{{short description|American writer and director in film, television, live performance, interactive media}} {{Infobox person | image = Tonya Hurley.png | name = Tonya Hurley | other_names = | caption = | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1970|09|20}} | birth_place = Uniontown, Pennsylvania, U.S. | birth_name = | death_date = | death_place = | occupation = Writer, director | title = | spouse = Michael Pagnotta | children = 1 | relatives = Vince Clarke (brother-in-law) | website = {{URL|http://www.tonyahurley.com}} }}
'''Tonya Hurley''' is an American writer and director in film, television, live performance, and interactive media, known as co-creator and co-producer of the 2001 television series ''So Little Time'', which featured the Olsen twins. Her work with them continued in ''Mary-Kate and Ashley in Action!'', spanning 4 episodes, and as co-executive producer of various tie-in video games.
She is also an author of young adult fiction, including ''The New York Times'' bestselling book series ''ghostgirl''.<ref name="Goodreads" /> ''Precious Blood'', the first book in ''The Blessed'' trilogy, was published in 2012, and ''Passionaries'', the second book, was released January 7, 2013.<ref name="USA Today">{{cite web|title=Need help thawing out this weekend? Try a new romance|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/happyeverafter/2014/01/10/hot-new-romance-novels/4425769/|publisher=USA Today|accessdate=28 April 2014}}</ref> A third novel entitled ''Hallowed'' followed up in 2015. ''The Blessed'' audiobook is read by ''Moonrise Kingdom'' star Kara Hayward.
Her books are published in nearly 30 countries and in more than 20 languages.<ref name="Goodreads">{{cite web|title=Tonya Hurley|url=http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1112218.Tonya_Hurley|publisher=Goodreads|accessdate=28 April 2014}}</ref>
==Early career==
Hurley began her career as a music publicist for artists such as Prince, George Michael, Depeche Mode, The Cure, Bush, Erasure, Morrissey, The B-52’s, Paul Westerberg, John Cale, The Three Tenors and Johnny Rotten, among others. Both Tonya and her twin sister Tracy originally moved to New York with the aspiration of becoming musicians, but instead ended up working at the publicity firm founded by Michael Pagnotta, Tonya's future husband.<ref name=riptracy>{{cite news|url=https://variety.com/2024/music/news/tracy-hurley-martin-morbid-anatomy-museum-vince-clarke-depeche-mode-dead-1235867602/|title=Tracy Hurley Martin, Co-Founder of Morbid Anatomy Museum and Former Publicist for Prince, George Michael and Depeche Mode, Dies at 53|first=Jem|last=Aswad|publisher=Variety|date=January 10, 2024|accessdate=January 10, 2024}}</ref>
==Written works== Her work includes ''Kiss My Brain'' (1997); ''The Biblical Real World'' (1998); ''Solo-Me-O'' (1999), first broadcast on PBS in their documentary series ''Reel New York''; and ''Baptism of Solitude: A Tribute to Paul Bowles'' (2000), a Tribeca Festival selection which aired on the Independent Film Channel, nominated for a Rockefeller Foundation Award<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.tonyahurleyproductions.com/about_us.php|title=Tonya Hurley Biography|date=July 14, 2008|accessdate=2008-09-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080828041257/http://www.tonyahurleyproductions.com/about_us.php|archive-date=2008-08-28|url-status=dead}}</ref> in film, and distributed on a DVD through the United Nations. ''Best Friend'' (2001) premiered at the 2002 Tribeca Festival and Edinburgh International Film Festival and was broadcast on Trio. She wrote a feature-length script, ''Good Mourning'', which made the semi-finals of the Sundance Institute's Writer's Lab. She has written and directed book trailers for her own books and co-wrote and co-directed two stop-motion music videos for Erasure – "Gaudete" and "Make It Wonderful".
==Television and other media== Hurley was co-creator and co-producer of the sitcom ''So Little Time'' (ABC Family) and the animated ''Mary-Kate and Ashley in Action!'' (ABC) both starring Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen. She was the primary provider of original content for the ''mary-kateandashley'' website and creator and co-executive producer of ''mary-kateandashley'' brand video games for PlayStation 2 and Game Boy. She wrote, produced, and directed commercials related to the property for Warner Home video, PlayStation, and Game Boy, and developed Mary-Kate and Ashley dolls and boardgames for Mattel.
Hurley and her sister ran Hurley Sisters Productions.<ref name=riptracy />
==ghostgirl== Hurley's series ''ghostgirl'' was launched in 2002 on ghostgirl.com and published as a Young Adult series from Little, Brown, and Co. in 2008.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/ci_10079770|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110526110104/http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/ci_10079770|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 26, 2011|title='Cherise the Niece': will surely appeal to those who like dark humor (includes a review of Ghostgirl)|last=Mills|first=Michelle J. |date=August 2, 2008|work=Pasadena Star-News|accessdate=2008-09-14}}</ref> The first novel of the series received starred reviews from ''Publishers Weekly'',<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6577452.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161012084854/http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6577452.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 12, 2016|title=Children's Books Reviews: Week of 7/14/2008|date=July 14, 2008|work=Publishers Weekly|accessdate=2008-09-18}}</ref> ''Kirkus Reviews'',<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.kirkusreviews.com/kirkusreviews/search/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003821548|title=Kirkus Reviews - Hurley, Tonya|date=July 1, 2008|work=Kirkus Reviews|accessdate=2008-09-18}} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref> Voice of Youth Advocates, and ''School Library Journal''.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6578054.html?nid=4302|title=Hurley, Tonya. Ghostgirl. Little, Brown. August 2008|date=July 13, 2008|work=School Library Journal|accessdate=2008-09-18}}</ref> It hit the ''New York Times'' best-seller list<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/21/books/bestseller/bestchildren.html|title=Best Sellers - Children's Books - Chapter Books|date=September 21, 2008|work=The New York Times|accessdate=2008-09-14}}</ref> the week of September 14, 2008. The books have been optioned for film by director Matthew Vaughan. Hurley is set to be the executive producer.
==Memberships and honors== Hurley is a member of Writers Guild of America, East and the Horror Writers Association.<ref name=Goodreads /> She is a contributor to ''The Huffington Post'', sponsors and judges the Teen Writing Essay Contest for Gilda's Club NYC and is the editor of the ebook ''Living With Cancer: A Teen Perspective'' with a foreword by actress Emma Stone. Hurley is a founding board member of the Morbid Anatomy Museum in Brooklyn, New York.
==Personal life== She is married to the publicist and artist manager Michael Pagnotta.
== Bibliography ==
=== ''ghostgirl'' ===
* ''ghostgirl'' (2008; Little, Brown, and Co.) – {{ISBN|978-0316113571}} * ''ghostgirl: Homecoming'' (2009) – {{ISBN|978-0316089432}} * ''ghostgirl: Lovesick'' (2010) – {{ISBN|978-0316070263}} * ''ghostgirl Xmas Spirit'' (2012) (novella)
=== ''The Blessed'' ===
* ''The Blessed'' (2012; Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers) – {{ISBN|978-1442429512}} * ''Passionaries'' (2013) – {{ISBN|978-1444904765}} * ''Hallowed'' (2015) – {{ISBN|978-1442429574}}
== Filmography == {| class="wikitable" !Work !Type !Year !Creator !Director !Producer !Executive Producer !Writer |- |''Solo-Me-O'' |Short |1999 |? |{{Yes}} |? |? |? |- |''Baptism of Solitude: A Tribute to Paul Bowles'' |Short Animation |2001 |? |{{Yes}} |? |? |? |- |''So Little Time'' |Television sitcom |2001-2002 |{{Yes}} |– |{{Yes|Yes (24 ep)}} |– |{{Yes|Yes (1 ep)}} |- |''Mary-Kate and Ashley in Action!'' |TV series |2001-2002 |– |– |– |– |{{Yes|Yes (4 ep)}} |- |''Best FriEND'' |Short Documentary |2002 |? |{{Yes}} |? |{{Yes}} |? |- |Erasure: "Gaudete" |Music Video |2013 |– |{{Yes}} |– |– |– |- |Erasure: "Make It Wonderful" |Music Video |2013 |– |{{Yes}} |– |– |– |}
==References== {{Reflist|30em}}
==External links== * {{official website|http://www.tonyahurley.com}} * {{IMDb name|1073041}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hurley, Tonya}} Category:Film producers from Pennsylvania Category:American horror writers Category:21st-century American novelists Category:Television producers from Pennsylvania Category:American women television producers Category:American television writers Category:American women film directors Category:Living people Category:People from Uniontown, Pennsylvania Category:American women television writers Category:Writers from Pittsburgh Category:American women horror writers Category:21st-century American women novelists Category:American twins Category:Novelists from Pennsylvania Category:Film directors from Pennsylvania Category:Screenwriters from Pennsylvania Category:American women film producers Category:21st-century American screenwriters Category:1970 births