Kenneth Joel "Kenny" Hotz (born in Toronto, Canada) is a Canadian filmaker, actor, producer, director, photographer and co-star of the Canadian television show Kenny vs. Spenny
Hotz was born on May 3, 1973 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. At the age of six years old, Kenny was sent to a film camp where he made his first film. Hotz began making documentaries in 1989, and had the idea to develop a television show in which he and a friend competed in a series of challenges to prove who was the best, which eventually evolved into Kenny vs. Spenny.
Upon graduating from Ryerson University's media arts program, Hotz became an accomplished filmmaker and photographer, and he traveled around the world in 1991. In that year he went to cover the Gulf War, -- the only registered Canadian artist to do so. Hotz had been working as a photographer since 1986, photographing numerous countries and historic world events. The subjects of his photo essays include Auschwitz, Dachau, Needle Park (Zurich, Switzerland), David Koresh, Mount Carmel, Waco, and New Years' in Times Square 2000.
After returning to Canada, Hotz worked on a comedic short about the life and death of a homeless dwarf in Toronto named Shorty Gordy with Rice. He also worked as a writer for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in 1997. Also in that year he starred (with Spencer Rice) in the documentary Pitch. Hotz then moved to Los Angeles to develop television programming. Eventually, Hotz started development on Kenny vs. Spenny.
Kenny vs. Spenny was nominated for a Gemini award in 2004. Hotz is currently preparing the 5th season of the series for Showcase, and was recently a guest with Spenny on Conan O'Brien in New York. He notes that “I sat next to Conan.” He recently finished his second award-winning feature film titled The Papal Chase, a documentary about Hotz (who is Jewish) trying to meet the Pope John Paul II. The film is directed by and stars Hotz, and features cameos by The Rolling Stones and Pope John Paul II. Hotz was given an unprecedented $10,000 prize by a jury when the film won the acclaimed Borsos Award for Best Canadian Feature Film in 2004 at the Whistler Film Festival. He also created the concept for the 3D video game "Versusville" for the Kenny vs. Spenny series and was nominated for the Canadian New Media Awards for "Excellence in Gaming."
Hotz recently consulted on the animated Emmy award-winning series South Park, also writing the episodes "Follow That Egg", "Marjorine", and "Two Days Before the Day After Tomorrow".
In 2008, Hotz was writing a third feature film in association with Films Transit International, as well as a new reality show for GSN-Sony network. He developed a comedy series called "Testees" for the Fox-owned FX that year, producing 13 shows centering on product testers in various markets. The show is to be aired in October 2008 on FX and the Canadian-owned Showcase cable channel.
Kenny is Jewish, as evidenced in one episode of Kenny vs. Spenny (Who can eat the most meat?). As he blends up a "meat smoothie," to which he adds bacon, he notes that his "rabbi is going to be so pissed." Also, he pretends to sing in his local synagogue choir in "First to Stop Singing Loses" (against the rules of that particular competition) and he mentions it in the "Who Do Old People Like More" episode, where he believes it will help him win.
Kenny is currently embroiled in a controversy with the Canadian Human Rights Commission in British Columbia for alleged hate speech, after entering a contest to see who could offend the greatest number of people.
He has a small part in Kevin Smith's upcoming film Zack and Miri Make A Porno.
Kenny recently appeared in a "Game of Fame" advert for Xbox 360 where he noted his gamertag as being kennyvsspenny".
