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
'I have the will to live': N.B. woman needs double lung transplant
A New Brunswick woman suffering from sarcoidosis, a disease that limits your lung capacity, is in need of a double lung transplant.
Suter scores late goal, clinches series for Canucks
Pius Suter scored with 1:39 left and the Vancouver Canucks advanced to the second round of the NHL playoffs with a 1-0 victory over the Nashville Predators on Friday night in Game 6.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
Police officer hit by driver of fleeing vehicle in Toronto
York Regional Police say they are continuing to search for a suspect in an auto theft investigation who was captured on video running over a police officer in Toronto last month.
The kids from 'Mrs. Doubtfire are all SUPER grown up now, and we're not OK
The adorable trio of child actors from the 1993 classic comedy 'Mrs. Doubtfire,' which starred the late and great Robin Williams, are all grown up and looking back on their seminal time together.
Video shows suspect setting Toronto-area barbershop on fire
Video of a suspect lighting a Richmond Hill barbershop on fire earlier this week has been released by police.
Hulk Hogan, hurricanes and a blockbuster recording: A week in review of the Trump hush money trial
Crucial witnesses took the stand in the second week of testimony in Donald Trump's hush money trial, including a California lawyer who negotiated deals at the center of the case and a longtime adviser to the former president.
Britney Spears 'home and safe' after paramedics responded to an incident at the Chateau Marmont, source tells CNN
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.
Quebec man who threatened Trudeau, Legault online sentenced to 20 months in jail
A Quebec man who pleaded guilty to threatening Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier François Legault has been sentenced to 20 months in jail.