Christian Jacobs: Mormon Musician
Christian Richards Jacobs is a musician and television producer. He is also a former actor. He is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and a great-grandson of Apostle LeGrand Richards.
Jacobs was born on January 11, 1972, in Rexburg, Idaho. When he was four, his family moved to Los Angeles, California. He and two siblings, Rachel and Parker, began working as child actors. He appeared in teen movies Pretty in Pink and Gleaming the Cube as well as several television series, including Gloria, a spin-off of All in the Family, Married . . . with Children, Roseanne, Major Dad, and Hard Time on Planet Earth. He disliked the competitive atmosphere of acting and moved onto other ventures. Having befriended skateboarders and artists while working on Gleaming the Cube, he worked on Blind Skateboards’ Video Days and designed board graphics for Tony Hawk’s Birdhouse Skateboards.
He is best known for his production work with creative partner Scott Schultz. In addition to producing skateboarding videos, the two created Yo Gabba Gabba!, a preschooler television series that appeared on Nick Jr. and became an international award-winning success. Jacobs and Schultz had performed in a shoegazing (alternative rock) duo called The Moon Men.
In 1994, Jacobs and fellow Latter-day Saints Chad Larson and Boyd Terry formed a rock band The Aquabats, a satire band that went on to enjoy more than twenty years of a cult following. The group played a variety of music and took on a superhero persona. Members of the band came and went, especially during their career lull of 1999–2004, but Jacobs and Larson are still with the group today. Each of the five current members has an alter ego; Jacobs is The M.C. Bat Commander and lead vocalist. The Aquabats is known for its family friendly music and stage presentation. The group has toured internationally and has produced five studio albums.
Jacobs and Schultz created a television series around the band called The Aquabats: Super Show!, which enjoyed two seasons on the cable network The Hub and garnered six Daytime Emmy nominations and one Emmy for stunt coordination.
He has also been nominated for numerous Daytime Emmy’s, including best young actor in a New Television Series for Gloria; Outstanding Young Actor—Animation Voice Over for Disney’s Adventures of the Gummi Bears; Outstanding Children’s Series and Outstanding Writing for a Children’s Series for The Aquabats! Super Show!; and several for Yo Gabba Gabba!, including Outstanding Achievement in Costume Design/Styling, Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction/Set Decoration, and Outstanding Pre-School Children’s Series.
Jacobs served a full-time mission to Japan. He and his wife and four children live in Orange County, California.
