Kent Matthew Osborne (born August 30, 1969) is an American screenwriter, actor, animator, producer, and director. He has worked for such animated television shows as SpongeBob SquarePants, Camp Lazlo, Phineas and Ferb, The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack, Adventure Time, Regular Show and The Amazing World of Gumball, he has received multiple Emmy Award nominations and has won twice for Adventure Time (in 2015 and 2017). He was the head writer for the Cartoon Network animated series Summer Camp Island, which premiered in 2018,[1] and is also co-producer and story editor for the Disney Channel animated series Kiff. He has also starred in several mumblecore films, including Hannah Takes the Stairs, Nights and Weekends, All the Light in the Sky and Uncle Kent (in the title role). His brother is the director Mark Osborne.[2] Osborne had replaced Walt Dohrn as a storyboard director and writer after Dohrn left SpongeBob to work on more DreamWorks films in 2002.

Kent Osborne
Osborne in 2016
Born
Kent Matthew Osborne

(1969-08-30) August 30, 1969 (age 55)
EducationHunterdon Central Regional High School
Occupation(s)Screenwriter, actor, animator, producer, director
Years active1992–present
RelativesMark Osborne (brother)
Websitemrkentosborne.tumblr.com

Early life

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Kent Osborne and his brother Mark were raised in Vermont before moving to Flemington, New Jersey.[3] He graduated from Hunterdon Central Regional High School[2] and studied acting in New York at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and David Mamet's Atlantic Theater Company.[3]

Career

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Osborne's first film role was a small part in School Ties (1992) with Brendan Fraser, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, and Chris O'Donnell. His character Emile in School Ties inspired Osborne to write the screenplay for the film Dropping Out, in which he starred alongside David Koechner, Adam Arkin, John Stamos, Katey Sagal, and Fred Willard.[3] His brother Mark directed the film, which had its world premiere at the 2000 Sundance Film Festival.[4]

Osborne served as writing partner for the comedian Rob Schneider. After recurring appearances on the TBS show Dinner and a Movie, he hosted a spinoff TBS program, Movie Lounge, beginning in 1998–2001.[5]

From 2002 to 2005, Osborne was a writer and a storyboard director for SpongeBob SquarePants on Nickelodeon. He received two Emmy Award nominations for his writing on the show, in 2003 and 2004.[6] He was also one of the writers for the theatrical film, The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie (2004). He also contributed to Behind Closed Doors.

Osborne went on to write for other animated series appearing on the Cartoon Network, including Camp Lazlo (Emmy nomination in 2006[7]), The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack (Emmy nomination in 2010[8]), and Adventure Time (Emmy nominations in 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2016, with wins in 2015 and 2017[9]). He also wrote and storyboarded several episodes of the first season of Disney Channel's Phineas and Ferb in 2008.

Osborne has been a screenwriter and actor in a number of films associated with the mumblecore movement, including several directed by Joe Swanberg. He co-wrote and acted in Hannah Takes the Stairs (2007) and had a supporting role in Nights and Weekends (2008). For Uncle Kent, which debuted at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival, Osborne served as co-writer and co-producer, as well as playing the title role, loosely based on his own life.[10][11] He returned to the semi-autobiographical role for the sequel Uncle Kent 2, which premiered at the 2015 SXSW Film Festival.[12]

In 2011, he starred in writer/director Amber Sealey's film How to Cheat.[13] Osborne and his castmates won the award for Best Performance in the Narrative Competition of the 2011 Los Angeles Film Festival.[14]

In 2013, he created the internet series Cat Agent with Rug Burn (founded by staff members of Titmouse, Inc. and Six Point Harness).

Osborne also worked as a voice director for The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack, Bee and PuppyCat, Adventure Time and Steven Universe and a story consultant for Cartoon Network Development Studio Europe's very first show ever created The Amazing World of Gumball.

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
1992 School Ties Emile
1998 Knock Off Pachy
2000 Dropping Out Emile Writer
2004 The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie Writer, storyboard artist
Open House Walter
Surviving Christmas Marley
2007 Hannah Takes the Stairs Matt Writer
Diggs Tailwagger Writer
2008 Nights and Weekends Mattie's sister's boyfriend
Kung Fu Panda Pig Fan (voice)
2009 Monsters vs. Aliens Technician Jerry (voice)
Alexander the Last Reggie
2011 Uncle Kent Kent Writer, producer
Art History Eric Writer
How To Cheat Mark
2012 All the Light in the Sky Dan
2014 Wild Canaries Calvin
2015 Digging for Fire Adam
Uncle Kent 2 Kent Writer, producer
Bloomin Mud Shuffle Spandex Man
2016 No Light and No Land Anywhere Danny
2017 Dismissed Mr. David Butler
2020 Build the Wall Kent
2024 Orion and the Dark Storyboard artist

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
1998-2001 Movie Lounge Host
2002-05 SpongeBob SquarePants Writer, storyboard director, voice actor (Season 3 only)
2005-06 Camp Lazlo Story, writer, storyboard artist
2008 Phineas and Ferb Writer, storyboard artist
2008-2010 The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack Story, writer, storyboard artist, voice director, voice actor, story editor
2010–2018 Adventure Time Story, writer, head writer, storyboard artist, supervising director (Episode: "Jake the Brick"), voice director, voice actor
2010 Regular Show Writer, storyboard artist (Episode: "Prank Callers")
2011 The Amazing World of Gumball Storyboard artist (Episode: "The Kiss"), songwriter, story consultant
2013 Bee and PuppyCat Voice director, voice actor (Deckard)
Cat Agent Creator, Director, Writer, Story writer, Storyboard Artist, Executive Producer, Voice Actor
Steven Universe Voice director
2016 Uncle Grandpa Voice actor (Episode: "Trash Cat")
2017 Craig of the Creek Voice director (Pilot)
2018–2023 Summer Camp Island Writer, Story writer, Storyboard Artist, Voice Director, Supervising Producer, Co-Executive Producer, Voice actor
2019 Room 104 Actor (Episode: "Hungry," Dan)
2020 The Mighty Ones Story (Episodes "Rocksy's In a Hole Lotta Trouble", "Creepy Caterpillar")
2023–present Kiff Developer, Co-Producer, Story Editor, Writer, Voice Actor

References

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  1. ^ "Nerdist Writers Panel: Pendleton Ward, Martin Gero and Kent Osborne". The Nerdist Podcast. October 21, 2012. Retrieved February 17, 2013.
  2. ^ a b "Kent Osborne profile". Allmovie. Retrieved September 19, 2012.
  3. ^ a b c "Dropping Out: About the Production". Happy Product. Archived from the original on December 28, 2014.
  4. ^ "Cast: Hannah Takes the Stairs". Hannah Takes the Stairs. Retrieved September 19, 2012.
  5. ^ "TBS Superstation Newest Franchise Movie Lounge". TBS. August 7, 1998. Archived from the original on August 28, 2011. Retrieved September 19, 2012.
  6. ^ "SpongeBob SquarePants". Emmy Awards.
  7. ^ "Camp Lazlo". Emmy Awards.
  8. ^ "The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack". Emmy Awards.
  9. ^ "Adventure Time". Emmy Awards.
  10. ^ Denby, David (February 7, 2011). "Uncle Kent". The New Yorker. Retrieved September 19, 2012.
  11. ^ DeFore, John (January 21, 2011). "Sundance Review: Uncle Kent". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 19, 2012.
  12. ^ Collis, Clark (March 11, 2015). "SXSW: How a weird in-joke became the even weirder meta-comedy sequel Uncle Kent 2". Entertainment Weekly.
  13. ^ DeFore, John (August 28, 2011). "How to Cheat: Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 19, 2012.
  14. ^ Finke, Nikki (June 26, 2011). "2011 Los Angeles Film Festival Winners". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved September 19, 2012.
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