Chris Brandt

Chris Brandt (born February 4, 1970 in Silver Spring, Maryland) is an American filmmaker and cartoonist, director of the documentary "Independents".

Biography

Brandt, the son of a U.S. Diplomat, spent his youth in several countries, and studied at University of Maryland and UC Santa Cruz. In 1993, after graduating college, he pursued cartooning on his own, eventually becoming associated with the comic book co-op Puppy Toss in Berkeley, California. He turned his attentions to film making and video in 2000, creating the celebrated Dance, Voldo, Dance in 2003, the award winning short film Closing Time in 2005, and the critically acclaimed feature documentary Independents in 2007.

At one point he chauffeured for Karen Black at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival.

Created the Artfly mini-comics series with fellow cartoonist Jesse Reklaw.

Awards

Brandt's short film, Closing Time, won "Best Narrative Short" at the 2005 Northampton Independent Film Festival, and "Best Short Film" at the 2006 Longbaugh Film Festival. The short film placed 2nd for "Best Short" in the 2006 East Lansing Film Festival.

Brandt's Dance, Voldo, Dance was nominated for "Best Virtual Performance" at the 2005 Machinima Film Festival.

Accepted the 2003 Eisner Award for Jason Shiga.

Works

Films

• Independents: A Guide for the Creative Spirit
• Closing Time

Comic book series

• Bainst #1-6, 1996–2004, self-published minicomics
• Far Flung, 1999, comic book calendar
• Artfly #1-3, self-published minicomics

Television

• Comic Book Geeks (2007–present)

Machinima

• Dance, Voldo, Dance

External links

• Official website
• Far Flung 2012
• Bionic Comics
• L.A. Storyboard Artist
• Independents (Documentary Website)
• Atom Films, entire short film, Closing Time
• "Inkstuds", audio interview by Robin McConnell, broadcast May 14, 2009
• Indie Film Journal, review of Independents by David Walker, May 18, 2008
• DVD Talk, review of Independents by Jamie S. Rich, May 6, 2008
• The Comics Reporter, interview by Tom Spurgeon about Independents, published September 15, 2007
• Fat Free Film episode 41, Joel Marshall interviewed Brandt, broadcast September 4, 2006
• Fat Free Film episode 31, Brandt co-hosts interview with Paul Dinello, broadcast June 24, 2006
• SMH, "Battle of the Dance" by Joanna McErvale, Review of Dance, Voldo, Dance, published August 19, 2004
• Time, "The Art of the Con" by Andrew D. Arnold, published July 25, 2003
• Bookslut, documenting a personal experience of the Shiga impersonation, August 2003