Biography
Danny Biederman is a writer and filmmaker specializing in the world of pop spy fiction.
He is the author of The Incredible World of SPY-Fi (Chronicle Books), which offers insight into some of the genre's most popular films and TV series. A book-of-the-month selection by Playboy magazine, SPY-Fi chronicles dozens of spy thrillers and spoofs, from the James Bond series to the many imitators and spoofs it inspired.
Biederman's TV special for the Discovery Channel, "Hollywood Spytek," adapted much of his book to the screen-but with a twist: Some of our favorite pop culture spies-from 007 to "The Man from U.N.C.L.E." and "Get Smart"-are examined in comparison to the real world of espionage. Biederman, who co-produced/wrote and directed the show, discusses the fictional spy genre and showcases iconic prop "espionage gadgets" used on screen, while officials from U.S. intelligence draw comparisons to authentic KGB and CIA spy gear. Agent 007's origins from author Ian Fleming's wartime intelligence activities provide historic context.
Danny Biederman's expertise in the pop spy universe found him recruited by MGM Studios to serve as an expert consultant on a number of copyright infringement cases related to the James Bond property. Among them was the MGM v. Sony case (1997-2000), which had roots in the development of Fleming's 1961 Thunderball novel and its subsequent movie adaptation.
Biederman was also hired by NBCUniversal to consult on a screenplay for a spy movie in development by the studio. Additional companies that have used Danny's services as expert consultant include American Movie Classics, Landmark Theaters, and American Cinematheque.
Biederman's work in the fictional espionage arena found him working in the realm of real spies when, in 2000, he was contacted by the CIA with a request that he share his pop culture knowledge with the spy agency. He gave several talks to the CIA membership on the world of "spy-fi," and has also lectured at the Department of Defense's top secret National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) and for numerous organizations, agencies, universities, events and film festivals.
Danny Biederman is also the owner of the SPY-Fi Archives, a 4,000-piece collection of original props, costumes and other rare artifacts from 50 years of spy productions. Portions of this collection have been touring museums across the U.S. since 2000, with exhibits at venues including CIA headquarters, the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, the International Spy Museum, the Queen Mary, and the National Atomic Museum.
The Foreign Press Association (producer of the Golden Globe Awards) recently honored Biederman and his SPY-Fi enterprise at the Hollywood Heritage Museum, where Biederman gave a talk about his career and decades-long building of his spy collection. The event included an exhibit of collection artifacts and a screening of Danny's TV special.
Biederman directed dozens of award-winning featurettes, including an early 007 documentary, "A Spy for All Seasons"-featuring Sean Connery and narrated by Greg Morris (co-star of TV's "Mission: Impossible")-which he produced during his teen years. His comedy short "The Snapshot" was awarded a Medal of Honor by the jury of the Wattrelos Film Festival in France. In addition to the "Spytek" special, Danny has written scripts for the NBC-TV spy adventure "Gavilan," Paramount's "The Renegades," and Filmation's "Bugzburg." He was also recruited by actor Patrick Macnee, star of the British spy series "The Avengers," to write the script for a documentary feature about the iconic series, "The Avengers: The Journey Back."
Biederman is also the author of The Best of Bond, James Bond (CD booklet for EMI Publications) and The 007 Collection (overview intro, Warner Bros. Books). He has written hundreds of published articles for publications including Playboy, Los Angeles magazine, American Cinematographer, Premiere and the L.A. Times. He has also served as editor for numerous publishing companies, including the website AllGov, overseeing profiles of U.S. government officials and agencies, including such intelligence and military organizations as the NRO, CIA, FBI, and Pentagon.
Danny edited the recent book, And Now, Back to Mannix, about the classic CBS-TV adventure series produced by "Mission: Impossible" creator Bruce Geller. He also served as a contributing writer and editor for the best-selling Book of Lists and People's Almanac series.
Media coverage of Danny Biederman's work has included CNN, NPR, Fox News, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, the BBC, Entertainment Tonight, Chicago Tribune, London Times, Japanese Times, Playboy, and Russia's New Izvestia. His interview on NBC's The Today Show broadcast across the U.S. live from inside C.I.A. headquarters was only the second time in C.I.A. history that the agency has permitted such a broadcast.
