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Acting Is In His Blood

staff/Jay Nolan

Joel Wynkoop in his home office in Tampa. Wynkoop is an actor and filmmaker currently working on a local movie titled, "Fall Of An Actor". he will also be attending the Tampa Comic Book & Toy Convention in November.

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By JASON GEARY, The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 27, 2007

Updated: 10/25/2007 11:33 pm

Additional photos

CITRUS PARK - By day, Joel D. Wynkoop drives a truck as a water salesperson and deliveryman.

But on his free time, the 47-year-old Citrus Park resident explores dozens of other identities: vampire slayer, mask-wearing madman, karate-kicking good guy, and psycho killer.

'Unfortunately, I still have to have a regular job,' he said.

Wynkoop is a veteran of more than 30 low-budget, independent movies spanning horror, action, science fiction and comedy genres.

His resume includes titles such as 'Creep,' 'Killing Spree,' 'Dirty Cop, No Donut,' 'Truth or Dare,' and 'Brain Robbers From Outer Space.'

Last year, he and his wife released 'The Bite,' with Wynkoop acting as the hero, Nick Hazzard, out to destroy vampires taking over the world.

The film won a Crystal Reel award from the Florida Motion Picture & Television Association. With props from thrift stores and volunteer actors, the budget was about a couple of hundred dollars.

'Honestly, I think the most money we spent on any one item was bottled water,' Cathy Wynkoop said.

Many of her husband's early roles were as blood-thirsty murderers.

'If you watch some of the movies, he is mean and nasty and a killer,' she said. 'And then, you meet him, and he is just so completely nice and just completely different.'

Although he hasn't made it big, Wynkoop's passion for cinema remains as strong as when he discovered as a child that King Kong was a small figurine and Godzilla was a man in a suit.

His father, a minister, picked up on his son's interest in films and bought him a super-8 camera.

The young auteur began making movies with friends and neighbors. Over the years, he continued acting and making movies in Florida - driving to mom-and-pop video stores to sell them.

Wynkoop's works can be found at Unique Video near Waters and Armenia avenues. The Wynkoops also travel to horror and comic book conventions to sell them.

Some are available on Netflix, the online rental service. However, viewer comments are not always glowing.

'Oh, well, nobody says you have to be good in film' just persistent, one viewer wrote.

Wynkoop said he doesn't let such criticism bother him because people are accustomed to big blockbusters, and fans are out there 'that really, really like these movies.'

Nolan B. Canova, a local independent film buff and friend of Wynkoop, said low-budget movies shouldn't be compared with big budget productions.

Canova, 52, reviews locally-made independent movies on crazedfanboy.com.

'You have to be fair,' Canova said. 'Any time you judge anything you have to compare apples to apples, not apples to oranges.'

Some people might be put off by the 'home-video look' or lack of special effects in some locally made movies, but 'you can do a lot with a small budget,' Canova said. 'My feeling is the talent will show. The cream will rise to the top.'

Canova described Wynkoop as typically playing 'larger-than-life' characters and 'intense' performances.

'There are lesser films that he has saved by being in them,' Canova said.

Tim Ritter, who began making movies with Wynkoop when they were children, said Wynkoop takes preparation for his roles seriously and works toward the moviemaker's vision.

'Joel loves comedy and karate, and I would describe his style for personal projects he directs and stars in as a mix of old school Chuck Norris morphed with old school John Waters, if that makes any kind of sense!' Ritter, who lives in Kentucky, wrote in an e-mail.

'It's fun and zany, although an acquired taste!' he added.

In the late 1980s, Wynkoop wrote, directed, produced and starred in 'Lost Faith.'

The 90-minute feature followed Wynkoop as Steve Nekoda, a man on his quest to rescue his kidnapped wife from slave traders on a secluded island.

'To me, that was the coolest,' Wynkoop said. 'I was being the action hero. I was like Chuck Norris out there fighting everybody.'

The movie was made with a budget of almost zero. Wynkoop made deals with pizza parlors and barbecue joints to provide meals for his cast and crew in exchange for thanks on the movie's credits.

Actors volunteered for the roles to get experience and exposure.

'I'm not saying it's going to make you a star, but you will be seen somewhere,' Wynkoop recalled telling them. 'It will be on video. It'll be released. You'll be seen.'

Although acting and filmmaking remain his passions, Wynkoop said he doesn't throw caution to the wind and risk going into debt.

'I'm not going to take our credit cards and max 'em out to make a movie,' he said. 'We are just going to do what we can with the bits and pieces of money that we can put together.'

JOEL D. WYNKOOP

BORN: Aug. 24, 1960, in Owatonna, Minn.

RESIDES: Citrus Park

FAMILY: His parents, Walter and Virginia, had three sons and two daughters. Wynkoop is the youngest sibling. Wynkoop has been married three times and has five children and one grandchild.

BACKGROUND: In the early 1970s, Wynkoop's family moved to Florida, seeking a warmer climate because of his father's heart condition. He has been making independent, low-budget movies for more than 30 years.

ON HIS LEGACY: 'If I was to die tomorrow, I have these movies that people could look at and go look at what he accomplished in his lifetime.'

Reporter Jason Geary can be reached at (813) 865-1505 or jgeary@tampatrib.com.

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