Bryan Johnson | |
---|---|
Born | Bryan Lee Johnson Highlands, New Jersey, U.S. |
Nationality | American |
Occupation | Podcaster • Writer • Filmmaker |
Years active | 1994–present |
Notable work | |
Spouse | Maribeth Johnson |
Bryan Lee Johnson is an American podcaster, actor, television personality, screenwriter and comic book writer associated with filmmaker Kevin Smith and the View Askewniverse. He is best known by his local fame in New Jersey and appearances in Smith's New Jersey films as comic book store owner Steve-Dave Pulasti. He was also the basis for the Clerks character Randal Graves. [1]
Through his friendship with Smith, he was often involved in his productions until Smith moved to Los Angeles. He wrote and directed one film, Vulgar (2000), for View Askew. He worked briefly at the Los Angeles branch of Smith's comic book store, Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash. [2] Since 2010, he has been a co-host of Tell 'Em Steve-Dave! , a podcast created with fellow View Askewniverse staple Walt Flanagan and Brian Quinn of The Tenderloins Comedy Troupe and Impractical Jokers . From 2012-2018, Johnson also co-starred on the AMC reality series Comic Book Men . Johnson has also collaborated with Flanagan in creating comics adapted from his screenplays, including the 2004 miniseries Karney [3] and the 2007 miniseries War of the Undead. [4]
Bryan Lee Johnson was born in Highlands, New Jersey. Johnson attended Highlands Elementary School there (part of the Highlands School District) and Henry Hudson Regional High School, graduating in the mid 1980s. [5]
In late 2009 Johnson began the podcast Tell 'Em Steve-Dave! with his friends Walt Flanagan and Brian "Q" Quinn.
Johnson has discussed his life and work with Kevin Smith in detail in various SmodCo podcasts, including 'Highlands, a Peephole History,' 'Why Bry?' with Kevin Smith, and 'Tell 'Em Steve-Dave,' the podcast he has hosted since Johnson created it in 2009.
On February 12, 2012, the reality television series Comic Book Men premiered, which stars both Johnson and Flanagan.
Kevin Patrick Smith is an American director, producer, screenwriter, actor and comic book writer. He came to prominence with the low-budget comedy buddy film Clerks (1994), which he wrote, directed, co-produced, and acted in as the character Silent Bob of stoner duo Jay and Silent Bob, characters who also appeared in Smith's later films Mallrats (1995), Chasing Amy (1997), Dogma (1999), Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001), Clerks II (2006), Jay and Silent Bob Reboot (2019), and Clerks III (2022) which are set primarily in his home state of New Jersey. While not strictly sequential, the films have crossover plot elements, character references, and a shared canon known as the "View Askewniverse", named after Smith's production company View Askew Productions, which he co-founded with Scott Mosier.
Jay and Silent Bob are fictional characters portrayed by Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith, respectively. They appear in the View Askewniverse, a fictional universe used in most of the films, comics, and television programs written and produced by Kevin Smith.
Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back is a 2001 American satirical stoner buddy comedy film written, co-edited, and directed by Kevin Smith and produced and co-edited by Scott Mosier. The film is the fifth set in the View Askewniverse, a growing collection of characters and settings that developed out of Smith's cult-favorite Clerks. It stars Jason Mewes and Smith respectively as the two eponymous characters. The film also stars Shannon Elizabeth, Jason Lee, Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Will Ferrell, Eliza Dushku, Ali Larter, and Chris Rock, among many others, most of which in cameo appearances. The title and logo for Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back are direct references to The Empire Strikes Back.
Clerks is a 1994 American black-and-white comedy film written and directed by Kevin Smith in his feature directorial debut.
View Askew Productions is an American film and television production company founded by Kevin Smith and Scott Mosier in 1994. Actors Ben Affleck, Jeff Anderson, Matt Damon, Chris Rock, Walter Flanagan, Bryan Johnson, Jason Lee, Jason Mewes, Brian O'Halloran, Ethan Suplee, and Smith himself are just some of the stars that frequently appear in projects under the View Askew banner.
The View Askewniverse is a fictional universe created by writer/director Kevin Smith, featured in several films, comics and a television series; it is named for Smith's production company, View Askew Productions. The characters Jay and Silent Bob appear in almost all the View Askewniverse media, and characters from one story often reappear or are referred to in others. Smith often casts the same actors for multiple characters in the universe, sometimes even in the same film; Smith himself portrays the character of Silent Bob.
Clerks is an American adult animated sitcom created by Kevin Smith for ABC. Based on Smith's 1994 comedy film of the same name, it was developed for television by Smith, Smith's producing partner Scott Mosier and former Seinfeld writer David Mandel with character designs by Stephen Silver, known for character designs in Disney Channel's Kim Possible and Nickelodeon's Danny Phantom. It is the first television show to be set in Smith's View Askewniverse. It is Disney’s second adult animated television series after The PJs.
Walter Flanagan is a former comic book store manager, reality television personality, podcaster, and comic book artist. Flanagan is a long-time friend of Kevin Smith, and it was Flanagan who turned Smith on to comic books. He formerly managed Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash in Red Bank, New Jersey.
In the comic Oni Double Feature #1, a story titled "Walt Flanagan's Dog" appears and tells the adventure of Jay and Silent Bob having an encounter with Walt Flanagan's dog, Krypto.
Henry Hudson Regional High School is a comprehensive regional public high school and school district for students in 7th through 12th grade from both Atlantic Highlands and Highlands in Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The school has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools.
SModcast Podcast Network is a podcast network owned by Kevin Smith. The network was started in January 2010 to host the podcast SModcast alongside the popular Tell 'Em Steve-Dave! and Highlands: A Peephole History.
Tell 'Em Steve-Dave!, or simply TESD, is an American comedy podcast, featured previously on the SModcast Podcast Network. It is hosted by View Askew Productions regulars and close friends of Kevin Smith: Bryan Johnson and Walt Flanagan of AMC's Comic Book Men, as well as Brian Quinn of Impractical Jokers. The show is edited by Declan Quinn of Creaky Studios. Previously, Tell 'Em Steve-Dave! was recorded at Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash in Red Bank, New Jersey, the location seen in the television show Comic Book Men, and the A Shared Universe PodcaStudio, run by Ming Chen and Mike Zapcic. Currently the podcast records from the TESD Town Studios in Hazlet, NJ.
Comic Book Men is an American reality television series which aired on the AMC network from 2012 to 2018. It is set at Kevin Smith's comic book shop, Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash, in Red Bank, New Jersey.
Jay & Silent Bob's Super Groovy Cartoon Movie! is a 2013 American adult animated comedy film written by Kevin Smith, directed by Steve Stark, and produced by Jason Mewes and Jordan Monsanto. The film's script was adapted from the Bluntman And Chronic comic book story originally written by Smith as a companion piece to his 2001 film Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back and it is the seventh film in the View Askewniverse.
Cliff Ming-Si Chen, better known as Ming Chen, is an actor, podcaster, reality television personality, and webmaster associated with Kevin Smith. He co-hosts the I Sell Comics! and Ming & Mike Show podcasts with Mike Zapcic and also starred in the AMC reality series Comic Book Men.
Shooting Clerks is a 2023 British-American biographical comedy-drama film directed by Christopher Downie and starring Brian O'Halloran, Mark Frost, Jason Mewes, Scott Schiaffo, Matthew Postlethwaite and Kevin Smith. It was produced by Auld Reekie Media. It had a preview screening in Orlando, Florida on October 22, 2016. The film had a special screening in Kevin Smith's home town of Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey on November 11, 2016.
Michael Zapcic, often referred to as Mike Zapcic or Chief, is a podcaster and cast member of the AMC reality TV show Comic Book Men with Kevin Smith.
Jay and Silent Bob Reboot is a 2019 American satirical buddy stoner comedy film written, directed, edited by, and starring Kevin Smith. Referring to his 2001 comedy Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, Smith has described the film as a remake/reboot. It is the eighth film in the View Askewniverse. The film also stars Jason Mewes, and features cameos from Brian O'Halloran, Jason Lee, Justin Long, Shannon Elizabeth, Rosario Dawson, Val Kilmer, Melissa Benoist, Craig Robinson, Tommy Chong, Chris Hemsworth, Matt Damon, and Ben Affleck.