Todd Durham

Durham studied comedy writing at USC under brothers Danny Simon and Neil Simon.^[1]

Based on a half-hour 35mm film that he wrote and directed, a North Carolina movie studio signed Todd Durham to a three-picture feature deal.^[2][3] Durham then wrote and directed a low-budget comedy film, Hyperspace, starring Chris Elliott and Paula Poundstone.^[4] The film was the first appearance of the "intergalactic spacelord" Lord Buckethead, a persona used by several people to stand in British elections.^[5] In 2017, Durham asserted his ownership of the character, and future incarnations have been authorized by him.^[6]

Durham signed with Rick Jaffa, then agent at William Morris, and worked as an uncredited script doctor on comedy projects.^[7][8] He wrote screenplays for comedy actors, directors, and producers, the National Lampoon film franchise, and Saturday Night Live alumni.^[9][10][11] Durham ghostwrote celebrity autobiographies, and authored his first novel, Mr. Smith Goes To Hell, and its screenplay.^[12]

During his years as a studio script doctor, Durham came up with the concept of Hotel Transylvania and brought it to Sony Pictures Animation.^[1] The first film in the series, Hotel Transylvania, was released in 2012 with mixed reviews from critics.

• Todd Durham at Internet Movie Database
• Todd Durham at ToddDurham.com