Nicholas Tana
Nicholas Tana | |
|---|---|
| Occupations | Writer, director, actor, and musician |
| Known for | Hell's Kitty |
| Website | www |
Nicholas Tana is a writer,[1][2] director, actor, and musician best known for the Hell's Kitty movie and web-series.
Life and career
Before starting his own production company, Tana worked at ESPN as an associate director in the international department.[3]
He has received much critical attention from the horror community for his Hell's Kitty TV series.[4][5] It features a host of horror icons often portrayed in parodies of the roles for which they are famous,[6][7] including Adrienne Barbeau, Doug Jones, Michael Berryman, Courtney Gains, Lee Meriwether, John Franklin, Lynn Lowry, Bill Oberst Jr., Ashley C. Williams, Barbara Nedeljakova, and Dale Midkiff.[8] Tana himself also stars in Hell's Kitty, alongside his real cat Angel, and the series is based on his experiences.[9]
Tana is also the writer, director, and producer of the sex-positive documentary Sticky: A (Self) Love Story[10] The film is an exploration of the cultural taboos and pervasive stigma surrounding masturbation, drawing on Tana's nine years of research into the social and psychological aspects of the activity.[11]
He is the founder of Smart Media LLC, a production company, and New Classics Books, a publishing agency.[12]
Awards and recognition
Tana's work has received recognition in several screenwriting competitions. His film Hillbillies vs. Alien Chickens won the Horror2Comics/Script2Comic Award in 2022, and placed as a semifinalist in the Scriptapalooza 2024 Screenplay Competition.[13] His screenplay Fire the Surgeon General was also a Scriptapalooza finalist.[14]
Tana wrote The Little Lion That Listened, which received an Independent Press Award for Best Audiobook in 2023.[15][16] His books Monsters Are Afraid of Babies and The Little Lion That Listened have been reviewed by Publishers Weekly[17] and Kirkus Reviews.[18][19] He also wrote The Wishing Well, published by Disney Publishing Worldwide.[20]
His documentary Sticky: A (Self) Love Story was selected as an Amazon Video Direct Stars winner in July 2016.[21][22][23]
The musical version of Hell's Kitty has won the following awards:
- 2018: American Tracks Music Award, Category "Best song for a film"[24]
- 2019: American Tracks Music Award, Category "Best film score" (semi-finalist)[25]
- 2019: Paris Art and Movie Awards, Category "Best Soundtrack" (nomination)[26]
Music and composition
Tana is a songwriter with over twenty published songs. He co-wrote the pop song "Chainsaw Kitty" with composer Richard Albert, which was featured on the Hell's Kitty soundtrack and was an American Tracks award winner. The music video features a host of well-known horror icons who also appear in the Hell's Kitty web-series and feature film.[27][28][29][30]
A musical version of Hell's Kitty, based on the film and web-series, was written by Nicholas Tana and produced by Smart Media L.L.C. and New Musicals Inc. It was performed at the Broadwater Theater as part of the Hollywood Fringe Festival 2019. The original songs for the musical were largely written and composed by Tana, Alexa Borden, and Richard Albert.
Discography
Up to December 2025, Tana has released the following albums and singles.[31]
Albums
| Release date | Album | No. of tracks | Genre | Label |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Essential Vibe Collection, Volume 1 | 23 | ||
| 2018 | Hell's Kitty | 25 |
Singles and EPs
| Year | Song | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | "Soul Below" | |
| 2024 | "Suicidal Baby" | |
| 2023 | "Multicolored Spiked Umbrella" | |
| 2023 | "Ebb and Flow " | |
| 2023 | "See the Light" | |
| 2022 | Hope Punk | EP |
| 2022 | "Christmas Tree" | |
| 2022 | "Senor Pedro" | |
| 2022 | "Galactic Girl" | |
| 2022 | "Solo Song" | |
| 2022 | "Better Times" | |
| 2022 | "Gonna Kiss You" | |
| 2022 | "Rainbow Baby" | |
| 2018 | "Chainsaw Kitty" |
Filmography
| Year | Title | Credited as | Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Director | Writer | Producer | Actor | |||
| 2018 | Hell's Kitty | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 2016 | Sticky: A (Self) Love Story | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Documentary[10] |
| 2011–2015 | Hell's Kitty (TV series) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| The Director | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | ||
Books
Tana has written a number of books, including the following.
- eJunky
- Hell's Kitty
- The Kitten, the Cat & the Apple
- The Kingdom of Glee
- Monsters Are Afraid of Babies
- The Little Lion That Listened
- Lost Angel in Los Angeles
References
- ^ Tana, Nicholas (2013). Hell's Kitty. Createspace Independent Pub. ISBN 9781484984994.
- ^ Tana, Nicholas (2019). The Kitten, the Cat, and the Apple. New Classics Books. ISBN 9781950033041.
- ^ "Meet Nicholas Tana and Denise Acosta of Smart Media – Voyage LA Magazine | LA City Guide". July 17, 2018. Retrieved March 3, 2019.
- ^ Decker, Sean (November 10, 2012). "Hell's Kitty Creator Nicholas Tana Chats About a Possessed Pussy". Dread Central. Retrieved March 2, 2019.
- ^ C, Luiz H. (February 26, 2018). "[Review] 'Hell's Kitty' Awkwardly Lives up to Its Premise". Bloody Disgusting!. Retrieved March 3, 2019.
- ^ Torretti, Barbara (February 9, 2018). "Hell's Kitty: horror icons come together to fight a possessed cat | DarkVeins.com". DarkVeins | Shark Sequel "Under Paris 2" In Development. Retrieved December 3, 2025.
- ^ Jordan, Christopher S. (February 10, 2018). "VOD Releases: Hell's Kitty". The Movie Sleueth. Retrieved December 3, 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Nerdly » 'Hell's Kitty' Review". Retrieved March 3, 2019.
- ^ Mlynar, Phillip (June 10, 2014). "We Chat with the Creator of "Hell's Kitty," a Show Starring a Cat Named Angel". Catster. Retrieved March 3, 2019.
- ^ a b Sharf, Zack (January 26, 2016). "Watch: Exclusive 'Sticky' Clip Uncovers a Defining Moment in Masturbation History". IndieWire. Retrieved March 2, 2019.
- ^ "Director Nicholas Tana Breaks Down The Taboos Of Masturbation In 'Sticky: A Self Love Story'". February 3, 2016.
- ^ Tana, Nicholas (September 19, 2023). eJunky. Scout Comics. ISBN 978-1-63969-181-4.
- ^ https://www.moviebytes.com/ContestDetail.cfm?StoryID=8076&ContestNumber=123&tab=tab3
- ^ https://www.moviebytes.com/contestDetail.cfm?tab=tab3&ContestNumber=123&StoryID=7786
- ^ https://www.independentpressaward.com/2023winners
- ^ https://www.independentpressaward.com/2023df
- ^ https://www.publishersweekly.com/9781950033003
- ^ https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/nicholas-tana/monsters-are-afraid-of-babies/
- ^ https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/nicholas-tana/the-little-lion-that-listened/
- ^ https://penguinrandomhouselibrary.com/book/?isbn=9780736444187
- ^ https://stickythemovie.com
- ^ https://voyagela.com/interview/meet-nicholas-tana-of-smart-media-llc-in-marina-del-rey/
- ^ https://variety.com/2016/digital/news/amazon-video-direct-top-studio-digital-partners-1201878900/
- ^ "September 2018 results & winners". American Tracks Music Awards. October 2, 2018. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
- ^ "February 2019 results & winners". American Tracks Music Awards. March 2, 2019. Retrieved March 7, 2019.
- ^ "August 2019 Official Competition". Paris Art and Movie Awards. Retrieved August 7, 2019.
- ^ McNeely, Kelli Marchman (February 12, 2018). "Music Video For 'Hell's Kitty' Unveiled Ahead Of Its March Film Release". horrorfuel.com. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
- ^ "Scratch A Beat With This HELL'S KITTY Music Video | popgeeks.com". February 15, 2018. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
- ^ Bond, Nick (February 16, 2018). "Watch New Music Video for Horror Legends Filled 'Hell's Kitty' Titled "Chainsaw Kitty"". Dark Universe: Horror Database. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
- ^ ""Chainsaw Kitty" Is the Hilarious, Must-See Music Video For The Upcoming Hell's Kitty". Yell! Magazine. February 13, 2018. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
- ^ "Nicholas Tana". Spotify. Retrieved May 3, 2023.
External links
- Nicholas Tana at IMDb
- Nicholas Tana at Spotify
- Smart Media LLC
- New Classics Books