Kevin VanHook

Kevin VanHook (born 24 June 1965) is an American filmmaker who began his career in storytelling as a comic book artist and writer.

Career

In comics, VanHook is best known for his work on Bloodshot from Valiant Comics. He also wrote the Flash Gordon comic strip in the 1990s.

In 1996, he made his first short film, Drifter. In 1998, he began filming Frost: Portrait of a Vampire while founding a visual effects company, VanHook Studios. Frost was completed in 2001 and released on DVD in 2003, where it became the 18th highest grossing DVD premiere that year.

In 2002, VanHook Studios merged with Film Roman, the animation company best known for animating The Simpsons TV series. During his stint as a visual effects artist and supervisor, VanHook has worked on such films as Miss Congeniality, Hart's War, Daredevil, I, Robot and many others.

Film Roman was acquired by IDT Corporation, an international telephone company expanding into entertainment in 2003. After IDT acquired Anchor Bay Entertainment, a leading DVD distributor, VanHook created a new film for IDT, The Fallen Ones starring Casper Van Dien and Robert Wagner. This was followed by Voodoo Moon an action-horror film packed with genre stars like Eric Mabius, Charisma Carpenter, Jeffrey Combs and Dee Wallace.

In mid-2006 IDT Entertainment was acquired by Starz Media, a division of Liberty.

Beginning in 2006, VanHook, along with producing partner Karen Bailey, created a series of films designed for Sci Fi Channel. Films by Kevin include, "Slayer" and, "Death Row," AKA "Haunted Prison." These films are available on DVD from Anchor Bay Entertainment.

VanHook's 2008 documentary, "Fantastic Flesh: The Art of Make-Up EFX" includes a who's who of the American horror and make-up world. Working closely with Greg Nicotero and Howard Berger from K.N.B. EFX Group, VanHook interviewed Quentin Tarantino, Robert Rodriguez, John Landis and Joe Dante, John Carpenter, George A. Romero, Tom Savini and make-up legends Rob Bottin and Dick Smith among many others.

VanHook returned to comics in 2008 to write Superman and Batman vs. Vampires and Werewolves at DC Comics,^[1][2] as well as the Oracle mini-series that forms a part of the Battle for the Cowl storyline which deals with the aftermath of Batman R.I.P..^[3]

In early 2011, VanHook joined Visual Effects Supervisor Wes C. Caefer at Worldwide Effects in Shreveport, Louisiana to Produce the visual effects for TRESPASS, a Joel Schumacher film starring Nicolas Cage and Nicole Kidman.

In July 2013, it was announced that VanHook is developing a television series based on Exposure, the Red Giant Entertainment comic book created by David Campiti and Al Rio.^[4]

VanHook has been the Visual Effects Supervisor for the popular Rizzoli & Isles Television Series on TNT since the 2nd Season.

Works

Comics

• Bloodshot #1-39 (writer, Valiant Comics, 1993–1995)
• The Visitor #1-3 (writer, with pencils by Bernard Chang, Valiant Comics, 1995)
• Superman and Batman vs. Vampires and Werewolves (with Tom Mandrake, 6-issue limited series, DC Comics, 2008–2009)
• G.I. Joe: Snake-Eyes #1 (co-writer with Ray Park, with pencils by Lee Ferguson, IDW, 2009)
• Red Tornado Six issue limited series with art by José Luís and J.P. Mayer.

Films

• FROST: Portrait of a Vampire (2003)
• I Robot (2004)
• The Fallen Ones (2005)
• Voodoo Moon (2005)
• Slayer (2006)
• Death Row—AKA Haunted Prison (2006)
• Sands of Oblivion (2007) as co-writer and producer
• Fantastic Flesh: The Art of Make-Up EFX (documentary) (2008)
• Olympus Has Fallen (2008)

Television

Exposure (status: production)^[5]

Rizzoli & Isles (Visual Effects Supervisor)

Southland (Visual Effects Supervisor - 1 episode)

The Vampire Diaries (compositor - 4 episodes)

Law and Order: Criminal Intent (Visual Effects Supervisor - 3 episodes)

Law and Order (Visual Effects Supervisor - 5 episodes)

References

External links

• Official website
• Kevin VanHook at the Internet Movie Database
• Kevin VanHook at the Comic Book DB