Thunder Levin was born and raised in New York City, graduated from Hunter College High School, and received a BFA in Film from NYU before moving to Los Angeles at age 23. His father Michael was an award-winning journalist before retiring from WCBS radio. His mother Glenis was an immigrant from Liverpool, England, where she worked across the street from the Cavern Club while the Beatles were playing there... and never went to see them! He credits the original Star Trek television series with opening his mind to both the wonders of science fiction and filmmaking as a child, while the original Star Wars solidified his desire to make movies when he grew up. A high school TV production class sealed the deal.Mutant Vampire Zombies from the 'Hood! (2008) starring C. Thomas Howell was Thunder's feature film directorial debut. This led to him writing and/or directing several films for production company The Asylum, including American Battleship (2012) and AE: Apocalypse Earth (2013), culminating in the pop culture phenomenon Sharknado (2013). While continuing to write and direct feature films, he is also developing episodic television projects.Thunder is a lifelong sailor and car enthusiast who's recently taken up motorcycle riding. In addition to his film and television work, he is writing his first novel. He lives in Santa Monica, CA, but considers himself a "temporarily misassigned New Yorker". Thunder is his real name. Please don't ask why.