Daniel Boyd

Daniel Boyd, a West Virginian, has degrees in Communications (West Virginia University) and Filmmaking (University of Arkansas).

Beginning his filmmaking career making documentaries, Boyd’s early projects took him from the hobo “jungles” of the U.S. (HOMELESS BROTHER) to the war-torn mountains of Guatemala (MARCOS DE SAN MARCOS).

Several of Boyd’s short narrative films were featured on regional and national television in the early and mid-eighties.

His first feature film, CHILLERS, was released in 1988. Currently in international video and television distribution, this horror feature was awarded the Silver Scroll for excellence from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films in Los Angeles.
Boyd’s second feature, a science fiction/comedy, STRANGEST DREAMS, premiered on the USA Network in 1991. It is currently in domestic and international video and television distribution.
Boyd’s third feature film, PARADISE PARK, a dramatic-fantasy, received Gold Awards at the Houston International Film Festival and the Chicago International Film Festival, and was selected for the Breckenridge Festival of Film and the American Film Institute’s American Independents series. It is currently distributed by Vintage Home Entertainment as HEROES OF THE HEART.

A professor of communications at West Virginia State University since 1985, Boyd has actively involved his filmmaking students in his professional projects. In 1994, Boyd established the Paradise Film Institute at WVSU for the purpose of supporting filmmaking in the state through resource services, production support, foreign exchanges and continuing education. PFI has had travel/study/production exchange partnerships with film schools in Tanzania (School of Fine & Performing Arts, University of Dar Es Salaam), Russia (The AllRussian State Institute of Cinema), the Czech Republic (Film Academy of Performing Arts), Venezuela (Escuela de Cine y Television) and Belize (Ministry of Culture).

As a U.S. Fulbright Scholar, Boyd taught the first filmmaking and screenwriting classes at the University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, during the 98-99 academic year in East Africa.
Recipient of a 2002 Fulbright Alumni Award, Boyd partnered with the
University of Dar es Salaam on the pilot program TeleDrum (teaching
filmmaking to American and African students while producing films for
international aid organizations), resulting in the award-winning films,
DUARA and SOUND THE DRUM.

After life-threatening encounters while filming MAKUTANO on Mt. Kilimanjaro (Tanzania) in 2004, Boyd decided to take a break from filmmaking and move more into publishing. Returning to his still photography roots, Boyd and fellow professor, adventurer wife, Robin Boyd, formed VentureMedia. Boyd did the photography for Robin's book MOUNTAIN BIKER'S GUIDE TO WEST VIRGINIA (Quarrier Press), and since has written and/or photographed dozens of articles on adventure travel and extreme sports for numerous publications. The Boyds’ 2nd book with Quarrier Press, CYCLIST'S GUIDE TO WEST VIRGINIA RAIL-TRAILS, is due out in 2008.

While researching an article in the fall of 2004, Boyd was able to experience a life-long dream of working in professional wrestling. Three years-plus later, the article has evolved into a book in progress on working inside the world of independent pro wrestling. Since forming the tag team of "The Grapes of Wrath," Boyd (Professor Danger) and fellow middle-aged wrestler, Death Falcon Zero, have worked well over 100 matches, for nearly a dozen federations. Boyd also worked for Rings of Europe in Austria in the spring of 07.

A former National Endowment for the Arts and National Endowment for the Humanities fellow, Boyd has also won awards in documentary, horror, comedy and dramatic filmmaking, as well as screenwriting. He was named, "Filmmaker of the Year" by the WV Filmmakers Festival in 2003. Two of Boyd's archeology documentaries, RED SALT & REYNOLDS (04) and GHOSTS OF GREEN BOTTOM (05), won national Telly awards, and both were regional Emmy nominees. In 2006, Boyd was inducted into the West Virginia Country Music Hall of Fame for his contributions to the music genre through his film work.

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