Interview with Joel D Wynkoop
Joel D Wynkoop, thank you for this interview. My readers might not know much
about you. Your career is in producing/ acting / director/ https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0943944/
Can you tell us a story on how you got your start in the film industry?
I started with a super 8 camera back in the early 70's, 1974 I think. My Dad bought me a super 8 camera and I made a little dinosaur stop motion movie called "GHOULANIUM". Then several others like "Robin The Boy Wonder", "Cyclops" for my Greek Mythology Class, "The Giant" and a whole bunch more and then graduated to the making of "The 8 Million Dollar Boy meets The Invisidble Transport Boy" which was our first hour long movie and putting it together was a nightmare. It was super 8 film one reel was four minutes long and you had to splice it together with splicing tape and thru a hand to hand reel editor. A lot of peole wouldn't even know what "Splicing" is. My Dad buying me that camera really opened up the world I live in today...I haven't stopped making movies yet.
Do you have a story you wish everyone knew? Could you share it with us?
How hard I have worked at this to get where I am today and still feel ignored by the BIGGER movie people of the world. I have worked so hard at my art with acting in movies and producing my own or working for what my agent gets me but at the same time feel very ignored by the powers that be the moviemaking world like if you do a whole bunch and have a huge resume of movies it is nothing but if you do two movies that is more respected it is really weird.
How hard it is to get someones attention with these movies I make and others like me make. I see things on TV they will report "Wow this man made a 10 minute movie during the pandemic this is great, what a go getter, let's talk to him next and see how he did this amazing feat, it is so incredible he made a 10 minute movie..." so I wrote the TV station and told them I made 3 2 hour movies during the pandemice during COVID and I shot with in all restrictions of COVID shooting six feet away keeping all safety standards and I got no response so if you do a Ten minute movie it is "amazing" BUT if you do a six hour movie you get no response. I think it is because I have been in the news so much in the past they are tired of hearing about me so they ignore me. It's sad because if all of a sudden I got a part on STAR TREK they would be knocking down my door for interviews.
Can you talk about your last movie?
My lateset movie that I did is called THE CRAIGLON INCIDENT, The Craiglon Incident II Aftermath and The Craiglon Incident III Annihilation. I did these but in the meanwhile I did THE BLUE HOLE for a moviemaker out of New Jersey and DEMIGODS for a moviemaker here in the Tampa Area so I have done a lot...probably more then anyone in my area.
The Craiglon Incident started because of COVID 19 coming to the USA. On TV they were saying "...don't go anywhere, don't do this, don't congragate, stay home, etc... etc... etc... so I said to my wife "Are they saying I can't go anywhere?" she said "No they just don't want you getting in the way of emergency vehicles or hanging out in big crowds." So I felt like "they can't tell me what to do I am going out on my front porch and making a movie." So my wife came out with me and shot some scenes just being stupid and having fun and doing something outside.
Then I called a friend Phil Herman in New York also a movie maker and I asked him "Hey you want to shoot some scenes for this dumb movie I am doing?" he did, then I asked Shawn C. Phillips a big actor in California he loved the idea then all of a sudden I had over 100 people in my dumb little movie, I was pulling in my music from Japan, my FX editor from Australia and actors from all over the world I had so much footage it became three movies all shot under COVID 19 restrictions.
Also, what platforms can people view your movies? PLEASE provide links and photos where a person can watch.
Best places to see me and my work would be my Facebook page Joel D. Wynkoop and You Tube you can see my work and trailers for movies or just silly videos those are the best places to find me just use my name Joel D. Wynkoop or Wynkoop Productions and you will find me. Also I am on a lot of the the streaming channels and movie channels you name it I am there just put my name in their search engines.
What can you tell us about any upcoming productions or acting projects? - list them all please.
Well I am finishing THE CRAIGLON INCIDENT III ANNIHILATION now! I may take a break after this BUT I do have BEAST MODE which I started right before COVID came to the USA and that was shut down right away, I couldn't do what I wanted to do with the actors for fear of contamination so we shut it down. I do have another called THE OWEN BROTHERS I may do with my partner Phil Herman it is possibly in the works. Also I just finished editing HORROR TALES. 666 Part 2 which comes out this month of August 2021.
Can you tell us who are in your movies that people might know?
Well first of all I have a pretty huge following around the world so there is me first. Then I have Phil Herman whois very well known and Shawn C. Phillips, Debbie Rochon, Llloyd Kaufman, Nicola Fiore, Rick Danford, Bob Glazier, Tim Ritter, M. Catherine Wynkoop, Shannon Stockin and those are probaly some of the biggest names.
Can you tell us who or what inspires you as an actor?
I think the first had to have been Adam West Batman when I saw that show for the first time it turned me into Batman 24 hours a day with a cape my neighbor made me I was always acting out Batman adventures so I think that started it all. Then as life went on it became Clint Eastwood, Chuck Norris, Al Pacino, Kurt Russelll and so many others.
As far as me acting it is being able to do what I can't or won't do in real life. I am not going to rob a bank but I did it in Truth or Dare part 5, I am not going to attack and rape women but I do in Dirty Cop No Dounut, I won't kill people but I do in Creep and so many of my other horror titles. I have never been to outer space but I have when I played a Starship Captain in Survivors of Rimec, I have never been a to an alternate reality but I have in The Craiglon Incident. It is just a fun way to live in a fanatsy world and get paid for it so that is always a plus. Other then that it is just a lot of fun period.
Can you tell a story about your other work in the future?
Writing a book but it is so hard to stay focused. I always see myself acting but sometime you need a break and I think that is what I will eventually do juts take sometime to do nothing maybe get back to the gym and get in better shape and maybe try and finish the book.
Who are some people in the film industry you would love to work with one day?
Of course my all time favorite would be to work with CHUCK NORRIS!!! I am a HUGE fan of Mr. Norris!! I love showing up for work and showing the director what I can offer to the movie and doing the absolute best I can. I have worked with Herschel Gorden Lewis, William Grefe, Tim Ritter, Todd Sheets and so many other movie directors and THAT has been an ultimate blast to work for all of them.
Dreams: what project or script or actor or actor would be a dream for you to get to work with?
Chuck Norris takes number one spot. After that I mean there are so many actors I like and would love to work with and of course so many scripts I would love to be a part of. I was always saying " I want o be on VOYAGER, SUPERNATURAL, WALKER TEXAS RANGER just so many shows I love and wanted to be a part of. DC UNIVERSE and MARVEL UNIVERSE this all would be great!!!!!!!! As an actor you want to take on evry avenue you can.
Mr. Wynkoop, the classic question: what charity do you work with and can you
provide a link to it so others can see too please.
I have raised money for cancer that I think is the major one for me because I lost my son way too young to Cancer. So I do charity work appearing or donating or both to these events. I don't have a specific because they are all good if you check them out make sure they are legitimate and choose your own.
What advice would you give an aspiring actress?
Check out the people casting it, make sure you want to do what they want you to do, Don't rush into anything, check out what is expected of you and if you want to be involved. Be craeful and know what oyu are getting into. Ask questions.
A final question. What question do you wish I had asked? And what would the
answer be?
Actually I think the questions were great. It would take a long time for me to talk about over 150 movies I have starred in. It would be pages and pages of behind the scenes "Oh on this one the cops drew their guns on me", "on this one I fell off the pier" "on this one....." and then go thru the movies from the very begining of TWISTED ILLUSIONS untill curent with The Craiglon Incident it would be huge. Like I said I have done a lot of movies almost 200 now but I neevr seem to get the attention the guy that does two movies it is a weird business. Thakyou so much fo ryur time and asking me to be a aprt of your interview.
sincerely yours
Joel D. Wynkoop