Brian Quinn’s professional trajectory has traced an unusual arc. Before achieving television success with Impractical Jokers, he served as a firefighter with the New York City Fire Department for seven years. That foundation in a high-stakes, team-dependent profession preceded his emergence as a comedian and, more recently, as a horror screenwriter. Quinn and writing partner Joe Imburgio have completed the screenplay for ST2EAM, the sequel to Michael Leavy’s 2024 slasher Stream, marking a formal expansion of Quinn’s creative output beyond performance and producing.
The script development originated informally. Following the premiere of Stream, Quinn and Imburgio discussed sequel possibilities with director Michael Leavy over drinks. Leavy invited them to write the screenplay. Quinn disclosed the collaboration and script submission on Chris Jericho’s Talk is Jericho podcast, revealing that the writing duo had recently delivered the finished screenplay to Leavy.
Leavy’s production company, Fuzz on the Lens Productions, has established credibility within independent horror through its work on the Terrifier franchise. Stream, which featured genre actors including Jeffrey Combs, Danielle Harris, Tony Todd, and David Howard Thornton, received a limited theatrical release in August 2024 before expanding to digital platforms. The film centers on four masked competitors engaging in escalating violence while their actions are broadcast to a betting audience.
Quinn’s transition into horror screenwriting reflects his existing connections within the genre’s production community. He appeared in Adam Green’s Victor Crowley (2017) alongside practical effects artist Kane Hodder, establishing relationships with filmmakers operating in the independent horror space. More recently, Quinn had a role in Screamboat (2025), produced by Fuzz on the Lens Productions, further integrating him into Leavy’s creative circle.
Joe Imburgio, Quinn’s co-writer on ST2EAM, works as a producer and writer on Impractical Jokers, where he occasionally appears onscreen in challenges and behind-the-scenes segments. Imburgio’s familiarity with the show’s structure—designing scenarios that build to specific emotional or comedic payoffs—provided shared vocabulary for approaching horror screenplay construction.
Michael Leavy’s assessment of Quinn and Imburgio’s suitability for the project emphasized their comprehension of pacing fundamentals. In a statement posted on social media, Leavy wrote that the duo are “massive horror fans and cut from the same cloth as us. Their success in comedy translates perfectly to horror, it’s truly a secret weapon. Scares, like jokes, are all about beats, they live and die by timing—and they know how to land both.”
This perspective aligns with Quinn’s own observations about structural similarities between comedy and horror. Both genres depend on audience anticipation management, withholding information to create specific responses at predetermined moments. The technical demands of constructing effective comedy sequences—establishing context, building tension, delivering a reversal—mirror horror’s reliance on setup and payoff rhythms.
Leavy further stated that Quinn and Imburgio “completely understood the tone” from the project’s inception, suggesting their approach aligned with Fuzz on the Lens’s production aesthetic. Stream emphasized practical effects work, and visceral violence presentation, characteristics associated with the Terrifier franchise that Leavy co-produces with Phil Falcone and Damien Leone. The original film’s two-hour runtime and ensemble structure required balancing multiple character perspectives while maintaining momentum across extended sequences.
The ST2EAM screenplay includes a role written specifically for professional wrestler Chris Jericho, who hosts the podcast on which Quinn announced the project. Quinn indicated this casting consideration was incorporated during the writing process rather than added subsequently, suggesting character development informed by performer capabilities.
David Howard Thornton will return as Player 2, reprising his role from the first film. Thornton’s primary recognition stems from portraying Art the Clown across the Terrifier series, where his physical performance techniques—conveying intention and emotion through movement rather than dialogue—established him within the independent horror production network. Jason Leavy will return as producer, with Steven Della Salla serving as producer and director of photography, maintaining the core creative team from Stream.
Production scheduling has not been publicly disclosed. The original Stream was written beginning in 2016, with Michael Leavy citing the cryptocurrency boom as contextual inspiration for the film’s dark web betting premise. Development extended over several years before filming commenced, though exact timelines remain unspecified.
Quinn’s involvement with ST2EAM represents a progression in his stated creative ambitions. While Impractical Jokers maintains its position as his primary professional commitment—the show currently airs its twelfth season on TBS—Quinn has articulated interest in prioritizing writing work alongside performing responsibilities. His executive producer credit on Foul Play with Anthony Davis, which premiered in February 2025 on TBS, demonstrated expanding involvement in production oversight. The horror genre provides Quinn with opportunities distinct from his comedy franchise work. His appearance in Victor Crowley established rapport with Adam Green and Kane Hodder, figures who operate within a community of genre filmmakers producing content for dedicated audiences. This network functions through collaborative relationships—recurring actors, effects artists, and producers moving between projects—rather than through major studio development structures.
Fuzz on the Lens Productions exemplifies this model. Founded in 2010 by Michael Leavy, Jason Leavy, and Steven Della Salla, the company gained recognition through its 2014 “Staten Island Clown” viral publicity campaign before producing feature films. Its collaboration with the Terrifier team positioned the company within a production ecosystem that values practical effects work and theatrical distribution strategies for genre content.