Vivek J. Tiwary (born May 15, 1973) is an American author and theater producer.

Early life and education

Vivek J. Tiwary was born in New York City to immigrant parents from India. He graduated from New York's Collegiate School high school and, in 1996, from the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...

, ''

magna cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sout ...

'', with undergraduate degrees from both the Wharton School of Business and the College of Arts and Sciences.

Career

Early on in his career, Tiwary held several major label music industry positions, including launching and heading the Alternative Marketing Department at Mercury/PolyGram Records and managing Video Promotion for Mercury/PolyGram, where he worked closely with

MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...

and

VH1 VH1 (originally an initialism for Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network that launched on January 1, 1985, and is currently owned by the MTV Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global's networks division based in New Y ...

. In 2004, Tiwary was a lead producer for a Broadway revival of

Lorraine Hansberry Lorraine Vivian Hansberry (May 19, 1930 – January 12, 1965) was an American playwright and writer. She was the first African-American female author to have a play performed on Broadway theatre, Broadway. Her best-known work, the play ''A Raisin ...

's ''

A Raisin in the Sun ''A Raisin in the Sun'' is a play by Lorraine Hansberry that debuted on Broadway in 1959. The title comes from the poem "Harlem" (also known as "A Dream Deferred") by Langston Hughes. The story tells of a black family's experiences in south Ch ...

''. In 2010, Tiwary was a co-producer for both the Broadway productions of

Green Day Green Day is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Rodeo, California, in 1987 by lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong and bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt, with drummer Tré Cool joining in 1990. In 1994, their majo ...

rock opera A rock opera is a collection of rock music songs with lyrics that relate to a common story. Rock operas are typically released as concept albums and are not scripted for acting, which distinguishes them from operas, although several have been ad ...

, '' American Idiot,'' and ''

The Addams Family The Addams Family is a fictional family created by American cartoonist Charles Addams. They originally appeared in a series of 150 standalone single-panel comics, about half of which were originally published in ''The New Yorker'' between 193 ...

''. In total, Tiwary's Broadway productions have garnered a total of 25 Tony Awards stemming from 44 Tony nominations. Tiwary produced a stage musical of ''

Jagged Little Pill ''Jagged Little Pill'' is the third studio album by Canadian-American singer Alanis Morissette, released by Maverick (company), Maverick on June 13, 1995. Recorded in Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood at Westlake Recording Studios, Westlake wit ...

'', inspired by

Alanis Morissette Alanis Nadine Morissette ( ; born June 1, 1974) is a Canadian and American singer, songwriter, musician, and actress. Known for her emotive mezzo-soprano voice and confessional songwriting, she became a cultural phenomenon during the mid 199 ...

’s groundbreaking album of the same name, with a new story by Academy Award-winner Diablo Cody and directed by Tony Award-winner Diane Paulus. The musical played a record-breaking, sold-out world premiere at

American Repertory Theater The American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) is a professional not-for-profit theater in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1979 by Robert Brustein, the A.R.T. is known for its commitment to new American plays and music–theater explorations; to ne ...

in Boston from May 5 to July 15, 2018. It opened on Broadway on December 5, 2019. The show ran for 171 performances, closing on December 17th, 2021, amid the

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

pandemic. On September 26, 2015, Tiwary hosted the Harvey Awards. Tiwary is also a pioneering producer in the world of site-specific, tech-based, and immersive theatre. He consulted on the creation and development of The Walking Dead Escape and The Walking Dead Experience. He served on the Board of Directors for New York’s seminal GAle GAtes—considered to be the founders of immersive theatre. He also produced experiential shows and installations for boundary-pushing companies such as The Wooster Group, Fischerspooner, and the São Paulo Art Biennial. Among many charitable pursuits, Tiwary is the Co-Founder o
Musicians On Call
a nonprofit organization that uses music and entertainment to complement the healing process.

The Fifth Beatle

Tiwary's

graphic novel A graphic novel is a self-contained, book-length form of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and Anthology, anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comics sc ...

'' The Fifth Beatle'' was released in November 2013 and spent several weeks on ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' best-seller list, reaching #1 in its third week of release. In June 2014, ''The Fifth Beatle'' was nominated for a True Believers Comics Award for "Favorite 2013 Original Graphic Novel". ''The Fifth Beatle'' was announced as an INDIEFAB 2013 GOLD Winner for Graphic Novels & Comics. On July 25, 2014, ''The Fifth Beatle'' received the

Eisner Award The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, commonly shortened to the Eisner Awards, are awards for creative achievement in American comic books. They are regarded as the most prestigious and significant awards in the comic industry and often referred ...

for Best Reality-Based Work. On September 6, 2014, at Baltimore Comic-Con, ''The Fifth Beatle'' won two

Harvey Award The Harvey Awards are given for achievement in comic books. Named for writer-artist Harvey Kurtzman, the Harvey Awards were founded by Gary Groth in 1988, president of the publisher Fantagraphics, to be a successor to the Kirby Awards, which were ...

s for "Best Graphic Album - Original" and "Best Biographical, Historical, or Journalistic Presentation". A

paperback A paperback (softcover, softback) book is one with a thick paper or paperboard cover, also known as wrappers, and often held together with adhesive, glue rather than stitch (textile arts), stitches or Staple (fastener), staples. In contrast, ...

edition was released in October 2016. Tiwary is attached to write and produce a television miniseries based on ''The Fifth Beatle''. Sonar Entertainment has optioned the rights to ''The Fifth Beatle'' for development as a multi-part television event series. Tiwary will pen the series adaptation and serve as executive producer. The project has also acquired rights to Beatles songs from

Sony is a Japanese multinational conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at Sony City in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. The Sony Group encompasses various businesses, including Sony Corporation (electronics), Sony Semiconductor Solutions (i ...

TEG+

On February 23, 2022, Tiwary closed an equity investment to launch TEG+, expanding on his award-winning work at Tiwary Entertainment Group. With the addition of former Netflix and Donners’ Company exec, Jack Leslie, as co-president and Head of Film + Television, TEG+ is primed to impact film and television immediately. TEG+ focuses entirely on working with high-profile original music, premier established music catalogs, A-list musicians, and composers—creating narrative entertainment for all forms of media and technology (stage, film, TV, NFTs, etc.). TEG+’s first venture into TV and film is the previously announced limited TV series '' The Fifth Beatle: The Brian Epstein Story''. The Fifth Beatle is the only project about

Brian Epstein Brian Samuel Epstein ( ; 19 September 1934 – 27 August 1967) was an English music entrepreneur who managed the Beatles from 1961 until his death in 1967. Epstein was born into a family of successful retailers in Liverpool, who put hi ...

with

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

music/song rights in place and is the first non-documentary bio project about the Beatles to have secured access to their music/songs. The Fifth Beatle is part of a slate of ten new projects revolving around high-profile music, the rest of which will be announced in the coming months. TEG+ named Elie Landau as Chief Operating Officer on March 11, 2022. TEG+ announced its next project on March 11, 2022. Acquiring the stage rights to the beloved children's book

Harold and the Purple Crayon ''Harold and the Purple Crayon'' is a 1955 Children's literature, children's picture book written and illustrated by Crockett Johnson. Published by HarperCollins Publishers, it is Johnson's most popular book, and has led to a series of other rel ...

by Crockett Johnson with plans to adapt it into a Broadway production, the musical will feature new and original songs composed by pop group AJR’s Jack and Ryan Met. TEG+ is still in the process of securing a book writer for the Broadway adaptation.

Personal life

Tiwary lives in New York with his wife, author, researcher, professor of psychology and neuroscience, Dr. Tracy Dennis-Tiwary, and their two children, Kavi and Nandini

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tiwary, Vivek Living people Writers from New York City Broadway theatre producers 1973 births Wharton School alumni Collegiate School (New York) alumni American graphic novelists American television producers American male writers of Indian descent American artists of Indian descent University of Pennsylvania School of Arts and Sciences alumni Grammy Award winners