About James Zahn
Perhaps best known as "The Rock Father," James Zahn is a multi-hyphenate with work spanning a multitude of areas across entertainment, business, and publishing. He serves as Deputy Editor of The Toy Book - the leading trade publication serving the toy industry - in addition to serving as Senior Editor of The Toy Insider and The Pop Insider.He is a writer, media personality, commentator, director, actor, adventurer, raconteur, and overall pop culture and toy enthusiast.Zahn is frequently called upon for expert commentary on the toy industry, retail, and pop culture, and has been seen on or quoted in Yahoo! Finance, CNN, FOX Business, MarketWatch, Forbes, NBC, ABC, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The NY Post, The Chicago Tribune, PopSugar, and many more.James spent much of his youth growing up in the South Suburbs of Chicago. Obsessed with pop culture in its many forms, he spent much of his time drawing, writing, and focusing on becoming a performer of some sort.In 1987 his original short story "The Little Champ" became an Illinois Young Author Award winner, and the seeds for a career as a writer were planted. Less than two years later, the budding filmmaker would also emerge.Having grown up in front of a camera, with his childhood exploits captured by his parents on Super 8mm home movies, Zahn shot his first short film "Art Attack" using the very same camera in early 1989. The film made its debut for classmates at his school.By the time high school rolled around, all of James' interests were actively being pursued. After moving to Davenport, Iowa in the spring of 1992, he began work on a cable-access program that was quite ambitious for a 15-year old. "ZTV" made its debut in the summer of 1992 and became a cult hit in Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois. Practically overnight, the show was featured in the local news media and attracted musical guests such as Faith No More, Megadeth, Stone Temple Pilots, and more. In the spring of 1994, after 40 Episodes, "ZTV" came to an end with a 30-minute special featuring the band "White Zombie."While "ZTV" was on the air, Zahn was also actively writing and taking photographs for three regional arts magazines. His published work would include interviews with artists such as Pantera, Dr. John, and Genitorturers, and led him to serve as a photographer for the Des Moines installment of Lollapalooza '93.The mid-90s was a time of experimentation on the musical front. Zahn was soon fronting the rock band "Odlid!", performing guitar and vocals. The band appeared on numerous compilation CDs, and recorded one full-length album, before breaking up in early 1998. In addition, they performed at famed venues such as Gabe's Oasis (Iowa City), RIBCO (Rock Island, IL), and Chicago's historic Riviera Theatre, sharing the stage with acts such as Demolition Dollrods, Johnny Socko, and more.In 2000, Zahn returned to music with a series of unreleased demos, followed by one Internet cult favorite (Darth Vader is A Real Cool Guy), and a track for Artisan Entertainment's "Blair Witchmix", an online soundtrack to promote the ill-fated "Blair Witch 2". His track, "Burkittsville" was featured along with 12 other tracks, by artists such as Jane's Addiction drummer Stephen Perkins, and Marilyn Manson, being performed as a part of the [link=tt0292977 .In 2001, Zahn delved further into the film business. He and his wife founded FMFE as an outlet for his creative endeavors. During that time, James directed numerous short fil...