Richard Schenkman

Richard Schenkman (born March 6, 1958) is an American screenwriter, film producer, film director, and occasional actor. He has also been credited as director under the names George Axmith and R.D. Braunstein.

Richard Schenkman
Born	Richard Schenkman (1958-03-06) March 6, 1958 (age 67) New York City, New York, U.S.
Alma mater	University at Albany, SUNY
Occupation(s)	Film director, film producer, screenwriter
Years active	1988–present
Children	Tiger Schenkman
Website	www.richardschenkman.com

Early life and education

Schenkman was born in New York in 1958. He was educated at Roosevelt High School.^[1][2] Later, he attended the University at Albany, SUNY, where he graduated with a bachelor's degree in film in 1981.^[3]

Career

Schenkman's debut feature film, The Pompatus of Love, was co-written with Jon Cryer & Adam Oliensis, and directed by him.^[4] He then directed films such as October 22,^[5] Went to Coney Island on a Mission from God… Be Back by Five,^[6] and A Diva's Christmas Carol, for VH1.^[7]

Schenkman also developed content for television, including the sitcom pilot Us and Them for 20th Century Fox TV, and an animated series pilot for VH1 centered on Elvis.^[8] He also contributed dialogue to EA's video game 007 Racing.^[8]

After a hiatus, Schenkman directed more films including And Then Came Love,^[9] Abraham Lincoln vs. Zombies,^[10] Mischief Night,^[11] a sequel to I Spit On Your Grave,^[12] and Misfits.^[13]

In 2007, Schenkman directed The Man from Earth.^[14][15] The film, widely pirated upon its release that same year, became a success. In 2017, he made a sequel, The Man from Earth: Holocene. Two months prior to its April 3 digital and DVD release, the film was released on The Pirate Bay in resolutions up to 1080p HD, including a message from Schenkman and producer Eric D. Wilkinson, encouraging donations from viewers.^[14]

Prior to his involvement in feature films, Schenkman had a career in corporate media. He contributed to the early branding of MTV by creating promos.^[16][17][18] Schenkman also established a production company, which produced various forms of media content, including commercials for Nickelodeon.^[19] Later, he joined Playboy Enterprises, where he was responsible for updating the network's visual presentation and overseeing the production of various programs, eventually serving as Vice President of Production.^[8]

Writing

As a writer, Schenkman is the author of the children's book The Girl From Atlantis.^[20] He co-wrote the film, Went to Coney Island on a Mission from God… Be Back by Five, with Jon Cryer.^[21] He also wrote the screenplay for the TV film, A Diva's Christmas Carol.^[22]

Awards and recognition

Schenkman won seven awards at film festivals such as the Austin Film Festival, Oldenburg International Film Festival, Rhode Island International Film Festival and WorldFest Flagstaff.^[23]

Filmography

Film

Year	Film	Director	Writer	Producer	Notes	Reference(s)
1993	Angel IV: Assault with a Deadly Weapon	Yes	No	No	Credited as "George Axmith"	[24]
1996	The Pompatus of Love	Yes	Yes	Co-producer	Also music supervisor
1998	Went to Coney Island on a Mission from God... Be Back by Five	Yes	Yes	Yes
	October 22	Yes	No	No
2007	And Then Came Love	Yes	No	No
	The Man from Earth	Yes	No	Yes	Also song lyrics "Forever"
2012	Abraham Lincoln vs. Zombies	Yes	Yes	No
2013	100 Degrees Below Zero	Yes	Yes	No
	Mischief Night	Yes	Yes	Yes
2015	I Spit on Your Grave: Vengeance Is Mine	Yes	No	Co-executive
2016	Hunt for Truth	Yes	Yes	No		[25]
2017	The Man from Earth: Holocene	Yes	Yes	Yes
2017	Dead on Arrival	Yes	No	No		[26]
2019	Misfits	Yes	No	Yes	Unreleased
2021	18 1/2	No	No	Executive		[27]
2023	Anantha	No	No	Yes		[28]
2023	Wineville	No	Yes	No		[28]

Television

Year	Film	Director	Writer	Producer	Notes	Reference(s)
1984	1st Annual MTV Vídeo Music Awards	No	No	Yes
1986	The SPIN New Music College Tour	Yes	No	Yes
1987	SNAFU: The World's Screwiest Foul Ups!	Yes	Yes	Yes	Syndicated TV special
1994	Lusty Liaisons	Segment Director	No	No	TV Anthology movie
	Lusty Liaisons II	Segment Director	No	No
2000	A Diva's Christmas Carol	Yes	Yes	No	TV movie
2006	Muckraker!	Yes	Yes	No	TV Short
2007	Fawlty Towers	Yes	No	No	TV series Episode A Touch of Class
2009	Flower Girl	No	Story	No	TV movie
2012	Layover	Yes	No	No	TV movie	[29]
2013	Zombie Night	No	Story	No	TV movie
2016	A Father's Secret	Yes	Yes	No