John Semper
Encyclopedia
John Semper, Jr. is a screenwriter, producer and story editor with numerous credits in animation for television. He has worked for such diverse companies as Disney Studios
, Warner Bros. Animation
and Hanna-Barbera Productions during a career which has involved the development of projects for Jim Henson
, George Lucas
, Stan Lee
, Rob Minkoff
and others.
Semper created the English-language dialogue for two of Hayao Miyazaki
's acclaimed animated features, Laputa: Castle in the Sky (1986) and Kiki's Delivery Service (1989), and co-wrote the screenplay for the live-action comedy, Class Act (1992).
During the 1990s, Semper was producer/story editor of Spider-Man: The Animated Series
. which ran from 1994 to 1998.
. Identical twin harpists and actresses Camille and Kennerly Kitt both portray the title role. The film has completed principal photography and is scheduled for release in 2012.
The character of Creeporia was first introduced in the online series titled Crypt of Creeporia, a live-action/animated blend of humor and horror. The role of Creeporia in the original webseries was played by Kommerina DeYoung. Creeporia was subsequently recast with Camille and Kennerly Kitt for Creeporia the film as well as for the second season of the online series Crypt of Creeporia.
nomination for Best Individual Achievement for Writing in the Field of Animation. In 1996, the series was nominated for an NAACP Image Award in the category Outstanding Animated/Live Action/Dramatic Youth or Children's Series/Special. In 2004, Semper was nominated for a Daytime Emmy for his work on Static Shock
.
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...
, Warner Bros. Animation
Warner Bros. Animation
Warner Bros. Animation is the animation division of Warner Bros., a subsidiary of Time Warner. The studio is closely associated with the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies characters, among others. The studio is the successor to Warner Bros...
and Hanna-Barbera Productions during a career which has involved the development of projects for Jim Henson
Jim Henson
James Maury "Jim" Henson was an American puppeteer best known as the creator of The Muppets. As a puppeteer, Henson performed in various television programs, such as Sesame Street and The Muppet Show, films such as The Muppet Movie and The Great Muppet Caper, and created advanced puppets for...
, George Lucas
George Lucas
George Walton Lucas, Jr. is an American film producer, screenwriter, and director, and entrepreneur. He is the founder, chairman and chief executive of Lucasfilm. He is best known as the creator of the space opera franchise Star Wars and the archaeologist-adventurer character Indiana Jones...
, Stan Lee
Stan Lee
Stan Lee is an American comic book writer, editor, actor, producer, publisher, television personality, and the former president and chairman of Marvel Comics....
, Rob Minkoff
Rob Minkoff
Robert R. "Rob" Minkoff is an American filmmaker. He is known for directing the Academy Award–winning animated feature The Lion King ....
and others.
Semper created the English-language dialogue for two of Hayao Miyazaki
Hayao Miyazaki
is a Japanese manga artist and prominent film director and animator of many popular anime feature films. Through a career that has spanned nearly fifty years, Miyazaki has attained international acclaim as a maker of animated feature films and, along with Isao Takahata, co-founded Studio Ghibli,...
's acclaimed animated features, Laputa: Castle in the Sky (1986) and Kiki's Delivery Service (1989), and co-wrote the screenplay for the live-action comedy, Class Act (1992).
During the 1990s, Semper was producer/story editor of Spider-Man: The Animated Series
Spider-Man (1994 TV series)
Spider-Man, also known as Spider-Man: The Animated Series, is an American animated series starring the Marvel Comics superhero, Spider-Man. The show ran on Fox Kids from November 19, 1994, to January 31, 1998. The producer/story editor was John Semper, Jr. and production company was Marvel Films...
. which ran from 1994 to 1998.
Creeporia
Semper’s most recent creation is the family comedy-horror feature film CreeporiaCreeporia
Creeporia is an upcoming family comedy-horror feature length film written and directed by John Semper. Identical twin harpists and actresses Camille and Kennerly Kitt co-star as the title character Creeporia. Cameo appearance by legendary TV horror host Sammy Terry...
. Identical twin harpists and actresses Camille and Kennerly Kitt both portray the title role. The film has completed principal photography and is scheduled for release in 2012.
The character of Creeporia was first introduced in the online series titled Crypt of Creeporia, a live-action/animated blend of humor and horror. The role of Creeporia in the original webseries was played by Kommerina DeYoung. Creeporia was subsequently recast with Camille and Kennerly Kitt for Creeporia the film as well as for the second season of the online series Crypt of Creeporia.
Books
His books include The Singular Affair of the Missing Ball: A Sherlock Whippet Mystery (Lulu Press, 2005), as well as several books based on his scripts for the PBS pre-school series Jay Jay the Jet Plane, and the WB action/adventure series Static Shock.Awards
"Day of the Chameleon", an episode Semper wrote for Spider-Man: The Animated Series, brought him a 1995 Annie AwardAnnie Award
The Annie Awards have been presented by the Los Angeles, California branch of the International Animated Film Association, ASIFA-Hollywood since 1972...
nomination for Best Individual Achievement for Writing in the Field of Animation. In 1996, the series was nominated for an NAACP Image Award in the category Outstanding Animated/Live Action/Dramatic Youth or Children's Series/Special. In 2004, Semper was nominated for a Daytime Emmy for his work on Static Shock
Static Shock
Static Shock is an American animated television series produced by Warner Bros. Animation. It premiered in September 2000 on the Kids' WB! block and ran for four seasons, with a total of 52 half-hour episodes....
.
Partial list of script credits
- CreeporiaCreeporiaCreeporia is an upcoming family comedy-horror feature length film written and directed by John Semper. Identical twin harpists and actresses Camille and Kennerly Kitt co-star as the title character Creeporia. Cameo appearance by legendary TV horror host Sammy Terry...
(2012) - Pink Panther and PalsPink Panther and PalsPink Panther and Pals was an animated television series based on the classic DePatie-Freleng Panther shorts from the 1960s, produced for Cartoon Network by Rubicon Studios in association with MGM Television. The show premiered on Cartoon Network on March 7, 2010 at 7:30am, presented in both HD and...
(2010) - Jay Jay the Jet PlaneJay Jay the Jet PlaneJay Jay the Jet Plane is an American CGI children's television series based at the fictional Tarrytown Airport. It has about 60 episodes and it is aimed at ages 2-6. The characters are talking airplanes, a helicopter, some humans, and two talking ground vehicles...
(2001) - Static ShockStatic ShockStatic Shock is an American animated television series produced by Warner Bros. Animation. It premiered in September 2000 on the Kids' WB! block and ran for four seasons, with a total of 52 half-hour episodes....
(2000) - Clifford the Big Red DogClifford the Big Red DogClifford the Big Red Dog is an American children's book series first published in 1963. Written by Norman Bridwell, the series helped establish Scholastic Books as a premier publishing company....
(2000) - Extreme GhostbustersExtreme GhostbustersExtreme Ghostbusters is an animated television series and a follow-up to the animated series Slimer! and the Real Ghostbusters. It is a part of the film/TV Ghostbusters franchise...
(1997) - The Incredible Hulk (1996)
- Spider-ManSpider-Man (1994 TV series)Spider-Man, also known as Spider-Man: The Animated Series, is an American animated series starring the Marvel Comics superhero, Spider-Man. The show ran on Fox Kids from November 19, 1994, to January 31, 1998. The producer/story editor was John Semper, Jr. and production company was Marvel Films...
(1994) - The Puzzle PlaceThe Puzzle PlaceThe Puzzle Place is an American children's television series produced by KCET in Los Angeles, California and Lancit Media in New York City, New York...
(1994) - Class ActClass ActClass Act is a 1992 comedy film, directed by Randall Miller and starring hip-hop duo Kid 'n Play. An urban retelling of Mark Twain's The Prince and the Pauper, the screenplay is by Cynthia Friedlob and John Semper from a story by Michael Swerdlick, Richard Brenne and Wayne Allan Rice...
(1992) - Kid 'n' Play (1990)
- The New Adventures of the Snorks (1988)
- Fraggle RockFraggle RockFraggle Rock is a children's live action puppet television program series created by Jim Henson. The central characters were a set of "Muppet" creatures called Fraggles. The show ran from January 10, 1983, to March 30, 1987, on CBC Television in Canada, ITV in the UK, HBO in the United States,...
(1987) - DuckTalesDuckTalesDuckTales is an American animated television series produced by Walt Disney Television Animation. Based on Carl Barks' Uncle Scrooge comic book series, it premiered on September 18, 1987 and ended on November 28, 1990 with a total of four seasons and 100 episodes...
(1987) - Bionic SixBionic SixBionic Six is an American/Japanese animated television series from 1987, produced by TMS Entertainment and distributed by MCA TV...
(1987) - Moon Dreamers (1986)
- The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-DooThe 13 Ghosts of Scooby-DooThe 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo is the seventh incarnation of the Hanna-Barbera Saturday morning cartoon Scooby-Doo, and the final first-run version of the original 1969-86 broadcast run of the series. It premiered on and ran for one season on ABC as a half-hour program. Thirteen episodes of the show...
(1985) - KissyfurKissyfurKissyfur is a 1980s animated children's television series which aired on NBC. It was produced by Jean Chalopin & Andy Heyward and created by Phil Mendez for DIC. The series was based on a half-hour NBC prime-time special called Kissyfur: Bear Roots and was followed by three more specials until...
(1985) - The SnorksThe SnorksSnorks is an animated television series produced by Hanna-Barbera which ran on NBC from September 15, 1984 to May 13, 1989. Although not as popular as the animated series The Smurfs, the program continued to be available in syndication from 1986 to 1989, on the BBC in the late 1990s, and from...
(1984) - The Pink Panther and Sons (1984)
- SuperFriends: The Legendary Super Powers Show (1984)
- The All-New Scooby and Scrappy-Doo ShowThe All-New Scooby and Scrappy-Doo ShowThe New Scooby and Scrappy-Doo Show is the sixth incarnation of the Hanna-Barbera Saturday morning cartoon Scooby-Doo. It premiered on September 10, 1983 and ran for one season on ABC as a half-hour program made up of two eleven-minute short cartoons. In 1984, the name of the show was changed to...
(1983) - Alvin & the ChipmunksAlvin and the Chipmunks (TV series)Alvin and the Chipmunks is an American animated television series featuring The Chipmunks, produced by Bagdasarian Productions in association with Ruby-Spears Enterprises from 1983–87, and DIC Entertainment from 1988-90....
(1983) - The Shirt Tales (1982)
- The BiskittsThe BiskittsThe Biskitts is an animated cartoon TV series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions from 1983 to 1984 and aired on CBS. The series lasted for only one season, Shirt Tales replaced the show in its time slot on the following 1984-85 Saturday Morning season...
(1982) - The Smurfs (1981)