Who is Eric Kripke

Eric Kripke was born April 24, 1974 and grew up in Ohio. He graduated from the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts and worked as a writer and director for film before becoming involved in the short-lived 2003 WB series Tarzan. He was nominated for the Short Film Award at the Austin Film Festival for his movie Truly Committed, and won Sundance Film Festival's Audience Award for the same film. In 2005, he wrote the horror film Boogeyman.

Kripke's lifelong interest in urban legends and mythology inspired the idea for the show that became Supernatural. Supernatural premiered September 28, 2006 on the WB and later moved to the CW. The show's third season began on October 4, 2007.

Kripke lives in Los Angeles with his wife and son, who was born, somewhat to his parents' alarm, on May 2, 2007, the same date as Supernatural brother Sam Winchester. (On Sam's six month birthday, his mother was murdered in his nursery by a demon.) Fortunately, the Kripke household had an uneventful November 2nd.

"We're hoping the audience will connect to committed, good, red-blooded, rollicking storytelling that every week is a satisfying story. We'll track the mythology, but every week we just want to scare the hell out of you with basically a different horror movie that has a beginning, a middle, and an end."

Supernatural airs Thursdays at 9 PM EST on the CW.

Did you know that you can stream whole episodes of Supernatural free on the CW's official site?

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In interviews, Kripke has claimed that his friends call him "Old Man Kripke" because of his refusal to listen to any music recorded after 1980. His taste in music has had a profound influence on the soundtrack of Supernatural, which features classic rock, metal, and country music by the likes of Bad Company, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Styx, Blue Oyster Cult, Jefferson Airplane, and Lynyrd Skynyrd. Although the show does not have traditional credits, its unofficial theme song has become Kansas's "Carry On My Wayward Son."

At the 2006 William S. Paley Television Festival, Kripke had the following response to a viewer's question about the inspiration for the show's music choices:

Kripke: That was something that was really important to me, coming into the Pilot. I'm from a small town in Ohio and this is the music I listen to. I was a huge Zeppelin fan. So when it came time to write and produce the Pilot, it was so important to me, with all due respect to my beloved network, not to have music that is usually on that network. I was so rabid about it that in the original draft of the pilot, I even wrote in the script, "Cue music. And you can take your anemic alternative pop and shove it up your ass." And the reason I wrote the scene in the Pilot, where they're talking about tapes - AC/DC, Motorhead, Metallica - if we shoot that and it gets in the pilot, then we have to use my music because it's already in the show. We had a great time in post-production, figuring out these songs and calling in one morning, "Billy Squier, what about Billy Squier?" I think it is a real signature to the show and it is Midwestern, two guys from Kansas and a muscle car and this is the music they listen to. I love it. The other night there was Joe Walsh and I was laughing, "Yay, Rocky Mountain Way on WB." (Read the full transcript)

Following the 2007 ComicCon, Cynthia Boris of MediaVillage.com had the following to report:

[Kripke] sees himself as a sort of School of Rock missionary. Sadly, the gospel according to Zeppelin won't be preached since the group won't sell their songs for under a billion dollars. "That's a rough estimate," Kripke adds.

Other dream songs and bands on Kripke's list are Traveling Riverside Blues, Ramble On," and Aerosmith, which he also had to pass on because the songs were too expensive. Still, he has managed to procure an incredible collection of classic rock tunes that have become anthems for the show's fans and there's nothing Kripke likes better than a convert.

"One of the best pleasures I've had with this show is when I'm online checking out the blogs and there's this 14-year-old kid who says, 'What is this band, Foreigner and this song, Hot Blooded? I really liked it and I went out and bought the greatest hits of Foreigner' and I'm like, ah, I'm doing God's work! I'm introducing people to Foreigner, now if I can get people on board with Triumph! Spreading that sick obsession of mine has been very very gratifying." (Read the full article)

With the WGA strike dragging on, many Supernatural fans are concerned about the effect of the strike on the show. Supernatural was able to complete 12 of the 22 episodes planned for the third season before the strike shut down production.

As of January 30th, 2008, Kripke did not sound optimistic for a speedy resolution to the strike:

"If the strike ends by mid-February, we could probably still gear up and get two or three episodes done. If it ends tomorrow, which it won't, we could do three or four. With any luck, the strike will be over in time for us to bang out a couple more."

Kripke is a known supporter of the strike and has been reported on the picket lines on multiple occasions. Several fans' accounts of meeting him can be read here and here.

Kripke has also expressed concern for his crew:

"Last week, about 250 crewmembers who work on Supernatural went out of work, pretty much everyone in the Canadian production office. And these are brilliantly talented people who bust their ass on the show, and have sacrificed so much working day in and day out at Supernatural. And [executive producer] Bob [Singer] and I had to put them all out of work. So, it's bad. It's bad for everybody. And it's painful. And I happen to agree with the reasons that we're striking, but it doesn't make it any less painful. I just hope the powers that be on both sides can settle as quickly as possible so we can get back to work. And, yes, part of it is because I want to continue telling the story, and I want to keep telling stories about Sam and Dean, and I want to create more product for the fans.

But I have to say my most driving impulse is I just want my crew to work. And I hate that they're out of work going into the holiday season."

Other cast and crew members have also expressed support for the strike, attended charity benefits for out-of-work writers and crew, and walked the lines. Writers Sera Gamble, Ben Edlund, Cathryn Humphries, and Jeremy Carver have all been regulars on the pickup line, and Sera has written about the strike several times on her blog, in particular in her post Not Kvetching. Cathryn Humphries will be participating in a question and answer session organized by a fan-based writer support group.

For updates on the strike and information about how to support the writers, please visit United Hollywood, WGA Supporters, and Fans4Writers.

This lens is fan-made and is not affiliated in any way with Eric Kripke, the CW, any of the cast or crew of Supernatural, or any of the other movies or television shows mentioned here. All proceeds go to the Squidoo Charity Fund.