Jodi’s story kicks off in San Francisco, back in ‘82, fresh outta Montgomery High in Santa Rosa and jumping right into the theater scene with Jean Shelton showing her the ropes. She didn’t waste any time, either—just hit the ground running, hustling through dozens of productions on some of the biggest stages from San Francisco down to LA. After she snagged her SAG Card in ‘86, everything leveled up fast. Suddenly her face started popping up on all kinds of TV hits—think Junior, ER, Seinfeld, CSI: Miami, even Friends. Not exactly background noise, right? At some point, she and actor Jim Fitzpatrick (yeah, her husband) decided to get serious about making their own stuff, launching Five Star Studios in LA. What started as putting on one- and two-act plays turned into something bigger when TV and film folks started snapping up their scripts. Next thing you know, they’re making TV pilots like Godparent$ and Right Hand Man, plus a full-length feature, An American Reunion. Jodi’s roots in showbiz run deep—her dad, Ed Knotts, was a singer and dancer on The Dodge Dancing Party, and she’s cousins with Don Knotts. It’s like entertainment is baked into her DNA. Over the years, she’s worked with names you totally know: Robin Williams, Dana Carvey, Danny DeVito, Glenn Close, and even Arnold Schwarzenegger. These days, Jodi and her clan have set up shop on Florida’s West/Central Coast, diving into the next chapter with new studios and more film projects on the horizon.
