Ken Mora
Ken Mora | |
|---|---|
 Director, Ken Mora, 2010. Photo by Jeffrey Courion | |
| Born | December 17, 1960 |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | University of Southern California (ROSKI School of Fine Arts), Los Angeles |
| Known for | Animator, screenwriter, film director, film producer |
| Notable work |
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| Website | http://BellaFeFilms.com/ http://MagnumFarceMovie.com http://ScreenplayTheater.com |
Kenneth Oscar "Ken" Mora (born December 17, 1960) is an American screenplay writer, director, producer, editor, and voice actor. He is best known for creating the computer-animated short films Magnum Farce: A Shot in the Park (2009) and Magnum Farce: Along Came a Sniper (2011). He is currently producing the feature film Magnum Farce under the aegis of his production company Bella Fe Films,[1] in cooperation with Light Row Pictures[2] with a release date of 2013. Mora is also executive producer of Adventures in Plymptoons the official biographical documentary of animator Bill Plympton.
Early life
Mora was born in Hollywood, the youngest of two siblings.[3] His father, Oscar Mora, is a native of Costa Rica, Central America. His mother, Betty Paulina Wood y Meza, was also a native of Costa Rica, and emigrated to the United States in 1957. His parents met in Los Angeles. The couple were married in April 1959 and were divorced in September 1961.
An avid comic book fan since childhood, when his father bought him How To Draw Comics The Marvel Way,[4] Mora began his relationship with art and storytelling.
Education and early career
After graduating from North High School (Torrance) in 1979, Mora studied variously at El Camino College, worked a variety of jobs, often two at once, and later continued his studies at DeVry University, Santa Monica College, and various private non-accredited learning institutions.
In 1984, with the release of the Apple Macintosh personal computer, Mora began his parallel development of computer and artistic skills. After receiving a layoff from Hughes Spacecraft, in El Segundo, CA, he work freelance with his graphic designer with MacTemps (now Aquent) and was ultimately hired away to the post of Art Director at The Verity Group, a management consulting firm in Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles.
In 1995 Mora returned to Santa Monica College to major in Art and Art History, and under the advisement of Artist/Professor Ronn Davis, transfer to University of Southern California (USC Roski School of Fine Arts) in 1997. At USC he earned his BFA, graduating with distinction with the class of 1999, where he shared speaking honors at the commencement ceremony during the tenure of then Dean, Ruth Weisburg.
Career in entertainment industry
In 2003 Mora's first screenplay A Light Before The Darkness, based on the volatile Baroque-era artist Caravaggio won several screenwriting competition awards,[5][6] gained him representation via the Jack Scagnetti literary and talent agency, and an option from Buzzmedia Network for the feature film to be directed by Heinrich Dams.
By the time rights to A Light Before The Darkness reverted to him, he had completed his second and third screenplays, Magnum Farce, and Ms. Valkyrie. After several near-misses with production of Magnum Farce, he established his own sole-proprietorship production company Bella Fe Films in 2008, to produce the short film adaptation Magnum Farce: A Shot in the Park which garnered top accolades at film festivals.[7][8][9][10][11]
In 2010, Mora, who had been a long-time fan of Bill Plympton who has been cited variously as "The King" or "Dean" of Indie Animmation"[12][13][14] became Executive Producer of the documentary on Plympton, Adventures In Plymptoons, directed by Alexia Anastasio.
In 2013, Mora established the pay-per-download New media venture Screenplay Theater. The venture produces "Audiomovies" which dramatize previously optioned or award-winning Screenplays, that have not been produced as Movies. Like most audiobooks these "Audiomovies" employ SAG-AFTRA actors, but also feature Foley and musical scores.
Screenwriter
- Magnum Farce (IMDb) (2013 – in production)
- Magnum Farce: Along Came a Sniper (IMDb) (2011)
- Magnum Farce: A Shot in the Park (IMDb) (2009)
- The Cook and the Thief (IMDb) (in development)
- A Light Before The Darkness (optioned, not produced)
Director
Producer
- Magnum Farce (IMDb) (2013 – in production)
- Magnum Farce: Along Came a Sniper (2011, short)
- Adventures in Plymptoons! (2011, documentary)
- Magnum Farce: A Shot in the Park (2009, short)
Actor
- Magnum Farce: A Shot in the Park (2009, short)
Consultant / crew / other
- Wong Flew Over the Cukoo's Nest Production Assistant (2010, drama)
- Townies Script Consultant (2009, short)
- A Mass of Wine Special Thanks (2010, short, documentary)
- The Other Side of Paradise Very Special Thanks (2009, feature film)
- board member, Burbank International Film Festival, 2011, 2012
Interviews and articles
| Program | Episode Title | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rex Sikes' Movie Beat | Ken Mora, Producer, Filmmaker, Animator | 2012-04-11 | Podcast |
| ActorsE Chat Show | September 29th 2011 – ActorsE Chat with Actor/Stuntman Zak Lee Guarnaccia, Writer Ken Mora and Host Mary Jo Gruber | 2011-09-29 | Independent TV |
| ActorsE Chat Show | February 24th 2011 – ActorsE Chat with Writer/Producer Ken Mora, Host Brett Walkow | 2011-09-29 | Independent TV |
| Man Vs. Art | Man vs. Art Episode 39! Writer, Artist, and Independent Animation Filmmaker Ken Mora | 2010-12-19 | Podcast |
| Animation Reporter | (feature) "A First Shot In The Dark" | 2011-01-09 | Print Magazine |
| Action on Film Festival YouTube Channel | AOF Award Winning Filmmaker Ken Mora of Magnum Farce Fame | 2009-12-09 | Web Video |
| GoMotion Magazine | Magnum Farce: a shot in the park – breaking the animation mold | 2009-03-01 | Print Magazine |
References
- ^ Bella Fe Films (IMDb)
- ^ Light Row Pictures (IMDb)
- ^ Sister: Katherine Anne Williams (b. 1955 – d. 2008)
- ^ Marvel Fireside Books: How-To division, pub. 1977
- ^ Century City Film Festival, 2003 Best Screenplay
- ^ 20/20 Screenwriting Contest, 2003
- ^ Best Short Animation: The Indie Gathering Intl Film Festival, 2009
- ^ Best Spoof: Action On Film International Film Festival, 2009
- ^ Best Animation, Audience Choice: Cinema City International Film Festival, 2009
- ^ Silver Leigh Award: Honolulu Intl Film Festival, 2010
- ^ Rising Star Award: Canada Intl Film Festival, 2010
- ^ Independently Animated: Bill Plympton: The Life and Art of the King of Indie Animation pub. 2011, Rizzoli Books ISBN 978-0-7893-2209-8
- ^ Q&A Exclusive: Twice Oscar-Nominated Animator Bill Plympton Releases His Surreal Idiots and Angels Huffpost Entertainment, Oct. 2010
- ^ Museum of the Moving Image, Press Release, May 2011
External links
- Articles created via the Article Wizard
- 1960 births
- American animators
- American film directors
- American film producers
- American male screenwriters
- Animated film directors
- Animated film producers
- USC Roski School of Fine Arts alumni
- Living people
- Actors from Torrance, California
- Writers from Los Angeles
- Computer animation people
- Film directors from California