Joel Hodgson

Joel Gordon Hodgson (born February 20, 1960) is an American writer, comedian and television actor. He is best known for creating Mystery Science Theater 3000 (MST3K) and starring in it as the character Joel Robinson. In 2007, MST3K was listed as "one of the top 100 television shows of all time" by Time.com. Between 2007–2013, Hodgson was part of the "movie riffing" project Cinematic Titanic with several of his fellow MST3K alumni, performing live and producing content for DVDs and direct download. He also serves as Creative Lead for Media at Cannae, a Pennsylvania technology firm working on new drive technologies for satellites and other spacefaring vehicles. 2Early life and career Hodgson was born in Stevens Point, Wisconsin in 1960. He was raised in an Evangelical Christian upbringing, and later claimed that the various shows his church would put on had a profound influence on his desire to become an entertainer. Hodgson began his career in seventh grade as a magician and ventriloquist. Joel performed for local events in his hometown of Green Bay, Wisconsin, and attended Ashwaubenon High School. Upon graduation, Joel moved to Minneapolis to attend Bethel University (Minnesota) to study Theatre and Mass Medi