Steven R. Kutcher

Steven R. Kutcher (born January 9, 1944) is an American entomologist who has worked as a "wrangler" of insects and other arthropods in the entertainment industry. He has gained media attention as "The Bug Man of Hollywood." In recent years, Kutcher has attracted additional notice by using insects as "living brushes" to create "Bug Art," while continuing his work as a naturalist and educator.

Background, education, and training

Born in Manhattan, New York, a young Steven R. Kutcher collected fireflies in the Catskill Mountains. Kutcher continued to collect insects after his family moved to a suburb of Los Angeles, California, this time in the Santa Monica Mountains. At 19, Kutcher traveled 3000 miles around Mexico, exploring desert to tropical ecosystems.

Kutcher received a bachelors degree in entomology from the University of California, Davis, in 1968; and a Master of Science degree in biology from the California State University, Long Beach, in 1975. His formal studies focused on insect behavior — in particular the aggregating behavior of the milkweed bug, Oncopeltus fasciitis — observed via time-lapse cinematography under experimental conditions.

In 1970, Kutcher began his work in the entertainment industry as "Larry J. Felix" in The Stein and Illes Radio Show, a comedy show on KUSC, in Southern California; James R. Stein and Robert Illes would both become Emmy Award–winning TV writers and producers. Kutcher received comedic training from Bill Cosby and once had Robin Williams as an audience. of the TV talk show parody The Larry Sanders Show, starring Garry Shandling. In 1998, Kutcher appeared on the British TV children's show The Scoop, which won a BAFTA award.

Manipulating insect behavior

Applying his expertise on arthropod behaviors, Kutcher manipulates instinctive responses such as positive or negative sensitivity to light, air pressure, or gravity to make bugs perform scripted tricks on cue, (a la a traditional flea circus). Hundreds of bees or thousands of locusts swarm on camera as called for in the script.

"Bug Art"

In the 1980s, for a Steven Spielberg television project, Steven Kutcher made a fly walk through ink and leave footprints as directed. Since 2000, Steven Kutcher has been creating "Bug Art," using various arthropods as "living brushes" to apply gouache and other nontoxic paints on watercolor paper. "I use water-based, nontoxic paints that easily wash off", he says. "I have to take good care of them. After all, they are artists!"

Contributions as scientist, naturalist, and educator

Steven Kutcher has given talks and live-insect demonstrations at hundreds of film festivals, seminars, workshops, museums, libraries, and schools (pre-K through post-graduate level). in Pasadena, California.

Kutcher has taught outdoor education workshops for such environmental organizations as the Audubon Society, the Sierra Club, and Tree People. With a milkweed butterfly garden of his own, Kutcher is on the board of the Monarch Program Kutcher has consulted on the biology and control of arthropods for major corporations and government agencies, such as the Greater Los Angeles County Vector Control District.

For over 30 years, Kutcher has taught entomology, zoology, and biology courses at West Lost Angeles College, Culver City, but has also taught for four other community colleges. )

TV movies and series

TV production Year Featured "bugs" An Inconvenient Woman c. 1991 Fly Bernie Mac Show, The 2003 Mealworm beetles Boy Meets World c. 1997, 1999 Snails, bees Buck Rogers in the 25th Century c. 1980 Dragonflies Chicago Hope 2000 Tarantula Criminal Minds 2012, 2013, 2013 Maggots, flies, waxworms, praying mantis CSI: NY 2006 Mealworms Family Matters c. 1995 Giant mealworms Kung Fu: The Movie 1986 Grasshopper Larry Sanders Show, the (Emmy-nominated "The Spider Episode") 1996 Tarantulas Laverne and Shirley Reunion 2002 Cockroaches etc. Life with Bonnie (The Bonnie Hunt Show) 2004 Honey bee MacGyver 1991 Cockroaches Mentalist, The 2013 Monk 2005 Bees Power Rangers 1994 Praying mantis, cockroaches Tarantulas: The Deadly Cargo 1977 Tarantulas Women of Brewster Place, The 1989 Cockroach Wonder Woman 1978 Ants The X-Files 1999, 2005 Flies, moths The Young and the Restless 1991 Ants

Music videos

Artist Project Year Featured "bugs" Paula Abdul Butterflies (in display case) Christina Aguilera "Fighter" 2002 Moths Alice Cooper Welcome to My Nightmare Scorpions, mealworms Godsmack "I Stand Alone" 2002 Scorpion M.C. Hammer 1992 Butterflies Billy Idol "L.A. Woman" 1990 Cockroach, mealworm Janet Jackson "Together Again" (Deeper Remix) 1997 Butterfly Michael Jackson "Stranger in Moscow" 1996 Wasp Korn 1996 Cockroaches No Doubt Don't Speak 1996 Fly, mealworms

TV and online commercials

Market segment Brands Featured "bugs" Automobiles Chrysler, Dodge, Fiat, Honda, Hyundai, Jeep, Kia, Lexus, Mini Cooper, Mitsubishi, Peugeot, Subaru, Toyota, Volkswagen Bees, beetles, butterflies, dragonflies, flies, grasshoppers, ladybugs, scorpions, spider webs Consumer electronics Apple, Dell, Goldstar, Hewlett Packard, Hitachi, Kodak, Nintendo Game Boy, Panasonic, Polaroid, Sega, Sony, TDK, VCR Plus Ants, bees, butterflies, flies, moths, praying mantids, snails Consumer goods (misc.) Adidas, All, Anderson Windows, Avia, Dial Soap, Dockers, Evinrude, Galoop Toys, Gladlock, Hallmark, K-Mart, Kleenex, Levi Strauss, Lowes, Nike, Northern Bathroom Tissue, Omega Watch, Revlon, Sears, Snuggles, Standard Brands Paint, Stainmaster, Sunlight Detergent, Swatch Bees, beetles, butterflies, caterpillars, cockroaches, flies, ladybugs, mosquitoes, moths, spiders Energy Chevron, Florida Power and Light, Mobil, Sempra Ants, beetles, butterflies, flies, ladybugs, spider webs Entertainment Cartoon Network, PGA, Virginia Lottery, WCW Ants, beetles, cockroaches, flies, mealworms Fast food and other restaurants Applebee's, Carl's Jr., Dunkin' Donuts, KFC, McDonald's, Seven-Eleven, Souplantation, Taco Bell Bees, butterflies, moth cocoons, praying mantids Finance and insurance Blue Cross, Capital One, Chase, Fuji Bank, Hartford Insurance, Interstate Bank, Premier Insurance, Tri-County Health, Barclay's Bees, butterflies, caterpillars, ladybugs, millipedes, walkingsticks Food and beverages Gerber's, Bud Light, Dr. Pepper, Dryer's, Gallo, Jolly Rancher, Mauna Loa, Michelob, Milk Advisory Board ("Got Milk?"), Moet, Orida potatoes, Pepsi, Planter's, Reese's Pieces, Rath Blackhawk bacon, Smith's Markets, Snickers, Zima Ants, bees, butterflies, caterpillars, flies, Jerusalem crickets, moths, tarantulas and other spiders, wasps Industrial and commodities Alcoa, Georgia Pacific, Monsanto Ants, butterflies, moths, spider webs Pest control Combat, Orkin, Ortho, Scott's Ants, butterflies, cockroaches, grubs, termites Public service announcements (PSAs) AD Council, Partnership for a Drug-Free America Bugs (misc.), leeches Telecom AT&T, Atlantic Bell, Bell Canada, Qualcomm, Telecom Italia, Verizon Bees, beetles, butterflies, cockroaches, mealworms, mosquitoes, praying mantids, scorpions, tarantulas