Biographie
Kevin Cloud Brechner possesses a rich background spanning the arts and sciences. He has contributed to over 2,500 productions across film, television, theatre, radio, live events, and music, primarily as a director, writer, and/or producer. His work encompasses a wide array of genres, including dramas, comedies, science fiction, live music concerts, talk shows, documentaries, pilots, fine arts and music videos, sports, radio dramas, live events, PSAs, commercials, and industrials.
He has authored eight feature screenplays: "Turn of The Century," "Victim of Fate," "Yard Sale," "The Adventures of Kingpin and Gladhands," "Century 22: Birth of The BioBots," "Mabel Normand: The Little Girl You Will Never Forget," "Lone Prairie," and "The Planet Elpoep." Currently, two feature screenplays are in development: "Thunder Rolling Up The Mountains," centered on the 1877 Nez Perce War with the United States, and the thriller "Top Drawer." Additionally, he wrote the short film screenplay "The Door." He directed "The Planet Elpoep" as an ultra low-budget feature, which premiered in 1988 alongside his short feature "Time River."
Brechner has directed hundreds of single-camera films and videos, multi-camera television programs, and numerous live shows. Notably, he directed the seven-episode cult classic sci-fi comedy talk show "Decoupage" and its sequel "Decoupage.2000!," starring Summer Caprice with supporting performances by actors Karen Black ("Five Easy Pieces," "Dogtown," "The Great Gatsby"), Fred Willard ("Rosanne," "Fernwood Tonight"), Ann Magnuson ("The Hunger," "Desperately Seeking Susan"), Susan Tyrrell ("Cry-Baby," "Bad," "Forbidden Zone"), along with bands L7 and Redd Kross, and a poetry video featuring Exene of the band X. He also directed eight episodes of "Cult Movies TV," featuring guests like film stars Yvette Vickers ("Attack of the 50 Foot Woman"), Forrest J. Ackerman ("Famous Monsters of Filmland"), and James Keane ("Apocalypse Now").
His directing portfolio includes hundreds of talk shows and documentaries hosting celebrities from various fields such as Walter Cronkite (CBS News anchor); actors Mel Gibson, George Lopez, Ossie Davis ("Evening Shade"), Shelley Fabares ("Coach," "The Donna Reed Show"), Barry Gordon ("A Thousand Clowns," "Curb Your Enthusiasm," "ER," "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles," "Jack Benny Show," former SAG/AFTRA president), Bill Cosby, Gary Owens ("Laugh-In"), George Wendt ("Cheers"), Robert Guillaume ("Benson"), and NPR talk show host Larry Mantle.
In music, Brechner has directed interviews, concert footage, and music videos for artists including Ice T, Ice Cube, Coolio, Wu Tang Clan, Salt-N-Pepa, The O'Jays, B.B. King, Big Mama Thornton, Mel Torme, The Yellow Jackets, George Duke, Teresa James and The Rhythm Tramps, Earl Klugh, Tom Paxton, Shuggie Otis, Big Joe Turner, Snotty Scotty and The Hankies, Leslie and The Nielsens, Ultra Violet Eye, Cliff Retallick, Bob James, Oscar Brown Jr., Herbie Lewis, Janis Ian, The Harlem String Quartet, Martin Chalifour (principal concertmaster of the Los Angeles Philharmonic), Howard Shelley (pianist for the London Royal Philharmonic), Bernie Pearl, Victor Banana, Johnny Angel, The Cottontails, Latino folk legend Lalo Guerrero, Culture Clash, Cecilia ±, and has worked in various crew roles on music shows featuring Jefferson Starship, Buck Owens, The Indigo Girls, Black Lodge Singers, Claudia Lennear, The Chambers Brothers, Jackson Browne, Bo Diddley, Sugarhill Gang, Koko Taylor, James Taylor and Venice, Ozomatli, Merilee Rush and The Turnabouts, Burning Spear, Robby Krieger and John Densmore of The Doors, Reverend Horton Heat, Lightning Willie, Dick Dale and The Deltones, The Coasters, The Platters, Fishbone, Michelle Shocked, The Knack, Suzanne Vega, Shonen Knife, The Brothers Johnson, Clarence Clemons, The Bonedaddys, Delbert McClinton, among many others.
For several years, he served as Production Manager for two Pasadena, California cable television stations, overseeing up to 600 shows annually. His radio experience includes roles as announcer, disc jockey, news reporter, voice-over announcer, radio drama/comedy actor, and station management. As an actor, he appeared in Orson Welles's final film "The Other Side of the Wind," starred as Captain Bob in the NPR radio series "Captain Bob and Buddy" for Kiloherts Radio, and played Sherman Thompson in the student film "An American Dream." He also portrayed a silent mutant in the comedy sci-fi feature "The Low Budget Time Machine." His first acting role was as The Troll in "Three Billy Goats Gruff" during first grade, after which he remarked, "It was typecasting."
Early in his entertainment career, Brechner worked in audience relations for "The New Dick Van Dyke Show," starring Dick Van Dyke and Hope Lange, and on Hugh Downs' pilot "Foursome," featuring Robert Culp, Janet Leigh, Ann Miller, Joanne Worley, and Artie Johnson. He twice served as a gopher for "ABC Wide World of Sports," worked as an announcer-engineer at KRAB-FM Seattle, camera operator and audio mixer at KTVK-TV ABC Phoenix, crew member and relief director at KAET-TV PBS Phoenix, and crew member and director at KWSU-TV PBS Pullman, WA. Additionally, he held roles as radio announcer, DJ, news reporter, actor, and special events director at college radio station KUGR 690 in Pullman, Washington, as well as station manager, announcer, news reporter, and disc jockey at KASN-FM, Arizona State University's college radio in Tempe, AZ. At KWSU-TV Pullman, he wrote and directed his first live dramatic piece, "Ice Cube," a 15-minute short.
During the 1990s, Brechner shadowed as an observing director on two CBS Radford studio productions: "Evening Shade" (88 episodes), starring Burt Reynolds, Marilu Henner, Hal Holbrook, Ossie Davis, Charles Durning, Elizabeth Ashley, Michael Jeter, Ann Wedgewood, and Linda Gehringer; and "Hearts Afire" (32 episodes), featuring John Ritter, Markie Post, Ed Asner, Billy Bob Thornton, Conchata Ferrell, and Leslie Jordan. Burt Reynolds allowed him to follow the directing process of a full "Evening Shade" episode, from table read to final music mix.
