KIM SIMMONS, 'THE MAN WHO SHOT LUKE SKYWALKER,' TO APPEAR AT ICCC 2022

If you’re interested in meeting legends of the vintage toy industry, ICCC is the convention to attend. This year we welcome back Kim Simmons— the celebrated photographer who shot most of the imagery of the vintage Star Wars toy line produced by Kenner.

Simmons was the official freelance packaging and catalog photographer for Kenner's vintage Star Wars toy line. He graduated from Ohio University in 1981 and started his commercial photography career under the mentorship of Roy Frankenfield in Cincinnati Ohio. His first assignment at Frankenfield & Associates involved being placed behind the camera several feet high up in the air, looking down at Star Wars action figures on a yellow background.

That was the beginning of his photographic relationship with Star Wars and his love of creating scenes for the toys that would capture the hearts and imaginations of children around the world. In 1982, Kim created and shot a large scale Hoth Battle Scene for Kenner, which he also used as the centerpiece of his Masters of Photography college thesis. Believing in the potential historical value of the images being created, Kim archived most but not all of the film that he could salvage from trash cans that were sitting in two inches of water within the studio’s basement.

Eventually, Kim would buy the business from Roy and continued shooting Star Wars product until Hasbro's Episode I line when Hasbro left Cincinnati in 2001.

We are pleased to welcome back Simmins and his masterworks. ICCC 2022 will be held April 29-May 1, at the Sheraton Music City resort in Nashville, TN. Tickets are on sale now.