Steven R. Kutcher
Steven R. Kutcher is an American entomologist who has worked for decades as a "wrangler" of insects and other arthropods in some of the highest-grossing productions and with some of the most famous people in the entertainment industry. In doing so, he has himself gained media attention worldwide 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 an educator.
Background, education, and training
Born in Manhattan, New York, Steven R. Kutcher as a young child collected fireflies in the Catskill Mountains. Later growing up in a suburb of Los Angeles, California, Kutcher collected insects around his home, in fields, and in the Santa Monica Mountains. At age 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 fasciatus — as he observed in the field, in laboratory experiments, and in time-lapse cinematography.
In 1970, Kutcher began his work in the entertainment industry as "Larry J. Felix" in The Stein and Illes Radio Show, a comedic "underground" radio 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.
"The Bug Man of Hollywood"
Since 1977, Kutcher has manipulated the instinctive behaviors of arthropods, and the instinctive reactions of audiences, mostly in the horror, thriller, fantasy, and comedy genres. He has worked on over 100 feature films with a "bug" in the story line, including Spider-Man, Jurassic Park, and Arachnophobia. Kutcher has also worked on numerous popular television shows—including CSI: NY, MacGyver, and The X-Files – as well as TV commercials and online advertising for Fortune 500 corporations..In film, on TV and radio, and in music videos, Kutcher has notably worked with some of the most famous people in the entertainment industry, including Paula Abdul, Christina Aguilera, Steve Allen, Halle Berry, Carol Burnett, Marlon Brando, Richard Burton, Bill Cosby, Wes Craven, M.C. Hammer, Janet Jackson, Michael Jackson, James Earl Jones, David Lynch, Carl Reiner, Steven Spielberg, Denzel Washington, Sigourney Weaver, Robin Williams, and Stevie Wonder.
As "The Bug Man of Hollywood," Kutcher has himself been the subject of numerous interviews. He has appeared, with "bugs," on late-night TV talk shows, including The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and Late Night with David Letterman. In 1992, Kutcher appeared as a guest on the Emmy-nominated "Spider Episode" 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.
Kutcher has also been interviewed or featured in numerous publications in print and online, including Entertainment Weekly, Guinness Book of Records, Los Angeles Times, National Enquirer, National Geographic World, Nature, Newsweek, New York Times, Popular Science, Ripley's Believe It or Not, Time, The Wall Street Journal, Weekly Reader, and Wired as well as periodicals in Australia, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the United Kingdom.
Manipulating insect behavior
Applying his academic and professional studies of arthropod behaviors, Kutcher manipulates instinctive responses—such as species-specific, positive or negative sensitivity to light, air pressure, or gravity—to make "bugs" perform scripted "tricks" on cue, such as:- A live wasp flies harmlessly into the mouth of actor Roddy McDowell.
- A cockroach runs across the floor and then, "hitting its mark", flips over on its back.
- A spider crawls across a room and then into a slipper.
- A cockroach crawls out of a shoe, walks up a bag of snack food and onto a surfing magazine, and then stops upon a picture of a surfboard.
- A praying mantis, a scorpion, and beetles power-up a cell phone as part of a "Bug Circus" in online ad.
- Hundreds of bees or thousands of locusts swarm on camera as called for in the script.
"Bug Art"
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!"
The abstract to surrealistic compositions are shaped by Kutcher's methods of manipulating insect movements, and are often influenced by the works of Impressionist and other master painters.
Kutcher's bug art has been exhibited in art galleries, museums, universities, libraries, and online and offline publications worldwide.
Contributions as scientist, naturalist, and educator
Steven Kutcher has appeared in person to give talks and live-insect demonstrations at hundreds of film festivals, seminars and workshops, museums and libraries, and preschools through graduate schools.Kutcher has been instrumental in creating annual insect fairs, as at the Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History and Los Angeles County Arboretum, which have been attended by more than 100,000 children and adults. Kutcher also served as a consultant in the development of the interactive "bug" exhibits at the Kidspace Children's Museum, 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 several community colleges in the greater Los Angeles area.
Filmography and other credits (in part)
Theatrical films
In addition to serving as "bug wrangler" or entomology consultant for numerous student and independent films, Kutcher has worked on many feature films from major studios and production companies:| Film | Year | Featured "bugs" |
| We Bought a Zoo | 2011 | Swarm of honey bees |
| G-Force | 2009 | Tarantula, cockroach |
| ' | 2007 | Beetles etc. |
| The Hitcher | 2007 | Spiders, scorpion |
| Antwone Fisher | 2002 | Grasshoppers |
| Spider-Man | 2002 | Spiders |
| Wild Wild West | 1998 | Tarantula |
| Lost Highway | 1997 | Spider, moths |
| Mimic | 1997 | Ants, termites |
| Alien: Resurrection | 1997 | Spider |
| L.A. Confidential | 1996 | Maggots |
| ' | 1996 | Ants |
| Jack | 1996 | Monarch butterflies |
| James and the Giant Peach | 1996 | Dwarf tarantulas |
| A Very Brady Sequel | 1996 | Tarantula |
| Copycat | 1995 | Carpenter ants |
| Matilda | 1995 | Cockroach |
| A Walk in the Clouds | 1995 | Butterflies |
| Leprechaun 2 | 1994 | Cockroaches and tarantulas |
| Jurassic Park | 1993 | Mosquitoes |
| The Temp | 1993 | Wasps, scorpions, cockroaches |
| Meet the Applegates | 1991 | Praying mantis, tarantula |
| Arachnophobia | 1990 | Spiders, crickets, etc. |
| Back to the Future Part II | 1989 | Various insects |
| The 'Burbs | 1989 | Bees |
| Fright Night II | 1989 | Mealworms etc. |
| ' | 1989 | Cabbage white butterflies |
| ' | 1987 | Dragonfly, fly |
| The Golden Child | 1986 | Monarch butterfly |
| The Goonies | 1985 | Leech |
| 1977 | Locusts |
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 |
| ' | 2006 | Mealworms |
| Family Matters | c. 1995 | Giant mealworms |
| ' | 1986 | Grasshopper |
| Larry Sanders Show, the | 1996 | Tarantulas |
| Laverne and Shirley Reunion | 2002 | Cockroaches etc. |
| Life with Bonnie | 2004 | Honey bee |
| MacGyver | 1991 | Cockroaches |
| Mentalist, The | 2013 | |
| Monk | 2005 | Bees |
| Power Rangers | 1994 | Praying mantis, cockroaches |
| 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 | ||
| 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" | 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 | 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, 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 | AD Council, Partnership for a Drug-Free America | Bugs, leeches |
| Telecom | AT&T, Atlantic Bell, Bell Canada, Qualcomm, Telecom Italia, Verizon | Bees, beetles, butterflies, cockroaches, mealworms, mosquitoes, praying mantids, scorpions, tarantulas |
Periodicals
Journals and books