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Jerry Macaluso | |
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| Born | July 12, 1967 Connecticut, Hartford, United States |
| Notable work | SOTA FX SOTA Toys Pop Culture Shock Collectibles |
Gerald "Jerry" Macaluso (born July 12, 1967) is an American toy designer, [1] sculptor, film producer, and entrepreneur.
Jerry Macaluso was born in Hartford, Connecticut and is the eldest of four siblings. At the age of 17, Macaluso entered the field of special effects makeup assisting Norman Cabrera on the set of the horror film Scarecrows . A year later he became the special makeup designer on the film The Unholy . Shortly thereafter, Macaluso was hired to re-create Toxie for The Toxic Avenger Part II , Troma's sequel to the cult classic The Toxic Avenger . [2] By 1990, Macaluso moved to Los Angeles, California and formed SOTA FX with partner Roy Knyrim. The next several years were spent creating effects for such films as Darkman , The Indian in the Cupboard , Spawn , the Weird Science television series and Gods and Monsters .[ citation needed ] In the late 1990s, Macaluso formed a toy development company called SOTA Sculpture and Design which designed and created action figure prototypes for Hasbro, Mattel, Toy Biz, ReSaurus and Palisades Toys, among others. [3]
In 2000, Macaluso started a new company called Plastic Fantasy. Plastic Fantasy designed and manufactured action figures of porn stars including Jenna Jameson, [1] Brianna Banks, Christy Canyon and Asia Carrera. The company's products have been featured on The Tonight Show , Nightline and Newsweek .[ citation needed ] In 2006, Macaluso sold Plastic Fantasy.
Following the success of Plastic Fantasy, Macaluso formed SOTA Toys in 2001 to manufacture action figures and collectibles based on such properties as Capcom's fighting game series Street Fighter, the Universal film The Chronicles of Riddick , Blizzard Entertainment's World of Warcraft and music legend Johnny Cash. SOTA Toy's horror themed line, Now Playing, featuring characters from such iconic films as The Thing , Darkman , Tremors , Saw and Dog Soldiers .
In 2005, Macaluso began producing horror films under the Karza Productions and Centuri Films labels. The first film, Night Skies , is based on the true story of six travellers in Phoenix, Arizona who are terrorized by an unknown creature during the night of the Phoenix Lights incident on March 13, 1997.[ citation needed ]
In 2008, a new company, Pop Culture Shock Collectibles, Inc., was formed. This company made high-end polystone statues and collectibles based on popular pop culture properties such as Mortal Kombat , Street Fighter , ThunderCats , Power Rangers , Judge Dredd , and He-Man and The Masters of The Universe . [4] In the summer of 2017, Macaluso sold Pop Culture Shock Collectibles, and the company relocated to North Carolina.
In January, 2012, Macaluso, was a contestant on the second season of the SyFy special effects competition reality show Face Off , where he placed 7th.
Special effects are illusions or visual tricks used in the theatre, film, television, video game, amusement park and simulator industries to simulate the imagined events in a story or virtual world. It used to be called SFX but this short form has also expanded to include “sound effects” as well.
Troma Entertainment is an American independent film production and distribution company founded by Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz in 1974. The company produces low-budget independent films, or "B movies", primarily of the horror comedy genre, all geared exclusively to mature audiences. Many of them play on 1950s horror with elements of farce, parody, gore, and splatter.
An action figure is a poseable character model figure made most commonly of plastic, and often based upon characters from a film, comic book, military, video game or television program; fictional or historical. These figures are usually marketed toward boys and adult collectors. The term was coined by Hasbro in 1964 to market G.I. Joe to boys.
Tokusatsu is a Japanese term for live-action films or television programs that make heavy use of practical special effects. Credited to special effects director Eiji Tsuburaya, tokusatsu mainly refers to science fiction, war, fantasy, or horror media featuring such technology but is also occasionally dubbed a genre itself. Its contemporary use originated in the Japanese mass media around 1958 to explain special effects in an easy-to-understand manner and was popularized during the "first monster boom" (1966-1968). Prior to the monster boom, it was known in Japan as Tokushu gijutsu or shortened Tokugi.
Stanley Lloyd Kaufman Jr. is an American film director, screenwriter, producer and actor. Alongside producer Michael Herz, he is the co-founder of Troma Entertainment film studio, and the director of many of their feature films, such as The Toxic Avenger (1984) and Tromeo and Juliet (1996). Many of the strategies employed by him at Troma have been credited with making the film industry significantly more accessible and decentralized.
Darkman is a 1990 American superhero film directed and co-written by Sam Raimi. The film stars Liam Neeson as scientist Peyton Westlake, who is brutally attacked, disfigured, and left for dead by ruthless mobster Robert Durant, after his girlfriend, attorney Julie Hastings, runs afoul of corrupt developer Louis Strack Jr.. An experimental treatment gives Westlake super-human strength and resilience, with the unintended side-effect of rendering him mentally unstable and borderline psychotic. Consumed with vengeance, Westlake continues his research with the new goal of hunting down those who disfigured him.
The National Entertainment Collectibles Association is an American manufacturer of collectibles typically licensed from films, video-games, sports, music, and television based in New Jersey. The company was founded in 1996 and has over 60 licenses for which it produces products.
Robin R. Bottin is an American special make-up effects creator. Known for his collaborations with directors John Carpenter, Paul Verhoeven and David Fincher, Bottin worked with Carpenter on both The Fog and The Thing, with Verhoeven on RoboCop, Total Recall and Basic Instinct, and with Fincher on Se7en and Fight Club. His many other film credits include The Howling, Legend, Innerspace and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.
SOTA Toys, or State Of The Art Toys, is a developer, manufacturer, and wholesaler of collectibles based on licensed properties from companies such as Capcom and Universal. Formed in 2000 by Jerry Macaluso, they have created and manufactured numerous licensed products based on the characters from popular films, TV shows, hit video games, and literary works, as well as legendary musicians and pop stars. Aside from being a developer and manufacturer, SOTA Toys also serves as fabricator and prototyper for the motion picture, toys/collectibles, and video game industry.
All I Need to Know about Filmmaking I Learned from the Toxic Avenger is the biography of Lloyd Kaufman, co-written by Kaufman himself and James Gunn. The book was published by Berkley Boulevard in 1998.
Dragon Models Limited is a Hong-Kong-based manufacturer of plastic model kits, diecast models and military action figures. Founded in 1987, the company's products are distributed globally and can be found in most major hobby distribution channels and retailers. The company is headquartered in the Tsuen Wan district of Hong Kong, and operates a sales and distribution office in Shanghai China. They are known for their attention to historical accuracy and detail, and have worked with many renowned military experts for their product designs. Since its founding, it has released more than 1,000 items.
International Horror and Sci-Fi Film Festival is a film festival dedicated to the genres of horror and science fiction. The event is held annually in Tempe, Arizona, United States. The festival was founded in 2005 by fans of horror and sci-fi films.
Micronauts was a North American science fiction toyline manufactured and marketed by Mego from 1976 to 1980. The Micronauts toyline was based on and licensed from the Microman toyline created by Japanese-based toy company Takara in 1974.
Funko Inc. is an American company that manufactures licensed and limited pop culture collectibles, best known for its licensed vinyl figurines and bobbleheads. In addition, the company produces licensed plush, action figures, apparel, accessories and games. Founded in 1998 by Mike Becker and Claudia Becker, Funko was originally conceived as a small project to create various low-tech, nostalgia-themed toys. The company's first manufactured bobblehead was of the Big Boy restaurant mascot.
Tony Gardner is an American makeup designer, special effects designer and puppeteer. He has designed and created effects for many feature films, including the films Zombieland, 127 Hours, Smokin' Aces, Hairspray, Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa, The Addams Family, Seed of Chucky,Shallow Hal and There's Something About Mary. Gardner helped create the signature helmets for Daft Punk, as well as an animatronic robot for their "Technologic" music video. He wrote and directed Daft Punk's music video for the song "The Prime Time of Your Life," which also, his two daughters were in and associate produced and populated a world full of robots for the duo's feature-length directorial debut, Daft Punk's Electroma. Beyond the film-making arena, Gardner's special effects company Alterian, Inc. has also designed and created the popular GEICO Cavemen characters as well as the current iteration of Smokey Bear. Alterian's makeup effects for Johnny Knoxville's character in Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa were nominated for an Academy Award as well as a Makeup Artist & Hair Stylist Guild Award, and won the Makeup Artist & Hair Stylist Guild Award for Best Special Makeup Effects in the Feature Film category for 2014.
James Ojala is an American special effects and makeup artist, screenwriter and film director.
Steve Johnson is an American special effects artist whose career has spanned more than thirty years. His work has appeared in over 200 films, countless television shows, theme parks, commercials, and music videos. Some of his best-known creations include Slimer for Ghostbusters (1984), the alien seductress Sil for Species (1995), Robin Williams's robotics for Bicentennial Man (1999), and Doctor Octopus's arms for Spider-Man 2 (2004).
Roy Knyrim is an American film director and special effects makeup artist. He directed Demons at the Door (2004), Cemetery Gates (2006), Night Skies (2007), and Death Racers (2008). His credits as a special effects and makeup artist include the fourth, fifth, and sixth films in the Children of the Corn film series, as well as A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child (1989), Gods and Monsters (1998), 2001 Maniacs (2005), and Death House (2017). He also provided miniature models for such films as The Abyss (1989), Tremors, Darkman, and Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991).
