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Dan is an Emmy © award winning producer who started in the industry as a Publicist on the film Kini and Adams which was selected for Official Competition at the Cannes Film Festival in 1997 and was nominated for the Palm d'Or. In 2000, he launched Ice Media with Joel Phiri in Johannesburg. Pioneers in digital filmmaking, Ice Media employed some of today's most successful South African producers, giving them their first jobs.
In 2005, Dan won an Emmy for "Most Outstanding Cultural and Artistic Achievement" for the film A Lion's Trail directed by Francois Verster and co-produced by Mark Kaplan. In 2008, Dan established Fireworx Media with Neil Brandt and Bridget Pickering, a multiple award-winning production company which he managed for 10 years. Fireworx Media produced some of the highest rated drama series on South African television, including Keeping Score (Telenovela, 156 x 24', SABC) and Hustle (Drama, 26 x 48', ETV). Dan produced 44 x 30' films for the documentary series Faces of Africa broadcast on China Global Television Network (formerly known as CCTV), which tells stories about ordinary Africans doing extraordinary things. In 2013 he co-produced with Neil Brandt, The Devil's Lair, directed by Riaan Hendricks, which won Best Feature Documentary and Best Editing at the South African Film Awards that year. In 2014, on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of South Africa's liberation, he co-produced One Humanity with Tony Hollingsworth, directed by Mickey Dube, which vividly brings to life the history of the international Anti-Apartheid Movement using music, archive and interview.
In 2018, Dan rekindled his partnership with Joel Phiri joining him and his wife, Tshepiso Phiri, in forming Known Associates Entertainment (KAE). KAE develops, finances, and producers original in-house content across genres and is part of the Known Associates Group founded by Tshepiso in 2014.
Dan was CEO of KAE from 2018 - 2022 and produced 5 feature films for the company: Atlantis (ETV) , Wild Is The Wind (Netflix), The Umbrella Men (ETV/Prime Video), The Umbrella Men: Escape from Robben Island (ETV/Prime Video), and Snake (ETV/Prime Video), . In 2022 he sold his stake in KAE, but continued to produce for the company.
Known for his commitment to advocacy, transformation and diversity, Dan has been an active contributor to industry organisations throughout his career and has provided leadership and direction in the Film and TV sector. He is a co-founder of SASFED, the South African Screen Federation and was a Distribution and Marketing advisor to the SA National Film and Video Foundation from 2005 - 2014. He was an Executive Committee member on the Independent Producers Organisation Board, the largest producer association in South Africa, for many years.
In 2018 Dan was invited to be a judge of the International Emmy Awards, and continues to serve as a judge.
Author: Martin Gallagher, Screen Stories
