Ivan Stang is the author and publisher of the first screed of the Church of the SubGenius. He is credited with founding the Church in 1979, though Stang himself denies this and claims the organization was founded in 1953 by J. R. "Bob" Dobbs. Since the publication of the first SubGenius pamphlet in 1980, Stang has embarked on a worldwide crusade (spanning at least three continents) to promote the Church.
Stang also founded the business entity of the Church, the SubGenius Foundation. The SubGenius Foundation was located in Dallas, Texas for most of its life, though in 1999 Stang himself relocated to Cleveland, Ohio. The SubGenius Foundation is now based in Austin, Texas, and is managed by Steve Bevilacqua. Stang himself continues to promote the Church, and he is a prominent member of Cleveland's underground pop culture scene.
Stang is an accomplished filmmaker and editor. In addition to creating several stop-motion short films with such titles as Reproduction Cycle and Let's Visit the World of the Future, he also edited the feature-length documentary Arise! for the Church of the SubGenius.
