Biography
Ed Polgardy, president of Black Hat Magic Productions, is a renowned comic book creator, writer, editor, Emmy-winning television producer and director, and accomplished feature film writer, producer, and director.
He co-created the internationally praised comic book series “From The Darkness” and “From The Darkness: Blood Vows,” and authored the graphic novel adaptation of Quentin Tarantino's “From Dusk 'Til Dawn.” As Senior Editor at Jim Shooter's Defiant Comics, Polgardy developed, wrote, and edited popular titles such as “The Good Guys” and “Dark Dominion” (illustrated by “Spider-Man” co-creator Steve Ditko). He also served as Editor-in-Chief at BIG Entertainment, collaborating with celebrity creators John Jakes, Mickey Spillane, Tom Clancy, and Neil Gaiman. These intellectual properties were licensed to Miramax, Alliance Entertainment, and ABC TV.
Polgardy’s television credits include producing and directing “Today’s Environment” starring Ed Begley, Jr.; “Millennium” hosted by Peter Weller; “The Best of Wine and Food” featuring George Hamilton; “.COM” and “.COM Kids” starring Mark Hamill; “Elegance with Ivana” featuring Ivana Trump; “Women in Charge” with Nancy Glass; “First Priority” hosted by Hunter Tylo; “Healthy Solutions” starring Mariette Hartley; and “Monsterama” featuring Cassandra “Elvira” Peterson. He co-founded Price/Parker, a production company that developed, produced, and directed “Identity,” a female-empowerment series aired on The Learning Channel. Transitioning to scripted content, Polgardy produced “Oh Jerome, No,” an eight-episode short-form series starring Mamoudou Athie, Natasha Lyonne, and Georgina Campbell, which aired on “Cake” on Fox’s FXX Network.
As a screenwriter, Polgardy has had numerous feature film scripts optioned and greenlit. He produced and co-wrote “Masked Mutilator” (starring Brick Bronsky, Glenn Hetrick, and James DeBello); produced “The Halfway House” (featuring cult icon Mary Woronov); “The Ghostmaker” (starring Aaron Dean Eisenberg); “Window Of Opportunity” (with producing partner John Densmore, legendary drummer of The Doors); “Dark Desire” (featuring Kelly Lynch and Michael Nouri); “Megachurch Murder” (starring Malcolm-Jamal Warner, Corbin Bleu, and Romeo Miller); “The Wretched” (featuring John-Paul Howard, Piper Curda, and Azie Tesfai), which was the number one movie in the US for six consecutive weeks in summer 2020 and debuted in the top five on Netflix on its first day of release in summer 2022; and “Feed Me” (starring Christopher Mulvin, Neal Ward, and Samantha Loxley), which premiered at LA’s Beyond Fest in October 2022 and garnered multiple awards on the international festival circuit, including Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Director honors.
He line produced “Boiler Maker” (starring John Savage) and co-produced “Laid to Rest” (featuring Lena Headey and Thomas Dekker). Polgardy also worked as a second unit director on “Death’s Door,” “Laid to Rest,” “Dark House,” “The Ghostmaker,” and “The Wretched.”
