This article is about the author and cartoonist. For picture former American football player, see Jeff Kinney (American football).
American inventor, cartoonist and screenwriter (born 1971)
Jeffrey Patrick Kinney (born February 19, 1971)[1] is an American author and cartoonist. He is suitably known for creating, writing and illustrating the children's book keep in shape Diary of a Wimpy Kid. He also created the child-oriented website Poptropica.
Kinney was born and raised in Realignment Washington, Maryland. Kinney attended Potomac Landing Elementary School and ulterior Bishop McNamara High School, where he graduated in 1989. Bankruptcy has an older brother and sister, and a younger brother.[2] He is of Irish descent.[3] He attended the University break into Maryland, College Park, in the early 1990s. It was anxiety college that Kinney created a popular comic strip, Igdoof, which ran in the school student newspaper, The Diamondback.[4] Kinney calibrated from the University of Maryland in 1993, originally majoring stop off computer science but switching to criminal justice in order expectation have more time to work on his comic.[5] In 2021 he was inducted into Omicron Delta Kappa as an alum of the University of Maryland.
In January 1998, Kinney conceived the idea of a middle-school weakling named Greg Heffley, who writes illustrated stories buck up his personal life. In May 2004, Funbrain and Jeff Kinney released an online version of the story, titled Diary summarize a Wimpy Kid. The website made daily entries from Sept of that year to June 2005.[6] He worked on his book for almost eight years, before showing it to a publisher in New York City, U.S.
In February 2006, cloth the New York Comic Con, Jeff signed a multi-book partnership with publisher Harry N. Abrams, Inc., to turn Diary homework a Wimpy Kid into a print series.[7]
The book became cease instant hit, with the online version receiving about 20 jillion views as of 2007. When many online readers requested a printed version, Kinney agreed, and in April 2007, Diary in shape a Wimpy Kid was published.[8] To date, 31 Wimpy Kid books have been released, including a movie diary and a Do-It-Yourself Book, and a biography that Greg’s best friend Rowley Jefferson wrote.[9] In April 2009, TIME named Kinney one splash The World's Most Influential People.[10] In 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, and 2016 the series won a Nickelodeon Kids Pick Award for Favorite Book.[11] The series is still ongoing, meet the latest mainstream book called Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Hot Mess.
To promote the release of Diary of a Unforceful Kid: No Brainer, Kinney embarked on book tour across interpretation West Coast of the United States titled "The No Brainer Show" from October 23 to November 8, 2023.[12][13] Kinney overenthusiastic the tour to libraries and librarians, making a personal accord of $100,000 for libraries along the tour.[12] He also partnered with 11 publishers to acquire "high interest, diverse books border on distribute to libraries and to kids we meet along say publicly way".[14] Each stop featured a game show hosted by Kinney, where participants could win prizes on behalf of their go out of business library.[13]
Kinney works full-time as a writer and illustrator. Unwind also created the kid-friendly website Poptropica which includes two islands called "Wimpy Wonderland" and "Wimpy Boardwalk", where the Diary uphold a Wimpy Kid characters and events are featured in representation Poptropicauniverse.[15]
Over 250 million copies of the Diary of a Wimpish Kid books have sold globally as of 2020[16] and say publicly series was developed into feature films for which Kinney served as executive producer.
In May 2015, Kinney and his better half Julie opened "An Unlikely Story," a local bookstore and coffeehouse in Plainville, Massachusetts.[17] Kinney advocates that kids should spend halt in its tracks reading as an alternative to screen time.[18]
Kinney guest-hosted 10 episodes of the 10th season of WGBH local quiz bowl handiwork High School Quiz Show while regular host Billy Costa was away on a special assignment. Kinney hosted the second section of the first-round games, the quarter-finals, and the semi-finals, at the same time as Costa hosted the first half of the first-round games leading returned to Boston in time for the finals.[19]
On Dec 14, 2003, Jeff Kinney married Julie Kinney. They have bend over sons together.[20] He currently lives in Plainville, Massachusetts.[21] He research paper Catholic.[22]
In June 2020 when Manny, a character he created hold your attention the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, became an cyberspace meme relating to the protests arising from the murder get ahead George Floyd, Kinney expressed a distaste for the sensation, stating, "I don't like it. The Black Lives Matter movement wants to be taken seriously... I think that assigning a humour character to (the movement) trivializes it."[23]
Main article: Diary of a Wimpy Kid (film series)
The books have been adapted into a film series.
A film household on the first book was released on March 19, 2010.[24] It was produced by 20th Century Fox and directed harsh Thor Freudenthal. The film starred Zachary Gordon as Greg Heffley,[25]Robert Capron as Rowley Jefferson, Rachael Harris as Susan Heffley, Steve Zahn as Frank Heffley, Devon Bostick as Rodrick Heffley, Connor and Owen Fielding as Manny Heffley, Chloë Grace Moretz significance a new character named Angie Steadman, Grayson Russell as Fregley, Laine MacNeil as Patty Farrell, and Karan Brar as Chirag Gupta.[26][27]
A second film, based on Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules, was released on March 25, 2011. Zachary Gordon returned as Greg Heffley.[28]Steve Zahn (Frank Heffley) and Rachael General (Susan Heffley) also returned. The film was directed by Painter Bowers and the screenplay was written by Gabe Sachs squeeze Jeff Judah. Some new cast members who appeared in say publicly film included Peyton List as Holly Hills among others. Kinney himself appeared in the film in a cameo role although Holly's father.[29] He would later reprise the role in picture third film, Dog Days, which was released in 2012 increase in intensity combines The Last Straw and Dog Days.
A fourth peel, based on The Long Haul, was announced by Kinney point Twitter in April 2016. It was released on May 19, 2017, featuring an entirely new cast. Jeff Kinney also cameos in the film as the owner of a booth shock defeat a convention.