Gary D. Rhodes, Ph.D. gdrhodes@gdrhodes
Holding a PhD in Film from a prestigious UK Russell Group university, this American-born scholar, director, and Cherokee Nation citizen brings decades of multifaceted media expertise to the screen. His career began early under the guidance of sci-fi pioneer Forrest J. Ackerman, who secured Rhodes’ first national publication in Filmfax at the age of 15. Later mentored in Los Angeles by Hollywood legends Robert Wise and Howard W. Koch, he built a career that successfully bridges commercial production, preservation, and high-level film studies.
As a filmmaker, Rhodes’ documentary work includes the acclaimed Lugosi: Hollywood’s Dracula and Banned in Oklahoma, a project selected for distribution by the prestigious Criterion Collection in 2003. Transitioning into animated fiction, his 2023 cinematic adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe’s Ulalume—featuring narration by horror legends Barbara Steele and Caroline Munro—excelled on the festival circuit, earning 7 awards across 31 international selections. Additional industry work includes directing and editing commercial and industrial projects, managing independent production LLCs, contributing to film restoration efforts, and recording over twelve home-video audio commentaries. This deep operational background has made him a sought-after legal asset, serving as an expert witness for US and UK intellectual property disputes, including those involving major studios and IP franchises.
Parallel to his production career is a massive publishing footprint. He has authored over twenty books and numerous peer-reviewed articles, charting new ground in film history and theory, as well as niche areas like rare vampire literature and theater. Major production companies, including Universal Pictures and Appian Way Productions, have optioned several of these literary properties for film development. A major figure in genre scholarship, he co-founded and co-edits the ReFocus: American/International monograph series for Edinburgh University Press, serves as a contributing editor for Film International, and launched Horror Studies, the field’s first peer-reviewed journal.
A dedicated professor tenured at in the US and the UK—Queen’s University Belfast and University of Central Florida—he has instructed over 10,000 students, the countries from South Korea to Iraq. His perspectives on film and media have been shared through dedicated articles, public lectures at institutions like the CUNY Graduate Center and the LA Breakfast Club, and major media appearances on NPR, Coast to Coast AM, Discovery Channel, E!, Arte, and the BBC. He also also advocated for Native America in the pages of USA Today, The New York Daily News, The Washington Post, and others.
Through his ongoing creative and scholarly outputs, Rhodes remains dedicated to expanding the boundaries of genre cinema and film history.
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