Byron A. Martin
Over the last twenty-five years, Byron Martin has had the opportunity to work in radio, television and film in various capacities as a writer, producer, unit production manager, unit manager and location manager. His extensive list of credits include the features Wild Cherry, Death Race, American Pie presents The Naked Mile, American Pie presents Beta House, The Chronicles of Riddick, Driven, X-MEN, Simon Birch, In Too Deep, The Mighty, Darkman II and III and The Ref, as well as numerous television productions including Total Recall 2070, Robocop: the Series, Street Legal and Top Cops.
In addition to his work as location manager, Byron has worked as a Unit Manager on such productions as Get Over It, Prancer Returns, Boulevard and Iron Eagle IV. He has produced almost thirty hours of national television, including the award winning SIDS: A Special Report, television specials The Great Run of China and No Time to Wave: The Life and Times of Ben Wicks, and the television series Hit the Spot.
Byron is currently working on the feature film November Gale, the tragic story of the Edmund Fitzgerald. Directed by Ted Kotcheff, production for the film began in the fall of 2009. In 2007, he Executive Produced Phantom Punch, (www.phantompunchmovie.com) the Sonny Liston story, starring Ving Rhames as the famous boxer. The project premiered at Berlin, Cannes and the American Film Market and is currently awaiting international distribution.
In 2004, Byron was engaged by Beck Office of Germany to produce and direct the Adidas: Impossible Is Nothing worldwide internet campaign for both the Canadian and U.S. winners. In the same year, he production managed Land of the Dead for Universal Pictures, the fourth installment of George A. Romero’s zombie series. The picture was released in June 2005 to much critical acclaim.
In 2001, Byron production managed two pilots for Columbia TriStar Television, Odyssey 5 and Street Time, both of which have gone to series. Also in 2001, he produced the Directors’ Guild of Canada 40th anniversary film, The Directors Guild of Canada: 40 Years of Making Movies, shot in high definition television across the country.
Byron has twice received the coveted Norman Jewison Filmmaker Award and has had many of his short films screened at festivals around the world. In 1998, he was selected by Ryerson to attend the 1st annual IMAX Filmmakers Symposium in Bradford, England.
From 1995 to 2001, Byron was the DGC Ontario District Council Location Manager Caucus Representative, and has served the DGC membership on the National Executive Board since 1997 as Location Managers Representative. Since 1995, he has served on the Film Liaison Industry Committee (FLIC), an advisory committee that acts on City Council’s policy regarding support and encouragement for the film and television industry in Toronto. Currently, Byron serves on the DGC Ontario Executive Board as the 2nd Vice Chair, a position he has held since 2006.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010