Given his profession, it may seem ironic that Dan grew up without a TV. However, it was this seeming "void" that served to magnify and nurture his imagination and creativity. In fact, Dan attributes his first experiences in cinematography to radio dramas from which he developed the ability to visualize characters and environments from voices and sounds. This explains why, even as a cinematographer, Dan continues to place a high value on sound in visual storytelling.

In college, Dan studied music composition, and in 1998 he was hired to compose the score for a 35mm independent feature. This experience awakened Dan to his inescapable passion for visual storytelling--and to the world of film production. Soon after, Dan attended the New York Film Academy where he discovered cinematography, and he later entered the MFA program in film production at Chapman University where he became the teaching assistant for esteemed educator and cinematographer, Bill Dill, ASC.

Dan began his career as a cinematographer in the independent-friendly city of Austin, Texas, where he was privileged to work with several award-winning directors. One of his Austin credits was, ironically, as NYC DP on CHALK, a multi-award-winning independent feature that was distributed by Morgan Spurlock (Super Size Me, 30 Days) in 2007. Dan now lives in the Los Angeles area while maintaining a firm connection and warm regard for Austin. With over 75 shooting credits on features, commercials, television pilots, documentaries, music videos and short films, Dan's experience includes all formats film and digital.