Todd began his body modification career almost 4 decades ago, in a small bedroom in the 1980’s. He joined the US Navy in 1989 (spending his 18th birthday at bootcamp) and served our country for 5+ years. In the early 1990’s, during Desert Shield, Todd served as a hospital corpsman. He provided medical and dental care for his fellow soldiers. He started piercing his cohorts, their wives, and friends which led to him opening his first satellite studio in 1994 called Primitive Innovation Studios in Chicago, Illinois. Todd partnered with his fellow veteran and good friend, Steve Barjonah, in 1996 to open a studio in Iowa City, Iowa called Crossroads (which is still open today).

 

He then went on to open a California studio in Mission beach, San Diego called Stigma in 1999 where Todd patented the “no-c-um” piercing holders that revolutionized the body modification industry. After that, Todd opened an art studio called Velvet Grip Family Irons and the jewelry company Todd & Tanq in Hollywood, Los Angeles in 2004. Todd opened the Velvet grip Family Tattoo & Piercing studio where he perfected his craft for 11 years.

 

In 2015, in hopes of early retirement, Todd purchased a home in Paradise, California where he lost a lifetime of memories in the Paradise Fire of 2018. 

In February of 2022, Todd met the love of his life Karis. Together they went on to open The Salty Sloth Tattoo Studio in memory of her late son Noah in 2023, and what comes next will be an adventure of epic proportions.