Biography

A television creator and showrunner, Dan Merchant is a versatile filmmaker helming entertaining and memorable projects across the creative spectrum: From his current series, the tender-hearted hospice drama Going Home (Sony TV/Affirm Originals) to the outrageous zombie comedy Z Nation (NBC Universal), a perennial hit on the SyFy channel, to his beloved indie feature documentary Lord, Save Us From Your Followers, Dan's work will leave you talking. USA Today called Lord, Save Us... "Michael Moore-meets-Monty Python. A humorous and heartfelt examination of the culture wars." Variety proclaimed: "Admirably bold...It would take a hard heart indeed not to be moved." Dan's serious faith, love of comedy and deep music knowledge find their way into most every project. A speaking tour in support of his best-selling Lord, Save Us... book (Thomas Nelson) found Dan on The Today Show and in university auditoriums discussing the collision of faith and culture. Dan took a spin as a DJ for a year on KINK-FM's Sheila and Dan in the Morning (Portland, OR), which served as fun "on the job" research for his faith-based radio alt comedy Live + Local (Sony TV/Affirm Originals), a vehicle for comedian Dave Coulier (Full House). Dan's love of music also informs his latest feature film project I Killed Pink Floyd's Pig, the comedic "true story" of the rise of FM rock radio in the 1970's and this love also inspired his first showrunner gig: VH1's debut dramatic series, Strange Frequency, the "rock-n-roll Twilight Zone" anthology of darkly humorous tales steeped in rock-mythology that featuring musicians like The Who's Roger Daltrey, Duran Duran's John Taylor and Skid Row's Sebastian Bach. Hailing from the Seattle area, Dan got his start in sketch comedy on the award-winning Almost Live! (Comedy Central), other alum include Academy Award nominated screenwriter Bob Nelson (Nebraska), Bill Nye (The Science Guy) and Joel McHale (Community).
- IMDb mini biography by: DAN MERCHANT