Mathew Klickstein

Mathew Klickstein is an American screenwriter, journalist, author, arts therapist and playwright.

Mathew Klickstein
Mathew Klickstein, photographed in 2018.
Born
California
Occupation
  • Screenwriter
  • Journalist
  • Author
  • Therapist
  • Playwright

Career

Klickstein was the writer of the 2009 American horror film Against the Dark, starring Steven Seagal and served as a casting producer on Food Network's Restaurant: Impossible from 2013 until the series ended in 2016.[1][2] Born in California, Mathew was a prolific writer at a young age, penning his first novel at 13. A high-achieving student in high school, Mathew formed and ran various academic clubs while working on local congressional campaigns and for the ACLU.[3] In 2012 he co-produced, co-directed and co-wrote Phamaly Theatre Company's disLabled, a multimedia performance involving actors with disabilities.[4]

Klickstein's non-fiction book titled SLIMED! An Oral History of Nickelodeon's Golden Age, which covers the early development of Nickelodeon.,[5] was featured on Parade's "Year’s Best Books About Movies and TV" for 2013,[6] listed as one of the top four tell-all books of 2013 by Entertainment Weekly[7] and picked as one of the top ten social science books by Publishers Weekly.[8]

A 5th Anniversary Edition of the book was released on May 7, 2019, including a new introduction by Nick Arcade host Phil Moore.[9]

On September 27, 2013, Klickstein moderated a three-hour long series of panels with more than 40 creative members of the Nickelodeon community, including actors, producers, writers, show creators and network personnel at the 92nd Street Y[10] in New York called Double Dare We Say It: A Nickelodeon Historical Celebration.

The event was also produced by Klickstein, hosted by Marc Summers and included the first live performance by the Beets, a fictional band featured on the animated Nickelodeon series Doug, made up of Fred Newman and Dan Sawyer who produced the music and sound effects for the show.

Similar reunion and panel events followed at Book Soup,[11] Innisfree Poetry Bookstore and Cafe,[12] Iowa City's FilmScene[13] and, in 2014, various others as part of a short Jewish Book Council tour[14]

Klickstein has written for multiple publications, including Wired, New York Daily News, Alternative Press, Boulder Weekly, Baltimore Sun, Baltimore Jewish Times, Splitsider, Yellow Scene, Daily Camera, Colorado Daily, iTech Post, Ink Magazine, Hammer to Nail, and OC Weekly.

In late 2017, Klickstein completed his most recent film On Your Marc, a documentary about television personality Marc Summers.[15][16][17] He also produced a nationwide tour of preview screenings and live events in Los Angeles, Brooklyn, Philadelphia, Austin, Baltimore and Chicago.[18][19][20]

Klickstein has worked with various organizations around the country as an arts therapist to assist persons with disabilities, including Boulder, Colorado's Imagine! facilities. In 2010, he partnered Imagine! with Yellow Scene Magazine to create an adaptive journalism class for Imagine! clients, which he instructed and whose monthly articles were published by Yellow Scene.[21]

In 2014, Klickstein attracted some controversy after Flavorwire posted an interview in which he discussed how the Nickelodeon network had changed over the years.[22] Despite its being “edited for clarity,” resulting in numerous errors such as the insinuation that Klickstein is not Jewish, the post was aggregated by several other online outlets that were critical of what appeared to be its subject's take on the nuances of diversity representation in modern media.

In 2016, Klickstein became the host of NERTZ, an interview-based podcast focusing on Nerd/Geek Culture. The podcast is based on Klickstein's book Nerding Out: How Pop Culture Ruined the Misfit, released in China in 2018.[23] Guests have included Diablo Cody, Alex Winter, Mike Reiss, Missy Suicide, Adam Bradley, and John Park, co-creator of the fictional Flo (Progressive) Insurance spokeswoman.[24]Starting in June 2020, Heavy Metal Magazine partnered with Klickstein to distribute his NERTZ episodes via their streaming and social networks.[25]

Working for eight months with Kansas-based Orange Mouse Theatricals and a group of local girls, Klickstein ran a series of workshops in order to produce and co-write a gender-bending, immersive theatrical experience thematically based on William Golding's 1954 novel Lord of the Flies. The final piece, titled Ladies of the Fly, was performed by the girls involved in the writing process and opened at Cider Gallery in Lawrence, Kansas, on August 26, 2016.[26]

As a pop culture historian, Klickstein has contributed to numerous online and print articles such as those published by Slate, Thrillist, and The Ringer as well as WGN Radio.[27][28][29][30]

Klickstein co-authored Emmy Award-winning comedy writer Mike Reiss' memoir, Springfield Confidential: Jokes, Secrets, and Outright Lies from a Lifetime Writing for The Simpsons, published by Harper Collins imprint Dey Street in June 2018.[31] 'Kirkus Reviews referred to the book as "a charming look at a cherished American show."[32] Vanity Fair (magazine) called the book "extremely funny.”[33] The book was also briefly excerpted in The New Yorker,[34] and The Wall Street Journal.[35] USA Today's Bill Keveney called the work "... full of humorous asides and fun facts."[36] Vulture listed Springfield Confidential among its "Top Ten Comedy Books of 2018."[37] The New York Post included Springfield Confidential in its list of "Most Unforgettable Books of 2018."[38] The book was a semifinalist for 2019's Thurber Prize for American Humor.[39]

Klickstein co-wrote the comedic memoir Being Mr. Skin: 20 Years of Nip Slips, Cheek Peeks, and Fast-Forwarding to the Good Parts[40] about the unlikely pop culture icon and creator of one of the first-ever commercially successful websites, Jim "Mr. Skin" McBride, made famous by the likes of Knocked Up, Howard Stern, Family Guy and Saturday Night Live. Foreword by Adam Corolla and original comix written by Klickstein and illustrated by Eisner Award nominee Johnny Ryan. As associate producer, Klickstein worked with McBride on his documentary Skin: A History of Nudity in the Movies, which came out August 18, 2020[41] and features interviews with such cinema icons as Amy Heckerling, Pam Grier, Malcolm McDowell, John Cameron Mitchell, Mariel Hemingway, Richard Roeper, Kevin Smith, Peter Bogdanovich and Mamie Van Doren. The film is available for streaming on Hulu, Amazon Prime and VoD.

His Selling Nostalgia: A Neurotic Novel, a comedic look at so-called "geek culture" and the media frenzy surrounding it was published by Post Hill Press imprint Permuted Press and distributed by Simon & Schuster on August 13 2019.[42] The Washington Post wrote of the novel, "Klickstein ... delivers a searing critique of geek culture and the trouble with indulging nostalgia at the expense of reckoning with reality. Though he didn’t set out to write a social commentary, it’s on that level that he finds the most success."[43]

Klickstein's first comic book series, You Are Obsolete, is a modern tech twist on Children of the Corn.[44] The first issue was published by AfterShock Comics in September 2019.[45] The series was featured in a New York Times roundup of forthcoming comics in August 2019.[46] AiPT! said of the first issue: "You Are Obsolete #1 is a terrifyingly good read. It will keep you guessing with every turn of the page. The dialogue is solid, the pacing is on point, and the mystery behind the children is just terrific. If you love a good spine-chilling story shrouded in mystery, you need to download this book or get to your local comic shop today. Klickstein and Bornyakov definitely have a hit on their hands — Netflix, you need to make a live-action adaption pronto." The trade paperback edition of all five issues collected as a graphic novel was originally slated for release April 8, 2020,[47] but was postponed due to complications resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic until June 17, 2020, after which Klickstein traveled on a six-state promotional tour to comic book shops around the Midwest area.[48]

The Kids of Widney High

Klickstein has worked with The Kids of Widney High, a group of young adults with developmental disabilities who write, record and perform rock songs. His work with the group includes the production of numerous short films, music videos, visual art and creative writing projects. He co-directed and produced the 2010 feature-length rockumentary Act Your Age: The Kids of Widney High Story, a chronicle of the band's West Coast tour.[49] Starting in November, 2020, a remastered tenth anniversary edition of the film began streaming on Troma's streaming service Troma Now.[50]

The Kids of Widney Junior High Take Over the World! is a middle-grade reader (ages 8-12) that Klickstein wrote and which was illustrated by comic book creator Michael S. Bracco (aka Spaghetti Kiss). The book includes three downloadable Kids of Widney High songs, an exclusive interview with a Kids of Widney High member, and was released through Schiffer Publishing.[51] Thanks in part to direct promotion by The Big Bang Theory and Blossom star Mayim Bialik, the book quickly became a bestseller on Amazon.[52]

Bibliography

Books
  • The Kids of Widney Junior High Take Over the World! (2020, Schiffer Publishing)
  • Selling Nostalgia: A Neurotic Novel (2019, Post Hill Press)
  • Being Mr. Skin: 20 Years of Nip Slips, Cheek Peeks, and Fast-Forwarding to the Good Parts (2019, Post Hill)
  • Springfield Confidential: Jokes, Secrets, and Outright Lies from a Lifetime Writing for The Simpsons (2018, Dey Street)
  • Nerding Out: How Pop Culture Ruined the Misfit (2018, Business Weekly)
  • Slimed!: An Oral History of Nickelodeon's Golden Age (2013, Plume)[53]
  • Daisy Goes to the Moon (2009, Atomsmashers)

References
  1. "Hollywood hot on Maui". The Maui News. Retrieved 2016-02-15.
  2. "Against The Dark". Sony Pictures. Retrieved 2016-01-15.
  3. "Lyons Author Centerstage Pair Up Help Get Youth". Daily Camera. Retrieved 2019-04-04.
  4. "PHAMALy's 'disLabeled' tickles funny bones and comfort zones". Daily Camera. Retrieved 2016-01-10.
  5. Engel, Meredith (2013-09-23). "Author Matthew Klickstein looks back on Nickelodeon's 'Golden Age'". Metro. Retrieved 2016-02-22.
  6. "The Year's Best Books About Movies and TV". Parade. 2013-12-23. Retrieved 2013-12-23.
  7. "The Year's Best Tell-Alls". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2013-12-20.
  8. "PW's Top 10: Social Sciences". Publisher’s Weekly. Retrieved 2013-06-21.
  9. "Slimed! by Mathew Klickstein". PenguinRandomHouse. Retrieved 2019-05-07.
  10. "Double Dare We Say It: A Nickelodeon Historical Celebration (Full Video)". 92Y On Demand. 2013-10-03. Retrieved 2016-11-13.
  11. "Mathew Klickstein presents and signs Slimed! An Oral History of Nickelodeon's Golden Age". Retrieved 13 November 2016.
  12. Griffin, Gavin B. "In 'Slimed,' the complicated story of Nickelodeon". Retrieved 13 November 2016.
  13. Fluker, Meryn. "Nick kids author talks Nickelodeon nostalgia". Retrieved 13 November 2016.
  14. "Mathew Klickstein - Jewish Book Council". Jewish Book Council. Retrieved 2018-04-23.
  15. "Film crew follows TV host Marc Summers to Bloomington, where he is preparing his one-man show".
  16. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2016-04-22. Retrieved 2016-04-10.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  17. "After facing some big challenges, Marc Summers is back for the 30th anniversary of 'Double Dare'".
  18. "What's Nickelodeon Slime Really Made Of? TV Veteran Marc Summers Answers That and More for New Documentary".
  19. "'Double Dare's' Marc Summers to bring 'On Your Marc' documentary, physical challenges to Philly".
  20. "Come Get Slimed by Marc Summers at BMD's ON YOUR MARC Event!". 2017-10-03.
  21. "Notes: Imagine the Possibilities – January 6, 2010 – North Metro Diversions – North Metro Diversions – Yellow Scene Magazine".
  22. ""'Pete & Pete' Was All White People!": 'SLIMED!' Author Mathew Klickstein on Why 'Ren and Stimpy' Was Better Than 'Clarissa' and Nickelodeon's Diversity Problem". Flavorwire. 2014-10-06. Retrieved 2016-02-22.
  23. "Nerding Out - Mathew Klickstein - E-book". TW. Retrieved 2018-01-06.
  24. Klickstein, Mathew (2016-02-22). "What Room Teaches Us About the Psychology of Fandom". Wired. Retrieved 2016-04-16.
  25. "NERTZ Podcast: Heavy Metal Magazine". Heavy Metal Magazine. Retrieved 2020-06-04.
  26. "Orange Mouse Theatricals to stage re-imagined 'Lord of the Flies' with an all-female twist". Lawrence Journal-World. Retrieved 2016-08-25.
  27. Engber, Daniel (2016-07-18). "Ghostbusters made slime a national obsession can the reboot make ooze cool". Slate. Retrieved 2017-05-28.
  28. Thompson, Barry (2015-10-07). "An Oral History of Nickelodeon's Double Dare". Thrillist. Retrieved 2017-05-28.
  29. Kliegman, Julie (2019-01-16). "Marc Summers and the Never-ending Obstacle Course". The Ringer. Retrieved 2019-01-16.
  30. Digilio, Nick (2020-03-18). "The Nick Digilio Show 3.17.20 | Men at Work's Colin Hay, pop culture historian Mathew Klickstein, weird sports around the world". WGN Radio. Retrieved 2020-03-18.
  31. "Springfield Confidential - Mike Reiss, Mathew Klickstein - E-book". Harper Collins. Retrieved 2017-11-08.
  32. A Cartoon Pioneer Walks Us Down His Memory Lane. Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved 2018-04-16.
  33. "Simpsons Stalwart Says the Show Already Addressed the Problem with Apu". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved 2018-05-02.
  34. "The "Simpsons" Jokes That Never Quite Made It (and a Few that Barely Did)". The New Yorker. Retrieved 2018-06-11.
  35. Reiss, Mike (2018-05-25). "How to Succeed Like 'The Simpsons.'". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2018-05-25.
  36. "'Springfield Confidential' spills juicy secrets of 'The Simpsons'". USAToday.com. Retrieved 2018-06-11.
  37. "Best Comedy Books of 2018". Vulture. 2018-12-12. Retrieved 2018-12-12.
  38. "The 28 Most Unforgettable Books of 2018". New York Post. 2018-12-17. Retrieved 2018-12-17.
  39. "Thurber House Current Finalists". Thurber Hourse. 2019-05-22. Retrieved 2019-05-22.
  40. "Being Mr. Skin Book by Jim "Mr. Skin" McBride, Mathew Klickstein, Adam Carolla Official Publishe". Retrieved 2018-04-18.
  41. "'Skin: A History of Nudity in the Movies': Film Review". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 18, 2020.
  42. "Selling Nostalgia". Simon and Schuster. Retrieved 2019-02-12.
  43. "Mathew Klickstein has made a career out of nostalgia. Now he's satirizing our yearning for the past". Washington Post. Retrieved 2019-08-14.
  44. Ballengee, Libby (June 24, 2020). "Los Angeles writer and filmmaker finds home in Dayton, launches new book with local events". Dayton Daily News. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
  45. "How 'You Are Obsolete' Became a Tech-Focused Update on 'Children of the Corn'". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2019-06-18.
  46. "8 New Comic Book Series for the End of Summer". New York Times. Retrieved 2019-08-24.
  47. "Spanked with sitzfleisch: Mathew Klickstein goes deep on his excellent series 'You Are Obsolete'". Adventures in Poor Taste. Retrieved 2020-03-17.
  48. Niccum, Jon. "He wrote about a strange world of online school and isolation. And then it came true". Kansas City Star. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
  49. "TUNING OUT ADVERSITY. - Free Online Library". www.thefreelibrary.com. Retrieved 2016-01-19.
  50. "ACT YOUR AGE: THE KIDS OF WIDNEY HIGH STORY".
  51. "The Kids of Widney Junior High Take Over the World! by Mathew Klickstein". Retrieved 2020-02-18.
  52. "Actress praises local author's book based on a real-life rock band made up of students with disabilities". dayton-daily-news. Retrieved 2020-09-26.
  53. "'Slimed' brings back Nickelodeon's heyday". Newsday. Retrieved 2016-02-22.
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