Johnny Otto

Johnny Otto is an American film director, writer, actor, animation director, artist and musician living in Los Angeles, CA. Known for his quirky and unique films, and for shooting in a loose, improvisational way.
Otto developed a love for cinema early in his childhood when his family would gather in their basement to watch Heckle & Jeckle cartoons. When Otto was eight years old his father bought the kids a Bell & Howell Super 8mm camera and set him and his brothers and sister loose to begin creating their first films. Johnny and his brother Eric would make short, scary films and project them in their basement and charge the neighborhood kids a dime to come and watch. This early passion for filmmaker lead to a lifelong passion which continues to this day.
After attending film school in Ontario, Canada, Otto packed his bags and moved west to Hollywood and continued writing and making short films. In 1992 Otto option his first feature-length script entitled "Havoc" to Producer Joel Silver. A few years later, in 1998, Otto wrote a dark comedy called "Pop Life", which got the attention of agents over at Innovative Artists and the film was being packaged with hot, young talent. But, in 1999 Otto hit a stumbling block when production of "Pop Life", closely resembling the Columbine Shootings, was halted. Actress Rachael Leigh Cook who was set to star as a troubled cheerleader, withdrew from the project and, because of the sensitive nature of the subject material, the film was never made.
Otto persevered and In 2001 completed his first animation project "The Blender" and won an award from The 8th World Animation Celebration (WAC) for "Best First Time Animation for the Web" . Otto continued to write and direct and in 2002 completed his first independently produced and financed feature film "Bruised". In 2006 he began production on his feature-length Mockumentary "Bring Me The Head of Walt Disney" which he finished a year later in 2007. In the fall of 2007 Otto shot 7 short films in a 7 week period, one film every Sunday afternoon, and calls the project "Slimdunce".
In 1992 Otto became the Co-founder of Art Squat and artists organization which took over an abandoned apartment in Hollywood and converted it into an Art Gallery for two years.
In 2010 Ottophobia Productions was formed as Johnny Otto's official production company for his films and animation ventures. Several feature films and TV projects are currently in development.

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