Kynan Dias is an actor and award-winning screenwriter, born in Honolulu and raised in Las Vegas. Inspired at an early age by great American playwrights such as Tennessee Williams, Arthur Miller, and Edward Albee, Kynan taught himself to write feature-length screenplays as a 14-year-old high school student. He earned a B.A. in film from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where he pursued acting, screenwriting, and directing. Later, Kynan earned his MFA in screenwriting from the University of California, Los Angeles, where he developed a love for writing TV sitcoms that were further nurtured during his time studying improv comedy at the Upright Citizens Brigade.
As a writer, Kynan’s films tend to live within the thin space between the humorous and the tragic, in sarcastic dramas and in comedies that hurt. As an actor, he is often hired to cry in comedies. With Lester Ryan Clark, Kynan co-hosts a series of film history podcasts on the TruStory.FM network that are meticulously researched yet lean heavily on improvised comedy.
Teaching at UNLV FILM since 2008, Kynan has developed a wide variety of courses in film production, directing, acting, screenwriting, and film studies, being especially proud of building classes such as Women in Comedy and Queer Cinema. His research interests include animation history, studio system economics, queer coding in classic film, and foregrounding previously unsung collaborators within major film authors’ historiographies.
On this episode of The Exorcist Minute: The Devil does lots of commercials! We’re coo coo for callbacks! “Please, call me Mrs. MacNeil.” Is Poltergeist white trash Exorcist?…and more!
On this episode of The Exorcist Minute: Why do they call it “luggage?” Everyone wants to wipe Chris MacNeil’s windows. Is THIS where ghosts come from?…and more!
On this episode of The Exorcist Minute: Keep your friends close, but your furniture closer! Hollywood’s whitewashing. Don’t slap your actors! Or your priests!…and more!
On this episode of The Exorcist Minute: Dimmy the priest went up some steps steep… Are you Team Lester, or Team Punch-A-Little-Girl-In-The-Face? Why you do this to me, Kynan?…and more!
On this episode of The Exorcist Minute: Knock-knock, who’s there? TROUBLE! Friedkin makes us forget about the most important door in the movie! Dimmy FINALLY gets the Hero Shot!…and more!
On this episode of The Exorcist Minute: Now who could it be at THIS time of the movie? The history of doorbells?! A divisive device! Do you know the story of The Viper?… and more!
On this episode of The Exorcist Minute: A speechless minute! Was that a DeLorean I just heard……? We break the fourth wall with some Dimmy Death Puns…and more!
On this episode of The Exorcist Minute: Why don’t you two get a roo….oh. The villain in Frozen was lukewarm. Somebody HUG somebody in this movie!…and more!
On this episode of The Exorcist Minute: Why you make me listen to podcast, Dimmy? I can’t operate on this little girl…because she’s my mother! I make Tim Curry noises…and more!
On this episode of The Exorcist Minute: People on the internet are forgiving and nice. “Tell me about the dust bunnies, Karl…” Oh, thank God – it’s only a demon…and more!