TIMOTHY HOOTEN is presently helming the animated feature Humbugged!, a spirited and kinetically fresh take on the Dickens classic “A Christmas Carol”alongside longtime collaborator Todd Edwards. The duo recently directed the Emmy nominated Disney special Piney: The Lonesome Pine, also featuring their original music and starring Jonathan Pryce and Simon Pegg.
Prior, Hooten and Edwards wrote and sold the feature adaptation of the irreverently fun Caldecott-winning “Strega Nona” books to Lionsgate with Ian Bryce Productions (Saving Private Ryan, Almost Famous). In 2014 Hooten crafted the narrative of The Marvel Experience, a $40MM immersive attraction featuring the iconic Marvel characters in a brand new animated adventure that is touring the world. He and Edwards are currently developing multiple features and episodic series with fantastic creative collaborators.
Timothy has teamed with his Hardy Howl partners since 1995, contributing to films such as the indie darling Chillicothe and the animated hit Hoodwinked. He developed and produced the award-winning indie feature Jeffie Was Here (2010), and produced music videos including the viral hit “Thinking ‘bout Somethin’” featuring “Weird” Al Yankovic for the Grammy-nominated band Hanson.
Outside of his professional work, Timothy has helped create and guide dozens of non-profit outreach programs in economically challenged communities, which led to him testifying before U.S. Congress about his cutting-edge private-sector partnerships impacting the lives of at-risk youth. In 2006 he received a Civic Commendation from the Los Angeles City of Azusa for exemplary leadership in community development. Along with his oldest daughter, Timothy is a survivor of blood cancer, and their unique experience led to his short Eva’s Story which became the locus of the worldwide marketing campaign for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) where he served on the Los Angeles Board for over a decade, most recently as Chairman. In 2023, he curated a story-based transformative experience for LLS key volunteers, facilitating the event in 23 U.S. cities to extend the organization’s reach among the most vulnerable communities.
TODD EDWARDS created the box office hit Hoodwinked, an indie phenomenon that also showcased his skills as a songwriter. Todd wrote nine original songs for the film, with performances by Academy Award winner Anne Hathaway and platinum recording artist Ben Folds among others. He’s currently helming Humbugged! with Timothy Hooten, an animated feature in the vein of Hoodwinked that presents a fresh perspective of Dickens’ famous ghost story.
Edwards and creative partner Hooten wrote a feature adaptation of beloved Caldecott winning book series “Strega Nona” for Lionsgate with Ian Bryce Productions (Saving Private Ryan, Almost Famous). They also directed the holiday special “Piney: The Lonesome Pine” which has played on the Disney Channel for several years and earned its star Jonathan Pryce an Emmy nomination.
Todd wrote, directed and starred in his debut feature Chillicothe, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, also directing the 2010 award-winning comedy Jeffie Was Here. Garnering MTV’s “Top 5 Videos with Killer Dance Sequences of All Time”, he directed the viral sensation music video “Thinkin’ Bout Somethin” for Hanson. After multiple studio screenplay sales, Todd wrote The Marvel Experience with partner Timothy Hooten, and has consulted for Warner Brothers and Luc Besson, among others. In 2014 he wrote lyrics for the Academy Award-Nominated Ernest and Celestine.
Outside of his film career, Todd has performed as a singer and comedic actor. He co-produced “Uncle T. Sean’s Barn-Raising Comedy Night” with SNL writer T. Sean Shannon, featuring Fred Willard and Dana Gould. Todd wrote and produced the album “Blick Van Glory: The Search for Quest,” working with top Nashville musicians. He is also a trained visual artist, bringing his skills as a painter and illustrator into the filmmaking process. Todd lives in Los Angeles with his wife Cameron, an educator. They enjoy supporting their 12 year-old son Grey who loves sports, cooking, and performing, and their 17 year-old Linus, who has a passion for classic, international, and independent films.
KATIE HOOTEN (p.g.a.) is a creative producer and exec with 20+ years of entertainment experience in live action, animation, visual effects, virtual production, and interactive content. In her executive post as SVP and Head of Studio at premiere VFX company MPC in Los Angeles, she leads a team of artists for feature film and series visual development including such projects as The Little Mermaid, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, and Jordan Peele’s Nope. Katie produced an episode of the award-winning Fincher/Miller Netflix anthology Love Death & Robots directed by Tim Miller (Deadpool) at VFX studio Blur. Prior to working with Miller, Katie served as Visualization Producer at The Third Floor, the world’s leading visualization studio, producing previs/postvis on features such as Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: End Game, Thor: Ragnarok, Spider-Man: Homecoming, Captain Marvel and Ant-Man and the Wasp for Marvel Studios, as well as feature projects for Legendary, Warner Brothers, and Sony. Katie’s leadership extended to The Third Floor’s Immersive Department where she produced a number of ground-breaking projects in the areas of AR, VR, gaming cinematics, and theme park rides with collaborators such as Steven Spielberg, Disney, and Universal.
She produced Hardy Howl’s Emmy-nominated animated holiday special Piney: The Lonesome Pine (Disney/Haylett Ent) as well as the award-winning indie comedy Jeffie Was Here. Katie continues to produce Hardy Howl’s slate, including animated feature Humbugged! A veteran of Walt Disney Feature Animation, Katie worked on such films as Atlantis, Lilo and Stitch, Spirited Away, and Treasure Planet. While serving in Disney’s development department, she was paired with top directors, producers, and executives on a variety of projects, working with their Burbank, Orlando, and French studios. After her stint at Disney, Katie joined the producing team on ground-breaking indie animated feature Hoodwinked.
Katie volunteers with a variety of non-profit organizations including The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society whose mission is very close at heart. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband Tim and their two amazing daughters who are the source of their sanity and insanity.