TurtleTracksPodcast

In this episode, host Brian VanHooker talks with Ciro Nieli, the showrunner and mastermind behind the 2012 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series for Nickelodeon. Nieli reveals how the series evolved from his original plans, his thoughts about the "Mutant Wasteland" finale and even shares some would-be stories that never made it to air! Sound engineering by Ian Williams.

In this episode, host Brian VanHooker talks to toy legend Scott Hensey, the owner of Anaglyph Studios, which sculpted many of the Playmates Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles toys. From Shredder to Bebop to Ray Fillet to Leatherhead, Scott and his team sculpted some of the most memorable toys from your childhood. Scott even reveals what happened to Pizza Face's notorious second head! Sound engineering b...

Happy Holidays TMNT fans! In this episode, host Brian VanHooker talks to comic book artist Jon Sommariva, who did the artwork for the 2012 Toon/Batman: The Animated Series comic crossover and many issues of TMNT: Amazing Adventures. Most importantly, the two discuss Sommariva's amazing Christmas Cover for IDW's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #112, an exclusive through Shellheads United!

Grab yourself a pre-fight donut and enjoy an all "Secret of the Ooze" episode of Turtle Tracks as host Brian VanHooker interviews Michael Pressman, director of the 1991 classic "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II." In this interview, Pressman talks about working with actors like David Warner and Paige Turco as well as Jim Henson's Creature Shop. He also addresses that longstanding rumor of an Utrom/K...

In this episode, host Brian VanHooker talks with one of the most prolific voice actors in show business, Eric Bauza. In addition to inheriting the mantle of Bugs Bunny and other cartoon legends, Bauza has voice a number of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles characters, including Leonardo in 'Batman vs. TMNT,' Splinter in 'Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,' and Tiger Claw in the 2012 Nickelodeon...

In this episode, host Brian VanHooker talks with Gary Carlson and Frank Fosco, the creative duo behind the Image run of the TMNT, which IDW comics recently reprinted as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Urban Legends. The two talk about what it was like working on one of the most ambitious takes of the Turtles, which saw Donatello become a cyborg and Raphael become the Shredder. They also explain what...

In anticipation of the upcoming Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic book miniseries "TheLastRonin," host Brian VanHooker talks to artist Ben Bishop about being one of the pencilers on the first Eastman and Laird collaboration in a generation. They also discuss Bishop's lifelong dedication to the TMNT, his work on IDW's "Target R" and which TMNT crossover event he still wants to see happen. Sound en...

In this episode, host Brian VanHooker talks with Ben Bates and Dustin Weaver, the creative duo behind the biggest Bebop and Rocksteady stories in the IDW comics, including the Micro-Series, "Bebop and Rocksteady Destroy Everything" and "Bebop and Rocksteady Hit the Road." Sound engineering by Ian Williams.

Get ready for a huge slice of Pizza Power in this episode! Host Brian VanHooker talks to Bob Bejan, producer, lyricist, composer and the voice of Michelangelo for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Coming Out of Their Shells Tour. Bejan shares stories of Turtles passing out onstage, putting holes in the ceiling of Radio City Music Hall and his first meeting with Eastman and Laird. Sound engineering...

Breaking News from Channel 6! In this episode of Turtle Tracks, host Brian VanHooker interviews actor Renae Jacobs, the voice of April O'Neil on the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon. In it, Jacobs shares what it was like at a TMNT recording session, shares her acting journey and offers her opinion on some of the wilder April toys from the original Playmates toy line! Sound engineering...

In this edition of Turtle Tracks, host Brian VanHooker interviews Chris Allan, the primary artist on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures series from Archie Comics. The two discuss Ninjara, the Mutanimals and the upcoming release of TMNT Forever War. Sound engineering by Ian Williams. For more info on Forever War, visit http://tiny.cc/TMNT4everWAR.

In this episode, host Brian VanHooker interviews artist Freddie Williams II, who did the artwork for the Batman/TMNT crossover comic books. Williams shares how the Mirage books influenced his take on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, as well as just how insufferable Damian Wayne is as Robin. Sound engineering by Ian Williams.

In this episode, host Brian VanHooker talks to the guys from Stern Pinball, including marketing manager Zach Sharpe and illustrator Jeremy Packer. They discuss Stern's new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles pinball machines and the amazing details that went into the artwork. Check out www.sternpinball.com/TMNT for more info. Sound engineering by Ian Williams.

For the 20th episode, host Brian VanHooker talks to the original voice of Leonardo, Mr. Cam Clarke. Clarke recounts his favorite catch phrases as Leonardo, what his Michelangelo would have sounded like and he speculates on the true nature of Bebop and Rocksteady's friendship. Sound Engineering by Ian Williams.

In this episode, host Brian VanHooker talks to one of the earliest artists of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the one and only Steve Lavigne. Lavigne discusses the early days at Mirage Studios, his days at his comic shop Shellback Artworks and his part in creating some of the most iconic TMNT images of all time. Audio engineering by Ian Williams

In this episode, host Brian VanHooker talks to actor Michelan Sisti, the guy inside the Michelangelo suit for the first Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie as well as The Secret of the Ooze. Sisti recalls sweating like crazy in those heavy suits, Mikey's deleted storyline from the first film and the choreography of Vanilla Ice's "Ninja Rap." Sound engineering by Ian Williams.

For the 30th anniversary of the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film, host Brian VanHooker interviews Bobby Herbeck and Cameron Kim Dawson, the screenwriter and producer behind the film. Hear about the rocky origins of the movie, what influenced their take on the Turtles and even a little bit of "what might have been" had Herbeck continued to write the films. Dawson and Herbeck also clarify...

For this episode, host Brian VanHooker talks to game designer Merso X, the man behind the amazing fan game Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Rescue Palooza. Rescue Palooza is a side-scrolling beat-em-up throwback game with over 60 playable characters from the classic era of the TMNT, so it allows players to fight as characters like Bebop, Rocksteady, Mondo Gecko and Ray Filet for the first time. Sound...

In this episode, host Brian VanHooker interviews toymaker David Arshawsky about his contribution to some of the most iconic toys in the history of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, like the original Playmates toys of Mondo Gecko, Leatherhead, Muckman and many others. Sound engineering by Ian Williams.

In this episode, host Brian VanHooker interviews artist Ken Mitchroney of the Archie Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures series. Ken shares stories about the Mirage Studios gang traveling cross-country on motorcycles as well as his encounters with the legendary comic book and animation artists who mentored him.

In this episode, host Brian VanHooker talks to writer Peter Di Cicco, who wrote some of the best episodes of the 2012 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon. A longtime TMNT fan himself, Di Cicco discusses his love of telling stories about Karai, killing Metalhead in his first episode and the sad fate of the original cartoon's Baxter Stockman.

In a bodacious twelfth episode, host Brian VanHooker interviews the original voice of Michelangelo, Townsend Coleman! Townsend recounts his early days in radio, his years as the party-loving turtle, and his run as The Tick! And, as the voice of the most Pizza-Crazed Turtle of them all, Townsend gives his definitive answer as to whether or not pineapple is an acceptable pizza topping. COWABUNGA!

To start off a new season of Turtle Tracks, host Brian VanHooker talks with Trevor Zammit from NECA Toys. A fan of the Turtles since he was a kid, Zammit has gone on to sculpt and oversee some of the greatest Ninja Turtles toys of all time, including the 1/4 scale movie figures based on the 1990 film and NECA's TMNT toys based on the original cartoon.

In a very special 10th episode, host Brian VanHooker talks to the one-and-only Kevin Eastman, co-creator of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. In an interview spanning most of the incarnations of the TMNT, Eastman talks about how the 1990 film struck the right balance of humor and action, why Ciro Nieli was the perfect guy to create the 2012 Nickelodeon series, and he admits that he's "100% to blam...

In this installment, host Brian VanHooker talks to voice actor Robbie Rist, who played Michelangelo in the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles films and also provided the voice for Mondo Gecko on the 2012 series. Enjoy a somewhat more adult version of a TMNT podcast as Rist talks about Mikey's unseen hobbies, the private parts of Optimus Prime and jokingly threatens fellow Turtle voice actor Rob...