Norman J. Grossfeld
Norman J. Grossfeld (born December 15, 1963) is an American director, television producer, record producer, screenwriter and media executive. From February 1994[1] to December 2009, he was the president of 4Kids Productions, a former subsidiary of 4Kids Entertainment and Leisure Concepts. He produced the English adaptations of the first eight seasons of the Pokémon TV series and five seasons of Yu-Gi-Oh!. He produced five seasons of the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, five Pokémon movies, and one Yu-Gi-Oh! movie for 4KidsTV.[2] In addition to producing and executive producing, Grossfeld co-wrote most of the Pokémon films, which grossed over $600 million worldwide.[3] Grossfeld is credited with writing the Pokémon franchise's tagline, "Gotta catch 'em all!"[4] He was also an executive producer for the anime One Piece.[5][6]
Norman J. Grossfeld | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 15, 1963 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Education | New York University – Tisch School of the Arts |
| Occupation(s) | Television executive, record producer, director, producer and screenwriter |
| Known for | Pokémon Yu-Gi-Oh! |
An accomplished lyricist and musician, Grossfeld contributed to several tracks on the Pokémon 2.B.A. Master soundtrack album, the first released for the English localization of the Pokémon anime. The album was a commercial success, rising to the top of the US Billboard Kids Albums Chart and garnering RIAA Gold certification with over 500,000 units sold.[7] He also wrote both the main and ending theme songs for Sonic X and Kirby: Right Back at Ya!, and the English ending theme song to Pokémon: Jirachi Wish Maker.
Grossfeld also developed and co-wrote the successful stage adaptation of the Pokémon series, which premiered at Radio City Music Hall and toured the United States and Canada in late 2000 to early 2001.[8]
Before his role as president of 4Kids, Grossfeld was a producer and director at Television Programming Enterprises from 1988 to 1991, worked at NBC Sports from 1991 to 1992 as a coordinating director, and spent 1992 through 1994 as president of the television production company Gold Coast Television Entertainment.[2]
Grossfeld broke new ground in reality television with NBC's InSport, a show that set the stage for sports magazine series now on the air. Grossfeld has also produced, written and/or directed a variety of television programs, including Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous hosted by Robin Leach.[9]
A member of the Directors Guild of America, Grossfeld directed coverage of several Olympic Games for NBC, including the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta and the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano. In 1996, Grossfeld won the International Olympic Committee's highest honor, the Golden Rings, for his direction of the live sports coverage of the 1996 Olympic Games.[9]
Filmography edit
Movies edit
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Pokémon: The First Movie | Writer, producer[11][12][5][6] |
| 2000 | Pokémon: The Movie 2000 | Writer, producer[6][13] |
| 2001 | Pokémon 3: The Movie | Writer,[14] producer[6][15] |
| 2002 | Pokémon 4Ever | Writer,[5] executive producer[16] |
| 2003 | Pokémon Heroes | Executive producer[17] |
| 2004 | Pokémon: Jirachi Wish Maker | Writer,[6] producer, ending theme songwriter |
| Yu-Gi-Oh! The Movie: Pyramid of Light | Writer, executive producer[6][18] | |
| 2005 | Pokémon: Destiny Deoxys | Writer, producer [6] |
Television edit
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Fame, Fortune & Romance | Director[5][6] |
| 1987 | Runaway With the Rich and Famous | Director[5][6] |
| 1988 | Rich and Famous 1988 World's Best | Associate producer[5][6] |
| 1988 | Masters of the Martial Arts Presented by Wesley Snipes | Writer[6] |
| 1993 | Campbell's Portrait of a Teacher | Field producer[5][6] |
| 1995 | WMAC Masters | Executive producer[19] |
| 1998 | Pokémon | Writer, executive producer,[5][6] songwriter[20] |
| 2001 | Cubix | Writer, executive producer, theme songwriter[5][6] |
| Yu-Gi-Oh! | Executive producer,[5][6] songwriter[21] | |
| 2002 | Kirby: Right Back at Ya! | Executive producer, theme songwriter |
| 2003 | Sonic X | Executive producer, theme songwriter |
| Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | Executive producer, theme songwriter[22] | |
| 2004 | One Piece | Executive producer[5][6] |
| 2005 | Winx Club | Executive producer |
| 2006 | Viva Pinata | Executive producer |
| 2008 | Adventures in Voice Acting | Interviewee |
See also edit
References edit
- ^ "10-K". edgar-online.com. January 4, 1996. p. 16. Retrieved July 30, 2016.
- ^ a b . Archived from the original on September 12, 2011. Retrieved September 4, 2009.
- ^ "'Pokémon' at 15: Success is still in the cards, films and TV shows". herocomplex.latimes.com. April 11, 2012. Retrieved July 30, 2016.
- ^ Myers, Andy (August 2005). "Built to Last: The history of Pokémon". Nintendo Power. No. 194. pp. 56–61.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k . Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. 2012. Archived from the original on October 22, 2012. Retrieved September 4, 2009.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p "Norman J. Grossfeld Filmography". inbaseline.com.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "RIAA Gold & Platinum". riaa.com. Retrieved August 25, 2016.
- ^ "Pokemon Live!".
- ^ a b "Cast&Crew Yu-Gi-OH". cinemareview.com. Retrieved July 30, 2016.
- ^ "Jewish Insider's Daily Kickoff: December 15, 2017". Haaretz.
- ^ Rauzi, Robin (November 10, 1999). "All's Not Right in Pokemon World". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 14, 2021.
- ^ Moret, Jim (November 11, 1999). "Pokémon craze moves to theaters". CNN. Retrieved September 4, 2009.
- ^ Johnson, Malcolm (July 21, 2000). "Ecological Pokémon On Parade". Hartford Courant. Hartford, Connecticut. Retrieved September 4, 2009.
- ^ Garin, Nina (April 7, 2001). "'Pokémon 3' takes all ages on an emotional adventure". The San Diego Union – Tribune. San Diego, California. Retrieved September 4, 2009.
- ^ Friedman, Lisa (April 6, 2001). "'Pokémon' churns out yet another sequel Movie Review". Daily Herald. Retrieved September 4, 2009.
- ^ Koehler, Robert (October 7, 2002). "Pokémon 4ever. (Film Review)". Daily Variety. Reed Business Information, Inc. Retrieved September 4, 2009.
- ^ "Pokemon Heroes Details". Metacritic. Retrieved July 30, 2016.
- ^ Koehler, Robert (August 12, 2004). "Yu-Gi-Oh! The Movie: Pyramid of Light". Variety. Reed Business Information. Retrieved September 4, 2009.
- ^ Hinman, Catherine (November 20, 1995). "Martial Arts Show Back At Universal". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved September 4, 2009.
- ^ "Two Perfect Girls". allmusic.com. Retrieved September 4, 2009.
- ^ "I'm Back". allmusic.com. Retrieved September 4, 2009.
- ^ . Archived from the original on November 5, 2008. Retrieved September 4, 2009.