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Sid & Marty Krofft
Many of the most colorful and fondly remembered children’s series of the 1970s and 1980s sprang from the imaginations of Sid and Marty Krofft. Their groundbreaking, live-action fantasy shows were mainstays of the Saturday morning airwaves, which had previously been the exclusive domain of cartoons. To this day, DVD box sets of beloved Krofft creations “H.R. Pufnstuf,” “Lidsville,” and “Land of the Lost” are brisk sellers, a testament to the artistry and charm of the Krofft brothers and the magical spell they cast on generations of TV viewers.
The Kroffts made their television debut in 1969 with NBC’s “H.R. Pufnstuf,” which centered on the magical adventures of boy named Jimmy, a talking flute and a six-foot dragon. The series, which introduced the brothers’ innovative mix of live-action and puppetry, was made into a Universal Pictures feature in 1970. The show continues to be broadcast around the world. “Pufnstuf” was quickly followed by “The Bugaloos” on NBC (1970) and “Lidsville” on ABC (1971). “Sigmund & the Sea Monsters” and “Land Of The Lost” premiered on NBC in 1973 and in 1974, respectively. Later kids shows included “Far Out Space Nuts,” “Lost Saucer” and “The Krofft Supershow,” which included installments of “Wonderbug,” “Big Foot & Wildboy,” “Electra Woman & Dyna Girl,” “Dr. Shrinker” and “Kaptain Kool and the Kongs.”
In the 1970s and 1980s, the Kroffts also found success as producers of popular primetime variety series such as “The Donny and Marie Show,” “The Brady Bunch Variety Hour,” “Pink Lady and Jeff” and the top-rated “Barbara Mandrell & the Mandrell Sisters.” Krofft puppets were also regular characters on other variety shows of the period.
In 1984, the Kroffts made the bold move of giving comedian Richard Pryor his own award-winning Saturday morning children’s series on CBS, “Pryor’s Place.” Besides capitalizing on Pryor’s irreverent humor, the show explored important social issues such as child abuse, divorce and the importance of reading. The Kroffts got political in 1987 with “D.C. Follies,” a satirical TV series lampooning current events with amazing, larger-than-life puppets of celebrities, politicians and newsmakers.
Proof that the appeal of the Kroffts’ iconic characters and timeless stories has not diminished can be found in the growing number of new fan sites online, strong sales of DVD collections and continuing enthusiasm for marathons on Nickelodeon’s “Nick at Nite.” In addition Vivendi Home Video is releasing more of the Krofft library on DVD later this year.
A whole new generation of kids will get to enjoy the further adventures of “H.R. Pufnstuf” (director Conrad Vernon) in the feature movie set up at Sony, as well as “Sigmund & the Sea Monsters” movie, which is set up at Universal Studios. “Electra Woman & Dyna Girl” and “Lidsville” are at the script-writing stage.
In the meantime, Krofft is helping Joe Ruby and Ken Spears find a home for their fabulous collection of unpublished Jack Kirby characters.As Marty likes to say with a laugh, “You can’t kill our shows with a baseball bat.”
But please… leave your Louisville Sluggers at home.
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Michael Stokes
VP, Development and Production
Michael Stokes has returned to Krofft as Vice President of Development and Production.  After graduating from Loyola Marymount with a degree in Film he worked his way up the ladder on various Krofft productions in the late 1970’s and early 80s.  After producing D.C. Follies for Krofft Michael left to work as a free lance Producer on many Network TV Seriesand Specials including a number of years at HBO producing both Sitcoms and Comedy Specials and stints at both NBC Productions and New World Productions as a Vice President of Production. He brings decades of experience having worked on every type of project from Game Shows to Movies of the Week and at every broadcast level from Basic Cable to Network Prime Time.
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Bill Tracy
Bill Tracy started with Sid & Marty Krofft Pictures during their “Barbara Mandrell & the Mandrell Sisters Show”.  When the Mandrell show ended he transitioned to Purchasing Agent for the last few years of the famed Krofft Show Biz Factory.   Since then he has worked in various positions and presently is responsible for the Krofft archives.
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William J. Kay
Head of Business Affairs
William J. Kay is head of Business Affairs for Sid & Marty Krofft Pictures. In this role his duties include a broad spectrum of responsibilities in the legal and business aspects of television and film production including labor relations.  He is responsible for and assists in strategic long term planning of intellectual property rights exploitation for film, television, and internet. Also, in this capacity works with entertainment contracts drafting, negotiating, and interpretation, for television licensing, DVD, digital distribution, and licensing of merchandising based up various intellectual properties.
Prior to his tenure at Sid & Marty Krofft Pictures, William Kay worked at the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA). His responsibilities included Residuals Contracts interpretation, enforcement, and collection based upon entertainment union collective bargaining agreements (CBA). Some of his other duties at AFTRA included staff union representation, collective bargaining contract negotiations, filing of grievance and procedures under the CBA, which included arbitration.
William J. Kay earned his Juris Doctorate from Southwestern Law School in Los Angeles and is a member of the State Bar of California. William Kay received his bachelors in Political Science from the University of California, Los Angeles with a minor in Geography.
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Awards
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Music City News
Barbara Mandrell, Program of the Year, 1981
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Action for Children’s Television
Pryor’s Place for Achievement in Children’s Television, 1985
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Youth In Film
Lifetime Achievement Award, 1992
History
It all started when their father, Peter Krofft, a master puppeteer in his own right, discovered seven-year-old Sid had puppeteering talent and auditioned him in his own production of “Snow...
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