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 INFERNAL episode of The Devil’s Details: Kynan’s on the fence…and it’s making me uncomfortable. Kynan awakes a new fear in me. Schrodinger’s Heretic. Are you….Epicurious?…and more!
On this gluttonous episode of The Devil’s Details: My friends call me Ciaco the Pig! Turns out my 4th circle of hell is just the IRS. Dante would write the worst emails!…and more!
On this conveniently contrapasso episode of The Devil’s Details: We dive into Dante’s Inferno! This so-called “divine” comedy isn’t all that funny. Should we CANCEL Dante?…and more!
On this episode of The Devil’s Details: That’s the trouble with infinite wisdom… “Do you suck your thumb at me, sir?” The worst science experiment ever…and more!
On this episode of The Devil’s Details: Billy Maze here with the secret power of WORMS! The world is your oyster, but you’re not allowed to eat it! Seahorse…..or sea HORSE?…and more!
On this episode of The Devil’s Details: The etymology (or entomology?) of the Lord of the Flies. Champagne and ordures. Go fly a kite off a billy goat’s gruff! #justiceforasmodeus…and more!
On this Episode of The Devil’s Details: THAT guy, THAT temple, 72 demons. That’s a WHOLE LOTTA DEMONS! It’s always the Talmud stealing our ideas!…and more!
On this episode of The Devil’s Details: Oh, ye of little Ontological faith… We attempt to explain the Crusades using Coca Cola. The wazoo is understood…and more!
On this episode of The Devil’s Details: In high fantasy, nobody poops. In low fantasy, poop is EVERYWHERE. Priest Side Story – the new Broadway sensation! I reach the end of my brain…and more!
On this episode of The Devil’s Details: Oh, god, Hades is doing karaoke! Cerberus – the goodest boy X 3! Rate your Uber ride with Charon. Is that Eu de Sulfur?…and more!