Steven R. Kutcher
 | This article contains content that is written like an advertisement. (August 2014) |
| Steven R Kutcher | |
|---|---|
| Pseudonym | The Bug Man of Hollywood |
| Born | January 9, 1944 Manhattan, New York, U.S. |
| Medium | Film Television Radio Live appearances Watercolor |
| Genres | Bug wrangling, bug art |
| Notable works and roles | Arachnophobia, Jurassic Park, Spider-Man (2002) |
| Website | http://BugsAreMyBusiness.com http://BugArtBySteven.com |
Steven R. Kutcher (born January 9, 1944) is an American
wrangler" of insects and other arthropods in the entertainment industry.[1][2] He has gained media attention as "The Bug Man of Hollywood."[3][4]
In recent years, Kutcher has attracted additional notice[5] by using insects as "living brushes" to create "Bug Art," while continuing his work as a naturalist and educator.
Background, education, and training
Born in Manhattan, New York, a young Steven R. Kutcher collected fireflies in the Catskill Mountains. Kutcher continued to collect insects after his family moved to a suburb of Los Angeles, California, this time in the Santa Monica Mountains. At 19, Kutcher traveled 3000 miles around Mexico, exploring desert to tropical ecosystems.
Kutcher received a bachelors degree in entomology from the
milkweed bug, Oncopeltus fasciitis[6]
— observed via time-lapse cinematography under experimental conditions.
In 1970, Kutcher began his work in the entertainment industry as "Larry J. Felix" in The Stein and Illes Radio Show, a comedy show on KUSC, in Southern California; James R. Stein and Robert Illes would both become Emmy Award–winning TV writers and producers. Kutcher received comedic training from Bill Cosby and once had Robin Williams as an audience.[2]
"The Bug Man of Hollywood"
Since 1977, Kutcher has manipulated the instinctive behaviors of arthropods, and the instinctive reactions of audiences, mostly in the horror, thriller, fantasy, and comedy genres. He has worked with insects on over 100 feature films, including Spider-Man (2002), Jurassic Park, and Arachnophobia. Kutcher has also worked on numerous popular television shows—including CSI: NY, MacGyver, and The X-Files – as well as TV commercials and online advertising for Fortune 500 corporations.
As "The Bug Man of Hollywood," Kutcher has himself been the subject of numerous interviews. He has appeared on TV talk shows, including The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and Late Night with David Letterman. In 1992, Kutcher appeared as a guest on the Emmy-nominated "Spider Episode"[7] of the TV talk show parody The Larry Sanders Show, starring Garry Shandling. In 1998, Kutcher appeared on the British TV children's show The Scoop, which won a BAFTA award.[8]
Manipulating insect behavior
Applying his expertise on arthropod behaviors, Kutcher manipulates instinctive responses such as positive or negative sensitivity to light, air pressure, or gravity to make bugs perform scripted tricks on cue,[2] such as:
- A live wasp flies harmlessly into the mouth of actor Roddy McDowell.
- A cockroach runs across the floor and then, "hitting its mark", flips over on its back.
- A spider crawls across a room and then into a slipper.
- A cockroach crawls out of a shoe, walks up a bag of snack food and onto a surfing magazine, and then stops upon a picture of a surfboard.
- A praying mantis, a scorpion, and beetles power-up a cell phone as part of a "Bug Circus" in online ad[9] (a la a traditional flea circus).
- Hundreds of bees or thousands of locusts swarm on camera as called for in the script.
"Bug Art"
In the 1980s, for a Steven Spielberg television project, Steven Kutcher made a fly walk through ink and leave footprints as directed.[10] Since 2000, Steven Kutcher has been creating "Bug Art," using various
"I use water-based, nontoxic paints that easily wash off", he says. "I have to take good care of them. After all, they are artists!"[5] TheImpressionist and other master painters.[12]
Contributions as scientist, naturalist, and educator
Steven Kutcher has given talks and live-insect demonstrations at hundreds of film festivals, seminars, workshops, museums, libraries, and schools (pre-K through post-graduate level).[2] Kutcher has been instrumental in creating annual insect fairs, as at the
Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History and Los Angeles County Arboretum, which have been attended by more than 100,000 children and adults. Kutcher also served as a consultant in the development of the interactive insect exhibits at the Kidspace Children's Museum,[13]
in Pasadena, California.
Kutcher has taught outdoor education workshops for such environmental organizations as the
Audubon Society, the Sierra Club, and Tree People. With a milkweed butterfly garden of his own, Kutcher is on the board of the Monarch Program[14]
Kutcher has consulted on the biology and control of arthropods for major corporations and government agencies, such as the Greater Los Angeles County Vector Control District.
For over 30 years, Kutcher has taught entomology, zoology, and biology courses at West Lost Angeles College, Culver City, but has also taught for four other community colleges.[2]
Partial Filmography
Theatrical films
In addition to serving as "bug wrangler" or entomology consultant for numerous student and independent films, Kutcher has worked on many feature films from major studios and production companies:[1][2]
| Film | Year | Featured "bugs" |
|---|---|---|
| We Bought a Zoo | 2011 | Swarm of honey bees |
| G-Force | 2009 | Tarantula, cockroach (test shots for animation) |
| National Treasure: Book of Secrets | 2007 | Beetles etc. |
| The Hitcher | 2007 | Spiders, scorpion |
| Antwone Fisher | 2002 | Grasshoppers |
| Spider-Man | 2002 | Spiders (wrangled live spiders and consulted on cgi spiders, as "The Spider Man Behind Spider-Man"[15]) |
| Wild Wild West | 1998 | Tarantula |
| Lost Highway | 1997 | Spider, moths |
| Mimic | 1997 | Ants, termites |
Alien: Resurrection |
1997 | Spider (with web) |
| L.A. Confidential | 1996 | Maggots (on body under house) |
| D3: The Mighty Ducks | 1996 | Ants |
| Jack | 1996 | Monarch butterflies |
| James and the Giant Peach | 1996 | Dwarf tarantulas (in costume) |
| A Very Brady Sequel | 1996 | Tarantula |
| Copycat | 1995 | Carpenter ants (covering Sigourney Weaver) |
| Matilda | 1995 | Cockroach (and newt) |
| A Walk in the Clouds | 1995 | Butterflies |
| Leprechaun 2 | 1994 | Cockroaches (green) and tarantulas |
| Jurassic Park | 1993 | Mosquitoes (live and "prehistoric," simulated by crane fly in "amber") |
| The Temp | 1993 | Wasps, scorpions, cockroaches |
| Meet the Applegates | 1991 | Praying mantis, tarantula |
| Arachnophobia | 1990 | Spiders, crickets, etc. |
| Back to the Future Part II | 1989 | Various insects (pinned etc. in displays) |
The 'Burbs |
1989 | Bees |
| Fright Night II | 1989 | Mealworms etc. |
| Police Academy 6: City Under Siege | 1989 | Cabbage white butterflies (as "moths") |
| A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors | 1987 | Dragonfly, fly |
| The Golden Child | 1986 | Monarch butterfly |
| The Goonies | 1985 | Leech (scene cut) |
| Exorcist II: The Heretic | 1977 | Locusts (grasshoppers) |
TV movies and series[2]
| TV production | Year | Featured "bugs" |
|---|---|---|
| An Inconvenient Woman | c. 1991 | Fly |
Bernie Mac Show, The |
2003 | Mealworm beetles |
| Boy Meets World | c. 1997, 1999 | Snails, bees |
| Buck Rogers in the 25th Century | c. 1980 | Dragonflies |
| Chicago Hope | 2000 | Tarantula |
| Criminal Minds | 2012, 2013, 2013 | Maggots, flies, waxworms, praying mantis |
CSI: NY |
2006 | Mealworms |
| Family Matters | c. 1995 | Giant mealworms |
| Kung Fu: The Movie | 1986 | Grasshopper |
Larry Sanders Show, the (Emmy-nominated "The Spider Episode") |
1996 | Tarantulas |
| Laverne and Shirley Reunion | 2002 | Cockroaches etc. |
| Life with Bonnie (The Bonnie Hunt Show) | 2004 | Honey bee |
| MacGyver | 1991 | Cockroaches |
| Mentalist, The | 2013 | |
| Monk | 2005 | Bees |
| Power Rangers | 1994 | Praying mantis, cockroaches |
| Tarantulas: The Deadly Cargo | 1977 | Tarantulas |
Women of Brewster Place, The |
1989 | Cockroach |
| Wonder Woman | 1978 | Ants |
| The X-Files | 1999, 2005 | Flies, moths |
| The Young and the Restless | 1991 | Ants |
Music videos[2]
| Artist | Project | Year | Featured "bugs" |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paula Abdul | Butterflies (in display case) | ||
| Christina Aguilera | "Fighter" | 2002 | Moths |
| Alice Cooper | Welcome to My Nightmare | Scorpions, mealworms | |
| Godsmack | "I Stand Alone" | 2002 | Scorpion |
M.C. Hammer |
1992 | Butterflies | |
| Billy Idol | "L.A. Woman" | 1990 | Cockroach, mealworm |
| Janet Jackson | "Together Again" (Deeper Remix) | 1997 | Butterfly |
| Michael Jackson | "Stranger in Moscow" | 1996 | Wasp |
| Korn | 1996 | Cockroaches | |
| No Doubt | Don't Speak | 1996 | Fly, mealworms |
TV and online commercials[2]
| Market segment | Brands | Featured "bugs" |
|---|---|---|
| Automobiles | Chrysler, Dodge, Fiat, Honda, Hyundai, Jeep, Kia, Lexus, Mini Cooper, Mitsubishi, Peugeot, Subaru, Toyota, Volkswagen | Bees, beetles, butterflies, dragonflies, flies, grasshoppers, ladybugs, scorpions, spider webs |
| Consumer electronics | Apple, Dell, Goldstar, Hewlett Packard, Hitachi, Kodak, Nintendo Game Boy, Panasonic, Polaroid, Sega, Sony, TDK, VCR Plus | Ants, bees, butterflies, flies, moths, praying mantids, snails |
| Consumer goods (misc.) | Adidas, All, Anderson Windows, Avia, Dial Soap, Dockers, Evinrude, Galoop Toys, Gladlock, Hallmark, K-Mart, Kleenex, Levi Strauss, Lowes, Nike, Northern Bathroom Tissue, Omega Watch, Revlon, Sears, Snuggles, Standard Brands Paint, Stainmaster, Sunlight Detergent, Swatch | Bees, beetles, butterflies, caterpillars, cockroaches, flies, ladybugs, mosquitoes, moths, spiders |
| Energy | Chevron, Florida Power and Light, Mobil, Sempra | Ants, beetles, butterflies, flies, ladybugs, spider webs |
| Entertainment | Cartoon Network, PGA, Virginia Lottery, WCW | Ants, beetles, cockroaches, flies, mealworms |
| Fast food and other restaurants | Applebee's, Carl's Jr., Dunkin' Donuts, KFC, McDonald's, Seven-Eleven, Souplantation, Taco Bell | Bees, butterflies, moth cocoons, praying mantids |
| Finance and insurance | Blue Cross, Capital One, Chase, Fuji Bank, Hartford Insurance, Interstate Bank, Premier Insurance, Tri-County Health, Barclay's | Bees, butterflies, caterpillars, ladybugs, millipedes, walkingsticks |
| Food and beverages | Gerber's, Bud Light, Dr. Pepper, Dryer's, Gallo, Jolly Rancher, Mauna Loa, Michelob, Milk Advisory Board ("Got Milk?"), Moet, Orida potatoes, Pepsi, Planter's, Reese's Pieces, Rath Blackhawk bacon, Smith's Markets, Snickers, Zima | Ants, bees, butterflies, caterpillars, flies, Jerusalem crickets, moths, tarantulas and other spiders, wasps |
| Industrial and commodities | Alcoa, Georgia Pacific, Monsanto | Ants, butterflies, moths, spider webs |
| Pest control | Combat, Orkin, Ortho, Scott's | Ants, butterflies, cockroaches, grubs, termites |
| Public service announcements (PSAs) | AD Council, Partnership for a Drug-Free America | Bugs (misc.), leeches |
| Telecom | AT&T, Atlantic Bell, Bell Canada, Qualcomm, Telecom Italia, Verizon | Bees, beetles, butterflies, cockroaches, mealworms, mosquitoes, praying mantids, scorpions, tarantulas |
See also
References
- ^ a b Steven R. Kutcher in IMDB
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Bugs Are My Business
- ^ Bug Man of Hollywood Shares Tips on How to Train Bugs for the Big Screen, KCAL/KCBS TV.
- ^ NPR Staff (8 March 2014). "Hollywood Bug Man Understands How Cockroaches Think". Weekend Edition Saturday. NPR.
- ^ a b Thomas, Nick (19 August 2007). "He Lets Creepy-Crawlies Get Their Feet Wet as Painters". The Washington Post.
- ^ Kutcher, Steven (1971). "Two Types of Aggregation Grouping in the Large Milkweed Bug, Oncopeltus fasciatus (Hemiptera: Lygaeidae)". Bulletin of the Southern California Academy of Sciences. 70 (2): 85–90.
- ^ "The Larry Sanders Show (TV Series) The Spider Episode (1992)". IMDb.
- ^ 1998 BAFTA Award for Children's Factual production
- ^ "Snapdragon Apresenta - The Bug Circus Generator". YouTube.
- ^ Bug Art by Steven, official Web site
- YouTube
- S2CID 4350804.
- ^ "Kidspace Children's Museum".
- ^ Kutcher, Steven (2002). "Two Incredible Journeys". The Monarch Quarterly. XII (2): 3.
- ^ Trivedi, Bijal P. (2 May 2002). "The Spider Man Behind Spider-man". National Geographic Today. Archived from the original on August 9, 2002.
External links
- Heltzel, Paul (4 March 2013). "Bugs Make Art: Photos". Discovery News.
- "Steven R. Kutcher". IMDb. Retrieved 4 June 2014.
- Mitchell, Sandra. "'Bug Man of Hollywood' Shares Tips [on] How to Train Bugs for The Big Screen". KCBS-TV. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
- Trivedi, Bijal (2 May 2002), The Spider Man Behind Spider-man, National Geographic Society, archived from the original on August 9, 2002
- "Hollywood Bug Man Understands How Cockroaches Think". NPR.org. NPR. Retrieved 8 March 2014.
- Solomon, Michael (5 June 2013). "Wild at Art: Astonishing Paintings, Sculptures, and Photographs by Animal Artists". Time.
- Thomas, Nick (19 August 2007), "He Lets Creepy-Crawlies Get Their Feet Wet as Painters", The Washington Post
- Marquardt, Bridget (31 August 2012). "The Bug Wrangler". Yahoo Animal Nation Shine.
- Kutcher, Steven. "E-Zip Bug Collector". YouTube.
Further reading
Periodicals
- Wired Magazine. May 2012. p. 113.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - Le Republica (Italy). July 2009.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - Velvet Magazine (Italy). July 2009.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - Muy Interesante. November 2008. pp. 112–115.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - Pasadena Star News (Earth Day Supplement). 22 April 2008.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - Washington Post. 19 August 2007. p. N01.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - Nature. 29 November 2007. p. 613.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ÇA M'Interesse (France). June 2007. p. 106.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - K Club (Germany). August 2004. p. 36.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - The Santa Fe New Mexican ("Steven Hutcher" [sic]). 6 December 2002. p. B-1.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - Current Science. 25 October 2002. p. Front Page.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - The Beach Review (California State University, Long Beach). Fall 2002. p. 29.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - Los Angeles Business Journal. 30 September 2002. p. 23.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - Cineflex. July 2002. pp. 29–31.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - National Enquirer. 11 June 2002. p. 39.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - West Australian. 6 June 2002.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - Popular Science. June 2002. p. 76.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - New York Times. May 2002.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - Sydney Herald. May 2002.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - Chicago Sun Times. May 2002.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - Sunday Mirror. May 2002.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - Press Telegram (Long Beach, California). 11 May 2002. p. Front Page.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - Teen Newsweek. 6 May 2002. pp. 5–6.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - National Geographic World. May 2002. pp. 26–27.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - Neüe Zurcher Zeitung, NZZ Folio. July 2001. pp. 50–53.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - Wall Street Journal. 29 March 2001. p. Front Page.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - Newsweek. 8 January 2001. p. 9.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - )
- San Jose Mercury News (Silicon Valley Life). 11 October 1998. p. 1.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - San Francisco Chronicle. 5 May 1998.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - Los Angeles Times Magazine. 4 April 1998.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - Los Angeles Business Journal. 4 April 1998.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - Los Angeles Times (San Fernando Valley Weekend). 28 August 1997. p. 7.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - Boston Herald (Life Styles). 30 May 1997.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - National Enquirer. 31 December 1996. p. 39.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - Los Angeles Times (San Gabriel Valley Weekly). September 1996.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - Various Newspapers (via Associated Press). June 1996.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - U.C., Davis Magazine. Spring 1996. pp. 24–25.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - Telegraph (Sydney, Australia). 7 May 1995. p. 43.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - Los Angeles Magazine. August 1995. pp. 60–67.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - Scholastic Math Power. February 1993. pp. 8–9.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - Boys' Life. April 1992.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - Disney Adventures Magazine. February 1992. pp. 40–43.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - Press Telegram (Long Beach, California). 23 October 1991. p. D-1.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - Los Angeles Times (L.A. Times Magazine). 29 September 1991. p. 8.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - Science World (Cover Article). 8 March 1991. pp. 4–7.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - Los Angeles Times. 23 March 1991. p. B-3.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - Woman's Day. 30 October 1990. p. 152.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - Variety. 8 October 1990. p. N-1.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - Pest Control Technology. September 1990. pp. 36–37.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - Expressen Fredag. 28 September 1990. p. 6.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - Weekly Reader. 14 September 1990. p. 7.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - L.A. Weekly. 31 August 1990. p. 41.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - Sun-Sentinel (Fort Lauderddale, Florida). 7 August 1990. p. 1–E.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - New Hampshire Sunday News. 5 August 1990. p. 5–E.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - The Yuma Daily Sun. 29 July 1990. p. 25.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - Entertainment Weekly. 27 July 1990. p. 37.
{{cite magazine}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - The Philadelphia Inquirer. 22 July 1990. p. H-1.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - Los Angeles Times (Calendar). 18 July 1990. p. F-6.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - Wall Street Journal. 12 December 1989. p. Front Page.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - Sky (Delta Air Lines). September 1989. p. 20.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - Premiere. June 1989. p. 46.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - Katso (Finland). May 1989.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - Los Angeles Business Journal. 7 November 1988. p. 19.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - Los Angeles Times. 14 February 1988.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - Piccolo (Sweden). c. 1989.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - 3-2-1 Contact. November 1986. pp. 10–13.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - Los Angeles Magazine. May 1986. p. 21.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - Herald Examiner (California Living). 13 April 1986. p. 15.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - Los Angeles Times. 22 December 1985. p. 4:27.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - Huntington Beach Independent (Orange County News). 22 February 1979. p. 23.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - Los Angeles Times. 9 April 1978. p. 7.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - El Vaquero (Glendale Community College). 5 November 1976. p. 4.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help)
Journals and books
- Baron, Angela (2010). Squirrely Over Nuts (caterpillar footprints).
- Berenbaum, May (1995). Bugs in the System. Addison-Wesley. ISBN 9780201624991.
- Bhagwat, Abha (2012). Who We Are 'Olkha Aamhi Kon?' (ant footprints).
- Dale, N. (1986). Flowering Plants: The Santa Monica Mountains Coastal and Chaparral Regions of Southern California.
- Gerani, Garry (1995). Death Ship (cover, by Cliff Nielsen).
- Gordon, D. (1996). The Complete Cockroach.
- Gordon, D. (1998). The Eat-a-Bug Cookbook.
- Guinness Book of Records. 2009.
- Hogue, Charles (1987). "Cultural Entomology". Annual Review of Entomology. 32: 181–199. .
- Hogue, Charles (1993). Insects of the Los Angeles Basin.
- Jackson, Donna (2002). The Bug Scientists. Houghton Mifflin and Company. pp. 87–90.
- Mertins, James (1986). "Arthropods on the Screen". Bulletin of the Entomological Society of America. 32 (Summer): 85–90. .
- Pallenberg, Barbara (1977). The Making of The Exorcist II: The Heretic.
- Rothstein, Barry; Rothstein, Betsy (2011). Eye-Popping 3-D Bugs.
- Ripley's Believe It or Not. Prepared to be Shocked!. 2008. p. 21.
- Starcher, A. (1995). Good Bugs for Your Garden.
- Tekulsy, M. (1985). The Butterfly Garden.
- Time for Kids. Big Book of How. 2011. p. 19.
- ISBN 9780345450043.