MYTHBUSTERS BIOGRAPHIES
JAMIE HYNEMAN
Jamie Hyneman is the owner of M5 Industries, an effects company specializing in problematic custom builds. Besides serving as headquarters of MythBusters, M5 continues to work on various research & development projects for private clients.
Hyneman and MythBusters co-host Adam Savage are currently on the road with “MythBusters: Behind the Myths Tour,” a 31-city national tour that brings their exciting brand of science to the public via a live-stage show. Nearly every stop has sold out. March sees the return of MythBusters as well as the premiere of “Unchained Reaction,” a reality competition show in which Hyneman and Savage serve as executive producers and hosts.
After trying his hand at careers as various as librarian at the United Nations in Geneva to running a diving and sailing charter business in the Caribbean, Hyneman began his career in show business as special effects shop assistant in New York and later in San Francisco as a crew member on films including “Robocop,” “Arachnophobia” and “Naked Lunch.”
While managing Colossal Pictures’ model shop in San Francisco, Hyneman was given the opportunity to take over – and M5 Industries was born.
Hyneman graduated from Indiana University with a degree in Russian. He has received an honorary engineering degree from the University of Maine as well as an honorary doctorate of engineering from Villanova University, with whom he has an ongoing collaborative relationship to help develop new safety concepts for the military. He is the holder of several patents and the winner of numerous industry awards.
Hyneman currently resides in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife.
Follow Jamie on Twitter @JamieNoTweet
ADAM SAVAGE
Adam Savage joined M5 in 2002 after receiving a call from former boss Jamie Hyneman to participate in a TV pilot, which turned into the wildly popular Discovery Channel series MythBusters.
Savage and MythBusters co-host Jamie Hyneman are currently on the road with MythbBusters: Behind the Myths Tour,” a 31-city national tour that Page 2 of 4brings their exciting brand of science to the public via a live-stage show. Nearly every stop has sold out. March sees the return of MythBusters as well as the premiere of “Unchained Reaction,” a reality competition show in which Savage and Hyneman serve as executive producers and hosts.
Savage immersed himself in the NYC arts scene before moving to San Francisco in 1990 to parlay his skills into the thriving theater scene. There he worked for dozens of companies as set designer, prop master, art director and producer before falling into the machine art community where he learned welding, pneumatics, hydraulics, electronics and robot-building.
After exhibiting his work in over 50 art shows nationwide, Savage caught the eye of the special effects industry and began working as a prop builder and art director for major commercials for Sega, Coca-Cola, Nike, Burger King and Chevrolet. His work on a Coca-Cola commercial earned him a Clio Award nomination.
After an 18-month stint as head of research & development for startup toy company ZOOB, Savage joined George Lucas’ Industrial Light and Magic, where he worked on “Star Wars: Episodes 1 and 2,” “Galaxy Quest,” “Space Cowboys,” “A.I.,” “Terminator 3,” “The Mummy,” and dozens of commercials. During this time he also worked as model-shop supervisor for the two
“Matrix” sequels as well as taught at the Academy of Art College in San
Francisco.
Savage continues to dabble in his multiple hobbies, including passionately restoring his vintage four-wheel drive vehicle and accruing new pieces for his movie prop collection. He currently lives in San Francisco with his wife, twin boys and two dogs.
Follow Adam on Twitter @donttrythis
TORY BELLECI
Ever since he was a child, Tory Belleci knew he would work in the film industry. At age 11, his uncle gave him a Super 8 movie camera and he began making movies. Tory went on to San Francisco State University film school and graduated magnum cum-laude. In 1994 he started working with Jamie Hyneman, first as a stage manager, but he then quickly moved up the ranks.
In a few years’ time, Tory started work at Industrial Light and Magic (ILM), building models for films including Star Wars: Episode 1 -The Phantom Menace and Star Wars: Episode 2 - Attack of the Clones. Some of his models include the pod racers and Federation battleships. Tory worked for ILM for eight years as a model builder, sculptor and painter. His special effects work can also be Page 3 of 4seen in Starship Troopers, Sphere, Galaxy Quest, Bicentennial Man, Terminator 3, The
Matrix, The Matrix Reloaded and Van Helsing. Tory also has written and directed his own short films, including the 1999 short Sand Trooper, which played at the Slamdance Film Festival and also aired on the Sci-Fi Channel.
Tory has been with MythBusters since the beginning, first doing work behind the scenes and then becoming one of the show's co-hosts. Since being on the shows, he has jumped out of several planes, wake-boarded behind a cruise ship, been chased by a crocodile, stared down a bull and swam with the sharks.
Follow Tory on Twitter @ToryBelleci
KARI BYRON
Kari Byron has trained to be on MythBusters since she was a child. By the age of 5 she was experimenting on her sister and using dolls as crash test dummies. Luckily for her parents, they always caught her right before her little sister took a ride down a laundry chute or was the subject of an "around-the-world" attempt on the playground swings.
After graduating from San Francisco State University and traveling the world, Kari began her career as a sculptor and painter, holding successful exhibitions at some of San Francisco's leading galleries. "Artist" was only one of many hats she wore while searching for her place in the world. Her sculpting skills and love for odd jobs soon led her into the field of model-making and toy-prototyping, which led to a job with Jamie Hyneman at M5 Industries. It was at M5 that Kari got her big break with MythBusters.
Kari brings a unique perspective to the show as an artist, a science chick and a working mom.
Follow Kari on Twitter @karibyron
GRANT IMAHARA
Electronics and radio-control specialist Grant Imahara is a former animatronics engineer and model maker for Industrial Light & Magic, where he worked on such movies as The Lost World: Jurassic Park, Star Wars: Episode 1 -The Phantom Menace, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, A.I.: Artificial Intelligence, and Van Helsing. Grant also worked on The Matrix Reloaded and Revolutions.
In addition to operating R2-D2 (one of only a handful of official operators), Grant has another claim to beloved-character fame: developing a custom circuit to cycle the Energizer Bunny's arm beats and ears at a constant rate. In fact, he's responsible for all the electronics installation and radio Page 4 of 4programming on the current generation of bunnies, even serving as the bunny's driver and crew supervisor on numerous commercials.
Grant is the creator and builder of robot skeleton sidekick, Geoff Peterson, seen nightly on The Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson. He “presented” Geoff on air on April 6, 2010.
A native of Los Angeles, California, Grant earned a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering from the University of Southern California. He's also the author of the book, Kickin' Bot: An Illustrated Guide to Building Combat Robots. His own machine, Deadblow, is a former BattleBots champion.
Follow Grant on Twitter @grantimahara
BUSTER
Buster, one of the biggest stars ever, is the infamous stunt dummy on MythBusters.
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