Nightmare on Elm Street 3, where he played opposite Zsa Zsa Gabor and Dick Cavett, and appeared in B-movie fare such as Earth, and Return to Horror High
Return to Horror High
Return to Horror High is a 1987 American comedy/horror film starring George Clooney, Vince Edwards and Scott Jacoby, it was directed by Bill Froehlich and written by Mark Lisson, Dana Escalante, Greg H. Sims and Bill Froehlich...
.
Besmehn pitched a number of intellectual properties to Dic Enterprises, the animation studio famous for the Inspector Gadget
Inspector Gadget
Inspector Gadget is an animated television series that revolves around the adventures of a clumsy, simple-witted cyborg detective named Inspector Gadget – a human being with various bionic gadgets built into his body. Gadget's arch-nemesis is Dr...
series. Dic retained Besmehn to serve as an elite development team. There he developed concepts and series ideas, including ones for Arsenio Hall
Arsenio Hall
Arsenio Hall is an American actor, comedian, and former talk show host. He is best known for his talk show The Arsenio Hall Show, which ran between 1989 and 1994, and his roles in the films Coming to America and Harlem Nights.Hall is also known for his appearance as Alan Thicke's sidekick on the...
's Chunky A character and "New Kids on the Block
New Kids on the Block
New Kids on the Block are an American boy band from Boston, Massachusetts, assembled in 1984 by producer Maurice Starr. The band currently consists of brothers Jordan and Jonathan Knight, Joey McIntyre, Donnie Wahlberg, and Danny Wood.New Kids on the Block enjoyed success in the late 1980s and...
."
Besmehn pursued the fusion of design, product development and writing to create toy lines and animated shows, like "Speed Racer
Speed Racer
Speed Racer is an English adaptation name of the Japanese manga and anime, which centered on automobile racing. Mach GoGoGo was originally serialized in print form in Shueisha's 1958 Shōnen Book, and was released in tankōbon book form by Sun Wide Comics, re-released in Japan by Fusosha...
", "Zorro
Zorro
Zorro is a fictional character created in 1919 by New York-based pulp writer Johnston McCulley. The character has been featured in numerous books, films, television series, and other media....
," "Biker Mice from Mars
Biker Mice from Mars
Biker Mice from Mars is a science fiction animated series created by Rick Ungar that began airing in 1993 in the United States and lasted for three seasons before it was cancelled...
," "Gormiti
Gormiti
“Gormiti: The Invincible Lords of Nature” , later changed to "Gormiti: The Lords of Nature Return!", is a toy property based primarily on 2-inch tall non-articulated mini figures with a trading card game play aspect...
," "The Mask
The Mask
The Mask is a Dark Horse comic book series created by writer John Arcudi and artist Doug Mahnke, and based on a concept by publisher Mike Richardson. The series follows a magical mask which imbues the wearer with reality-bending powers and physical imperviousness, as well as bypassing the wearer's...
," "Mirmo," "Toonsylvania
Toonsylvania
Toonsylvania is an animated television series, which ran for 2 seasons in 1998 on FOX's Saturday morning cartoon block in its first season, then was moved to Tuesday afternoons from September 14, 1998 until December 21, 1998, when it was cancelled...
," "The Mummy
The Mummy (franchise)
The Mummy is any one of three series of adventure films about an ancient Egyptian priest accidentally resurrected, who brings with him a powerful curse, and the efforts of heroic archeologists to stop him.-Universal Horror Films:...
," "Penguins of Madagascar," and a host of others. Besmehn also created innovative interactive products, designing the logic and content for such breakthrough dolls as Amazing Ally from Playmates, virtual pets like Tamagotchi and Nano, and the character-based robot, Brian the Brain. The interactive storytellers, Yano, Wittley and Bubba are among his credits.
During the emergence of internet entertainment, Besmehn established a kid-centric community on America Online (Toy Network) and Apple's eWorld (ToyNet); the destination published "toytainment," so kids could get wind of the current new crop of shows and toys coming their way. As a programmer, Besmehn also created the visionary debut sites for many toy and entertainment companies, including Bandai.com, SpeedRacer.com, WhacAMole.com and sundry others.
Besmehn is the director and editor of the award-winning video for kids called "Yoga Divas." He has turned his hands-on approach most recently toward the development of new and original intellectual properties, though he continues to develop programs based on licensed entertainment, through his association with studios such as DreamWorks, Universal Studios, and Sony.
Besmehn collaborates with songwriter, performer and record producer Ron Dante
Ron Dante
Ron Dante is an American singer, songwriter, session vocalist, and record producer...
on his new musical http://www.bubblegumthemusical.com/; and he is co-writing with Edgar Award Winning author Barbara Brooks Wallace
Barbara Brooks Wallace
Barbara Brooks Wallace is an award-winning American children's writer, including NLAPW Children's Book Award and International Youth Library "Best of the Best" for Claudia and William Allen White Children's Book Award for Peppermints in the Parlor .Wallace was born and spent her childhood in...
on a show based on her "Miss Switch" book series. With his business partner John Schulte, they started writing, designing and developing a new animated series based on secondary characters from the anime series, Speed Racer
Speed Racer
Speed Racer is an English adaptation name of the Japanese manga and anime, which centered on automobile racing. Mach GoGoGo was originally serialized in print form in Shueisha's 1958 Shōnen Book, and was released in tankōbon book form by Sun Wide Comics, re-released in Japan by Fusosha...
.