My SPW NewsPage View

Three-time Emmy^® Award winning Character FX Artist Todd Masters has been tapped to receive the 2022 “Fright-Time” Award for Lifetime Achievement -- as one of Hollywood’s premiere Monster Makers – during an evening ceremony June 4^th at the Monsterpalooza Convention  in Pasadena, CA.

Masters is the Founder, President - and “Chief Monster-Maker” – behind MastersFX, one of the entertainment industry’s top Character & Special FX studios. MFX is currently celebrating its 35^th Anniversary this year.

Masters’ film career spans more than 43 years – he started working as a young teenager in the FX industry making monsters on genre blockbusters such as Big Trouble in Little China, Night of The Creeps, Looks Who’s Talking and the original Predator.

During the early part of his career in the 1980’s, Masters spent many years working in So. California’s creature shops. During this era, he began developing his artform before expanding it into what the renowned MastersFX Studio has become today. “Those of us in this field all stand on the shoulders of the FX giants that came before us: people like Ray Harryhausen, Jim Danforth, Dick Smith, Rick Baker, Lon Chaney, Stan Winston, Tom Burman, Craig Reardon, Chris Walas, and many, many others who taught us this unique art. Many of the artists I’ve worked with over the years have exceedingly evolved this art, all while remaining good friends of mine. We’ve all spent decades developing this truly unique entertainment industry artform.”

In addition to his three Emmy Award wins, Masters has also won: a Cable Ace Award, a Saturn Award, eight Leo Awards, a Gemini Award, a Screamfest Award, and most recently, a Fangoria Magazine 2022 Chainsaw Award, as well as several other accolades over the years in his role as a director and producer.

Regarding his 2022 award from Monsterpalooza, Masters says, “It’s a true honor to receive this Lifetime Achieve Award – especially since many of our MastersFX teammates and alumni -- as well as numerous of my Monster-Maker colleagues, fellow FX Studio owners and good friends – will be in attendance. I like to consider the people in the Special/Character/Makeup FX industry my extended family. In the sincerest sense, we’re ALL ‘Masters’ of our craft!”

“Monsterpalooza is the pre-eminent monster fan convention on the planet,” Masters declares, “while also serving as the creative center of the professional Monster-Maker universe.”

Monsterpalooza 2022 will be held June 3-5, 2022, at the Pasadena Convention Center -- and it will spotlight an inside look at some of MastersFX’s work via two panels:

• First -- On Saturday, June 4 at 3 PM: The multi-award-winning, cult-hit PG: Psycho Goreman will be screened in the Monsterpalooza theater auditorium. The screening will be followed by a Q&A session with the film’s writer/creator/director, Steven Kostanski, (who is also an MFX/Toronto FX Artist.) Joining Kostanski will be Zane Knisely (Supervisor at MastersFX/Toronto Studio) and Graham Chivers (MFX Toronto Prosthetics Artist.) Todd Masters himself, will serve as MC of the Q&A session.
• Afterwards - On Saturday evening, June 4 beginning at 7:30 PM: A special guest star will present the 2022 “Fright-Time” Achievement Award to Masters. Following the award presentation, Monsterpalooza will host a party to celebrate the 35^th Anniversary of MastersFX.
• And -- On Sunday, June 5, at 1:30 PM: A panel entitled The Making of Tales From the Crypt: Demon Knight will begin. The session will highlight MFX’s work featured in that 1995 classic monster-movie. This panel will be comprised of Masters, actors Billy Zane and Charles Fleischer, and the film’s director, Ernest Dickerson.

Also, throughout the entire weekend of Monsterpalooza, a number of iconic props and FX memorabilia - created over the years by the MastersFX team - will be on display, inside the renowned Monsterpalooza Museum. These items will include: a “Demon” from Demon Knight; the leading character from the film Psycho Goreman (in Cowboy attire,) and other characters from that hit film. In addition, some of the other FX items created by the MastersFX team which will be on exhibit include items from the TV series Day of the Dead and DC’s LEGENDS OF TOMORROW. The legendary Monsterpalooza Museum is a must-see, and annually features full-sized creatures, hyper-realistic sculptures, screen-used props and animatronics from many popular horror films. The museum also debuts various new horrific creations from the world’s most elite Monster FX Studios.

“I’m still in a bit of shock by how well the 2022 Monsterpalooza team is treating lil ol’ us, this year,” Masters concedes. “The tremendous producers of this convention have really turned this year’s Monsterpalooza into a veritable ‘MASTERS-Palooza’! I am sincerely humbled by the outpouring of support and love from them, and from so many other artists within our industry. The entire Monsterpalooza event brings a sharp-focus into the Art of Monster-Making, for both professionals as well as for collectors. The annual event is a must-see for classic monster fans and newcomers. After a few years off due to the pandemic, I’m so glad that Monsterpalooza is back, bigger and scarier than ever!”

About MASTERSFX
Founded in 1987 by three-time Emmy^® Award winner Todd Masters, MASTERSFX (MFX)  is a multi-award-winning character and makeup FX company. MASTERSFX's creative teams produce a distinctive blend of practical and digital makeup FX, prosthetics and animatronics, through a process called “dMFX,” for hundreds of hit feature films, TV shows, and commercials, since 1987..

Included among the TV projects to which MASTERSFX has contributed its work are Handmaid’s Tale, The Magicians, The Good Doctor, The Umbrella Academy, The Expanse, Coroner, The Boys, The Flash, This is Us, What We Do in the Shadows, True Blood, Six Feet Under, Tales from the Crypt, Fringe, and many others.

Among the company's film credits are Child’s Play, Sonic the Hedgehog, the 2019 version of Rabid, The Day the Earth Stood Still, The Haunting in Connecticut, Star Trek: First Contact, The Horse Whisperer, Slither, Snakes on a Plane, Look Who's Talking, and many more.

Makeup and special FX artist Todd Masters is the winner of the 2021 Daytime Emmy^® Award for “Outstanding Special Effects Costumes, Makeup” for his work on the Universal Studios/1440 produced TV movie Aliens Stole My Body, the second entry in the young-adult, fantasy/sci-fi book series Aliens Ate My Homework by Bruce Coville. Masters is also the winner of a 2016 Daytime Emmy^® and Leo Awards for “Outstanding Makeup” for the Netflix series, Monsterville. He is the winner of an Emmy Award in 2003 for the 2001/2002 Season of Six Feet Under in the category "Best Special Effects Makeup." And, in 2006, Masters won a "Saturn Award" for "Best Makeup FX" for his work on the film Slither.