Steven Thomas Fischer is an American film director, producer, and cartoonist. His work has been honored by the

Directors Guild of America The Directors Guild of America (DGA) is an entertainment guild that represents the interests of Film director, film and Television director, television directors in the United States motion picture industry and abroad. Founded as the Screen Dir ...

, The New York Festivals, the CINE Golden Eagle Awards, and Marquis Who's Who in Entertainment.

Career

Fischer began his career at age 17 as a

cartoonist A cartoonist is a visual artist who specializes in both drawing and writing cartoons (individual images) or comics (sequential images). Cartoonists differ from comics writers or comics illustrators/artists in that they produce both the litera ...

, writing and illustrating freelance. One of his early writing credits is as a contributing writer for Access Budget Europe (1994) published by

HarperCollins HarperCollins Publishers LLC is a British–American publishing company that is considered to be one of the "Big Five (publishers), Big Five" English-language publishers, along with Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Group USA, Hachette, Macmi ...

. In 1991, Fischer moved to

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

and attended classes at the London Cartoon Centre while developing proposals for animated films and television programs. Most notable were his ''Steve & Bluey'' cartoons which later aired in America through TCI Communications of Baltimore. The cartoons revived a vaudevillian style of family entertainment influenced by Fischer's childhood idols,

Abbott & Costello Abbott and Costello were an American comedy duo composed of comedians Bud Abbott and Lou Costello, whose work in radio, film, and television made them the most popular comedy team of the 1940s and 1950s, and the highest-paid entertainers in t ...

. ''Steve & Bluey'' featured a young nerdy boy named Steve partnered with a sassy quick-witted blue dog. Much of their humor relied on heavy dialogue and a sharp

clash of personalities A personality clash occurs when two (or more) people find themselves in conflict not over a particular issue or incident, but due to a fundamental incompatibility in their personalities, their approaches to things, or their style of life. A persona ...

. Print cartoons were published in two volumes entitled ''There's a Blue Dog Under My Bed'' and ''The Wonderful, Happy, Cartoony World of Steve & Bluey''. Radio plays were released through a variety of broadcasters and radio production groups, most notably the Holiday Broadcasting Company and The Golden Radio Players. Fischer voiced both lead characters. His fiction and non-fiction stories are distinguished by character studies that search for understanding such as the

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...

-nominated docu-drama ''Now & Forever Yours: Letters to an Old Soldier'', dramatizing the true story of a secret romance between Major Joseph Willard, a Union officer, and Antonia Ford, a

Southern belle "Southern belle" () is a colloquialism for a debutante or other fashionable young woman of European heritage in the planter class of the Antebellum South, particularly as a romantic counterpart to the Southern gentleman. Characteristics Th ...

, during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

. His 60-second Polish-language public service announcement, ''Silence of Falling Leaves'' (which he wrote, produced, and directed for The Polish National Alliance and TCI Communications of Baltimore), aired in Poland through

TVP Polonia TVP Polonia (formerly known as TV Polonia) is the international channel of the Telewizja Polska (TVP). The channel is co-funded by the Telewizja Polska, TVP and the Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland, Ministry for Foreign ...

in 2000. According to the Latvian news portal, TVNet, the film consisted entirely of images of falling autumn leaves with a sound track cut to a narration in Polish by the Warsaw-born artist Bozena Jedrzejczak. The cinematographer was Fischer's longtime friend and collaborator,

John Chester John Chester is an American filmmaker and television director. Early life Chester grew up in Ocean City, Maryland, and graduated in 1990 from Stephen Decatur High School (Maryland). Work Chester's first primetime television docu-series aired ...

. Baltimore Magazine described the multi award-winning PSA as, "an art film trapped inside a commercial." His personal and artful style of storytelling has been utilized in films for organizations including

Maryland Public Television Maryland Public Television (MPT) is the PBS member state network for the U.S. state of Maryland. It operates under the auspices of the Maryland Public Broadcasting Commission, an agency of the Maryland state government that holds the licens ...

, TV Asia,

Nextel Nextel Communications, Inc. was an American wireless service operator that merged with and ceased to exist as a subsidiary of Sprint Corporation, which would later be bought by T-Mobile US and folded into that company. Nextel in Brazil, and form ...

/NII Holdings,

DuPont Dupont, DuPont, Du Pont, duPont, or du Pont may refer to: People * Dupont (surname) Dupont, also spelled as DuPont, duPont, Du Pont, or du Pont is a French surname meaning "of the bridge", historically indicating that the holder of the surname re ...

Chicago Symphony Orchestra The Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) is an American symphony orchestra based in Chicago, Illinois. Founded by Theodore Thomas in 1891, the ensemble has been based in the Symphony Center since 1904 and plays a summer season at the Ravinia F ...

National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts YoungArts (previously National YoungArts Foundation and National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts, or NFAA) is an American charity established in 1981 by Lin and Ted Arison to help nurture emerging high-school artists. The foundation is ba ...

, Nalco/Ecolab, and

University of Maryland, Baltimore County The University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) is a Public university, public research university in Catonsville, Maryland named after Baltimore County, Maryland, Baltimore County. It had a fall 2022 enrollment of 13,991 students, 61 un ...

. In 2007, Fischer directed

Mariska Hargitay Mariska Magdolna Hargitay Mariska says her own first name and the name of her father; the interviewer, James Lipton, also says her full name near the start of the show. (; born January 23, 1964) is an American actress, producer, and philanthrop ...

in ''Freedom Dance'', the critically acclaimed animated documentary about the escape of a young couple from Communist Hungary to the United States during the

Hungarian Revolution of 1956 The Hungarian Revolution of 1956 (23 October – 4 November 1956; ), also known as the Hungarian Uprising, was an attempted countrywide revolution against the government of the Hungarian People's Republic (1949–1989) and the policies caused by ...

. In 2011, he produced and directed '' Old School New School'', a personal study on creativity in which the director, who also appears on camera, crisscrosses the United States to learn about voice, security versus risk, and the meaning of success. The film features the

-winning actor Brian Cox, multi

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

-winning jazz pianist

McCoy Tyner Alfred McCoy Tyner (December 11, 1938March 6, 2020) was an American jazz piano, jazz pianist and composer known for his work with the John Coltrane Quartet from 1960 to 1965, and his long solo career afterwards. He was an NEA Jazz Masters, NEA J ...

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

-winning producer

Emanuel Azenberg Emanuel "Manny" Azenberg (born January 22, 1934) is an American theatre producer and general manager whose professional relationship with playwright Neil Simon spans thirty-three years. Life and career Azenberg was born in The Bronx, the son of Ha ...

, and five-time

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

-nominated cinematographer William A. Fraker among many other acclaimed artists. The distributor

SnagFilms SnagFilms was a website that offered advertising-supported documentary and independent films. Films were streamed on the website, which contained a library of over 5,000 films. Filmmakers could submit documentaries for consideration as well. The ...

acquired the film in 2011. In 2020, Films Media Group acquired the film as academic distributor. In 2014, Fischer released an updated version of the Steve & Bluey book ''The Wonderful, Happy, Cartoony World of Steve & Bluey'' (originally published in 2002 ), telling the exploits of a cartoon comedy team trying to make it in animated show business. To promote the release, Fischer launched a world tour offering creativity lectures and cartoon storytelling workshops at venues including

Harvard Medical School Harvard Medical School (HMS) is the medical school of Harvard University and is located in the Longwood Medical and Academic Area, Longwood Medical Area in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1782, HMS is the third oldest medical school in the Un ...

(Boston), St. John's College Film Institute (Santa Fe, NM),

The Second City The Second City is an improvisational comedy enterprise. It is the oldest improvisational theater troupe to be continuously based in Chicago, with training programs and live theaters in Toronto and New York. Since its debut in 1959, it has b ...

Training Center (Chicago, IL), Debreceni Egyetemi Színház Theatre Festival (Hungary), on a Transatlantic Crossing as special guest of

SeaDream Yacht Club SeaDream Yacht Club is a private cruise line with its headquarters in Oslo, Norway. It was founded in 2001 by Atle Brynestad, the Norwegian founder of Seabourn Cruise Line. Market position According to ''USA Today'', "SeaDream Yacht Club deliv ...

, and as special guest aboard Cunard's

Queen Mary 2 RMS ''Queen Mary 2'' (''QM2'') is a British ocean liner. She has served as the flagship of the Cunard Line since April 2004, and as of 2025, is the only active, purpose-built ocean liner still in service. ''Queen Mary 2'' sails regular transat ...

touring the Middle East and Southeast Asia. Fischer's track record also includes the role of Spencer Stanley in The FBI Files (1999) on the

Discovery Channel Discovery Channel, known as The Discovery Channel from 1985 to 1995, and often referred to as simply Discovery, is an American cable channel that is best known for its ongoing reality television shows and promotion of pseudoscience. It init ...

and directing two music videos for Jim Camacho, former front man for the legendary South Florida rock band

The Goods ''The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard'' is a 2009 American comedy film directed by Neal Brennan, produced by Adam McKay, Will Ferrell, Kevin Messick and Chris Henchy, written by Andy Stock and Rick Stempson and starring Jeremy Piven, Ving Rhames, Jame ...

. His international work includes documenting the first Irish National Tour of the critically acclaimed

Off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

play ''Coole Lady'', a historical play about the life of

Lady Gregory Isabella Augusta, Lady Gregory (; 15 March 1852 – 22 May 1932) was an Anglo-Irish dramatist, folklorist and theatre manager. With William Butler Yeats and Edward Martyn, she co-founded the Irish Literary Theatre and the Abbey Theatre, and wrot ...

by noted playwright and

W. B. Yeats William Butler Yeats (, 13 June 186528 January 1939), popularly known as W. B. Yeats, was an Irish poet, dramatist, writer, and literary critic who was one of the foremost figures of 20th-century literature. He was a driving force behind the ...

biographer Sam McCready. In 2014, as a

Fulbright Program The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States cultural exchange programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people ...

Specialist, Fischer was a guest teacher at

University of Debrecen The University of Debrecen ( ) is a university located in Debrecen, Hungary. It is the oldest continuously operating institution of higher education in Hungary ever since its establishment in 1538. The university has a well established progra ...

, Hungary, presenting a course on Cartoon Storytelling.

Accolades and Honors

In 1996, Fischer was accepted into the

with the promotional film production ''This is CLEARCorps'', for and about

AmeriCorps AmeriCorps ( ; officially the Corporation for National and Community Service or CNCS) is an Independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the United States government that engages more than five million Americans in ...

. In 1997,

Marquis Who's Who Marquis Who's Who, also known as A.N. Marquis Company ( or ), is an American publisher of a number of directories containing short biographies. The books usually are entitled ''Who's Who in...'' followed by some subject, such as ''Who's Who in A ...

selected Fischer for inclusion in ''Marquis Who's Who in Entertainment''. In 2010, The Daily Record named Fischer as one of 60 Influential Marylanders. In 2013 and 2022, Fischer was awarded the honor of Fulbright Specialist by the

, The U.S. Department of State's

Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) of the United States Department of State fosters mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries around the world. It is responsible for the Un ...

and the

Council for International Exchange of Scholars For over 60 years, the Council for International Exchange of Scholars (CIES) has helped administer the Fulbright Scholar Program, the U.S. government's flagship academic exchange effort, on behalf of the United States Department of State, Bureau o ...

. Fischer served as a Jury Chair for the CINE Awards in 2010, 2011, and 2012, and was named a jury member in 2014 and 2015. He was named as a member of the jury for the

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence in ...

qualifier

Chicago International Children's Film Festival In 1983, Facets Multi-Media founded the Chicago International Children's Film Festival (CICFF), the first competitive festival of films for children in the U.S. The impetus for the Festival came from a need to introduce new, culturally diverse fi ...

in 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2016. In 2017, he was Jury Chair of the CICFF's Animated Shorts category.

Select Film Awards

''Silence of Falling Leaves'' (2000, TCI Communications) Emmy Award (Nomination) The New York Festivals (Finalist, Cinema and Television Advertising Awards) Telly Award (Winner, Public Service Announcement) Addy Award (Nomination) ''Camp Med'' (2005, NVCC-TV) Telly Award (Winner, Informational Programming) The Videographer Awards (Winner, Award of Distinction) ''Houdini'' (2005, Broken Records) Telly Award (Winner, Music Video) Gold Remi Award (Winner, Music Video, World Fest International Film Fest, Houston, Texas) Great Lakes Film Festival, Pennsylvania (Official Selection) ''Draw the Line: An Animator's Showcase'' (2006, NVCC-TV) CINE Golden Eagle (winner, Documentary Short) Telly Award (Winner, Arts & Leisure Programming) Gold Remi Award (Winner, Documentary, World Fest International Film Fest, Houston, Texas) ''Now & Forever Yours: Letters to an Old Soldier'' (2007, NVCC-TV) Telly Award (Winner, Cinematography) Emmy Award (Nomination, Cinematography) ''Francis Scott Key: Legacy of a Life in Service'' (2007, ADG Creative) Telly Award (Winner, History/Biography) Independent Film Festival, Maryland (Official Selection) ''Freedom Dance'' (2007, Blue Dog Productions, Inc / Herron Designs) Rosebud Film Festival, Virginia (Winner, Best of Show) Peer Award (Winner, Documentary Under 30 Minutes) CINE Golden Eagle CINE Jury Award CINE Masters Series Award Boston Motion Picture Awards (Finalist) Frozen Moon 2006 Trailer Showdown, Wales, UK (Winner) Show Off Your Shorts Film Fest, Los Angeles (Nominated for Best Documentary) ''Belvoir'' (2008, ADG Creative) Telly Award (Winner, Documentary) Independent Film Festival, Maryland, May 2008 (Official Selection)

References

External links

IMDb

Steven Fischer Tribute to Animation Legend Bill Melendez

Maslow Media Group

The Budapest Sun

The Official Steve & Bluey Website

Official Site for Steven Thomas Fischer

The Daily Record
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fischer, Steven 1972 births Living people Film producers from Maryland Artists from Baltimore Film directors from Maryland