Nanaimo dad's custom toy set earns him Netflix job
Todd is preparing to play like he’s never played before.
“I like to live a lot of my life in this childlike state of enjoyment and fun,” he says, setting up small buildings and lining up tiny characters.
Todd transformed a Sesame Street toy set from the 1970s into a tribute to the Canadian comedy Schitt’s Creek so he and his three-year-old son Jack can play together.
“He loves playing with toys and I love Schitt’s Creek,” Todd says. “[Jack] can grow up knowing these characters.”
Rather than Bert and Ernie, Jack thinks David and Patrick are “simply the best.” And “a little bit Alexis.”
Last year, Todd taught himself how to do stop-motion animation and created a music video for the "A Little Bit Alexis” song from Schitts Creek using his childhood toys.
It went viral and caught the attention of Schitt’s star and co-creator Dan Levy, who called it a masterpiece.
It inspired Todd, who works as a wedding DJ and karaoke host, to reconsider how he thought about his hobby.
“I wasn’t making any money at it, but I was making people laugh and smile,” he recalls thinking. “So I’m an artist now.” An artist who’s gallery is the Little Schitts Instagram page.
His latest exhibit of Schitt’s Creek toy photography is earning kudos from thousands of followers and fans, including Netflix. The streaming giant reached out to Todd last week to offered him a paid job.
“They want me to do my toy art to help promote their stuff,” Todd smiles, “which is unbelievably cool.”
Todd says the first thing he’s been asked to do its make sets and characters for Netflix’s Stranger Things, which he’ll produce in Nanaimo.
“There’s a little bit of pressure because before it was completely for fun,” Todd says. “Even if no one else enjoyed it, me and Jack would have the greatest time!”
But Todd need not worry. If there’s anything he’s learned during his growth as an artist, and what he hopes to teach Jack, it’s always trust the power of play.
“Growing up and being an adult doesn’t mean you stop playing,” Todd says before crouching down to bring the toy characters to life with an equally enthusiastic Jack. “For me, being silly is where all the goodness pours out.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
A newspaper says video of Prince William and Kate should halt royal rumour mill. That's a tall order
Prince William and his wife Catherine have been filmed at a farm shop near their Windsor home, The Sun newspaper reported -- the first footage of Kate since she had abdominal surgery for an unspecified condition two months ago.
'You ask for your money, they disappear': Ontario man loses $17K to AI crypto scam
A Toronto man is spreading the word of a cryptocurrency scam that lures victims using AI-generated news sites after he lost $17,000 in investments.
Hertz CEO out following electric car 'horror show'
The company, which announced in January it was selling 20,000 of the electric vehicles in its fleet, or about a third of the EVs it owned, is now replacing the CEO who helped build up that fleet, giving it the company’s fifth boss in just four years.
High thoughts: The habits of Canadian cannabis users are revealed in a new StatCan report
Statistics Canada has conducted a series of surveys to measure the impacts of legalized cannabis since the Cannabis Act took effect in 2018. The latest one, the 2023 National Cannabis Survey, sheds light on users' preferences and habits last year.
Demand soars for solar eclipse glasses in Canada. Are they worth buying?
The demand for total solar eclipse glasses used to safely view the rare celestial event has been ramping up as sellers, along with astronomy and eye-care experts in Canada, warn that viewing the eclipse with the naked eye is dangerous.
Trump says Jews who vote for Democrats 'hate Israel' and their religion
Former U.S. president Donald Trump on Monday charged that Jews who vote for Democrats 'hate Israel' and hate 'their religion,' igniting a firestorm of criticism from the White House and Jewish leaders.
Toronto family doctor who called patient's body 'perfect' suspended for 3 months: tribunal
A family doctor in Toronto has been suspended for three months after a disciplinary tribunal found that he failed to follow proper protocols while examining a patient's breasts and made inappropriate comments about her body.
Freddie Mercury's home is on the market for first time since 1980 minus his 'exquisite clutter'
Freddie Mercury's sanctuary in London, where he lived the last decade of his life, is on sale for the first time in nearly half a century -- minus his "exquisite clutter."
'The lost season': Winter comes to a close as Canada's warmest on record
The warmest winter on record could have far-reaching effects on everything from wildfire season to erosion, climatologists say, while offering a preview of what the season could resemble in the not-so-distant future unless steps are taken to cut greenhouse gas emissions.