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 Resident Evil: Afterlife (3D), Wild Cherry, Phantom Punch, Death Race, 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.
Byron Martin has produced almost thirty hours of national television, including the award-winning SIDS: A Special Report, television specials, The Great Run of China, No Time to Wave: The Life and Times of Ben Wicks and the television series Hit the Spot. He has twice received the coveted Norman Jewison Filmmaker Award and has had many of his short films screened at festivals around the world. Evil Underground, his Ryerson graduate film was awarded the CBC Telefest Award in 1989, screened at the B-Film Festival in Toronto in 1989, 1990, aired on CKVR Television an was in festivals in Spain, Montreal and Houston. Ryerson sent the film to compete in the student competition in the 1989 Academy Awards.
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. In 2001-2002, Byron served as the Secretary/Treasurer for the Ontario District Council. Since 1995, Byron 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.
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 which was shot in high definition television across the country from coast to coast, celebrating members in all categories. The film debuted in Toronto in October 2001 at the first annual DGC Awards ceremony.
After two years of the Showtime series Street Time, Byron managed a television pilot for Universal Television entitled Partners & Crime.
In 2004, he production managed the re-shoot/pick-ups for the Universal feature The Chronicles of Riddick in Toronto. In May of the same year, he was engaged by BECK OFFICE of Germany to produce and direct the Adidas: Impossible Is Nothing campaign for both the Canadian and U.S. winners.
In August 2004, Byron 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 around the world.
In 2006, Byron worked as the Line Producer on American Pie presents The Naked Mile, the fifth installment in Universal’s American Pie franchise followed by American Pie presents Beta House in 2007, serving as Co-Producer.
In November of 2007, Byron Executive Produced Phantom Punch (http://www.phantompunchmovie.com), the Sonny Liston story, starring Ving Rhames as the famous boxer. The project is currently in post-production awaiting international distribution and it’s festival debut at Cannes in 2008.
In spring of 2008, Byron produced the teen comedy, Wild Cherry (http://www.wildcherrymovie.com) in Winnipeg, Manitoba. It is currently airing in Canada on TMN.
In 2009 Byron helped finance the feature film November Gale, the tragic story of the Edmund Fitzgerald. Award winning filmmaker Ted Kotcheff is directing the project which is slated for a fall 2010 start.
SELECTED AWARDS
Omaha Film Festival, Best Feature Film, Phantom Punch, February 2009
American Medical Association, “S.I.D.S.: A Special Report”, November 1997
National Educational Media Network, “S.I.D.S.: A Special Report”, May 1996
The Houston International Film Festival, “S.I.D.S.: A Special Report”, April 1996
First Choice 5th Annual Great Cdn. Shorts Contest ($4000.00) “Addiction ”, July 1990
Norman Jewison Filmmaker Award ($1200.00)
“Evil Underground ”, November 1989
CBC TELEFEST '89 Award Best Long Non Documentary,
“Evil Underground”, May 1989
Norman Jewison Film Scholarship ($2000.00) “Addiction”, “Gridwork”, “Final Arrangements”, November 1988
Selected by Ryerson and IMAX Systems Corporation for the IMAX/OMNIMAX Filmmaker's Symposium in Bradford, England, June 1988
The Jerry Forbes Memorial Bursary Broadcasting Scholarship, CISN-FM ($2,000) May 1984 (N.A.I.T.)
Best Half-Hour Production “The Penthouse“ CBC TELEVISION, May 1985, (N.A.I.T.)