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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 Editor-in-Chief 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 films, music videos, industrial videos, and much more. In addition, acting had become a main passion.
Keeping the music going as well, Zahn entered Kenosha, Wisconsin's Renwood Messenger Studios in February of 2004 to begin work on a concept project called "Saturday Action Theatre", producing four acoustic tracks from those sessions. In July, he entered Bombshelter Studios in Chicago, with Producer Dan Precision (Break The Silence, Rise Against) and cut 3 electric tracks, completing what would become the "Remakes and Sequels EP". The disc hit stores on August 17, 2004.
Forging ahead into a bigger cinematic realm, Zahn began work on the screenplay for the crime-horror mashup "Death Walks the Streets" in late 2004. Completed in February 2005, the multi-genre epic spent several years in "development hell," all while gaining a global fan base. Early casting attachments included Christian Kane (Angel, Leverage), Larry Thomas (Seinfeld), and the late Justin Mentell (Boston Legal). Set and prop concepts were developed by Gregory Hill (Law & Order) as early FX tests began under the direction of Robert Kurtzman (From Dusk 'Till Dawn, Wishmaster) and score demos were completed by John Roome aka Witchman. Nominated for a SpikeTV "Scream Award" for "Most Anticipated Film" in 2007 (while in active development), Daniel J. Heffner (the SAW franchise) joined as an executive producer. Sadly, the project stalled and never went in front of the cameras.
The complete rights and ownership of the "Death Walks the Streets" brand returned to Zahn and his writing partner Ben Brezinski. With "Death Walks the Streets" and an already-written sequel "The Long December" waiting for another crack at development, Zahn began work on a prequel comic book series. The book - also called "Death Walks the Streets" - made its public debut at Wizard World Chicago in June 2008. The comic quickly gained acceptance by readers and critics alike as positive reviews began appearing online. Issue #0 was published by The Scream Factory and was called a "must-have" by Comics Buyer's Guide. In October 2008 it was announced that the "Death Walks the Streets" comic books would be published by Fangoria Graphix, the relaunched comic arm of Fangoria Magazine. Additionally, Zahn was hired by Fangoria's publisher to serve as Director of New Media for the classic horror brand. As fate would have it, Fangoria Graphix went out of business due to the continued restructuring of the parent company. The books then returned to The Scream Factory for future publication.
Concurrent with his work as a writer, Zahn continued working steadily as an actor, appearing in projects for Warner Bros., Twentieth Century Fox, and Sony Pictures. He appeared in the feature film Haunted Traxxs (2009) in a supporting role alongside Erica Leerhsen of Wrong Turn 2: Dead End (2007) fame, and voiced several famous "Transformers" characters for a sketch on G4TV's "Attack of the Show". In November of 2008, Zahn began appearing in television commercials for Wendy's, an American chain of fast-food restaurants. Around the same time, he appeared in an "Alcohol Sales Training" video for Walgreens stores.
In August of 2010, Zahn announced via Twitter that he would be taking a break from acting to focus on personal projects, including his work with a newly launched publication called Kik Axe Music created by a former Fangoria executive. A November article with Reel Chicago revealed that not only would The Scream Factory be publishing more "Death Walks the Streets" books, but that a film set in that world would likely be in development at some point in the near future.
In 2011, while making strides behind the scenes in the toy and game industries, Zahn returned to filmmaking via music videos and short films. A concept short film was created for the American heavy metal band Product of Hate and their song entitled "Unholy Manipulator." Filmed over three days in and around Crestline, Ohio, Hellraiser (1987) actress Ashley Laurence stars as the title character. With production and special FX provided by Robert Kurtzman. The short debuted at the Terror in the Aisles Film Festival at the Portage Theatre in Chicago in 2012 and debuted online via Bloody-Disgusting.
In 2012, Zahn revealed that he would be leaving his role as Editor-in-Chief at Kik Axe Music behind in order to focus solely on his personal brand and publication: The Rock Father Magazine.
Over the course of the past decade, Zahn has continued to fire on all cylinders by combining passions into a multi-pronged approach across print, digital, and filmed media.
He shepherded the band Product of Hate through two albums and a major record deal; directed and edited music videos for artists including Dirge Within and Fear Factory ; and became one of the most-read and highly regarded voices in the toy industry.
After joining the Adventure Media & Events family in 2016, Zahn was named Senior Editor of its three flagship publications in 2019. In 2021, he stepped into a new role as the first-ever Deputy Editor in the nearly 40-year history of The Toy Book. In August 2022, he was promoted to Editor-in-Chief.
Additionally, his work straddling toys and entertainment has led him back in front of the camera as a sought-after guest to provide expert commentary for a wide range of TV shows, including History Channel's "Modern Marvels," EW Scripps' "The List," and many more.
