Kirk Gillon began working as a cinematographer very early in his life, not realizing it would turn into a career. He filmed high school football games for the coaches with 16mm black and white reversal film in the early 1980's and while in college, ABC television had purchased a video of a fire that he captured on a video camera.

His freelance experience started with WSOC-TV (ABC) and eventually to WBTV (CBS) as a freelance cameraman, also working as a projectionist in a multiplex movie theater, both while attending college. He freelanced for various commercials and projects mostly in the camera department, though picked up editing skills on 3/4" tape. In 1987 he lensed, directed, edited his first documentary titled Furniture Building for a Future, a film about a program rehabilitating inmates, written by a former news reporter who was serving time in prison.

In 1988 Gillon received his first film credit as an apprentice film editor for the feature, The Feud, working under Bill Johnson who was the editor, directed by Bill D'Elia.

In 1991 his freelance work landed him on a Bill Moyer's film as a cinematographer about the ground war in the Persian Gulf, Bill Moyer's- After The War. In 1992 the film went on to win the Alfred I. duPont-Columbia Award for Excellence in Journalism, journalism's top honor.

The year 1991 would be pivotal in Gillon's career when he moved to Lisbon Portugal and based there as a freelance cinematographer/director and did so for 11 years. Working in Lisbon and learning the language, Gillon eventually received international credits for documentaries, feature films and telenovelas, as well as produced, directed and lensed (on film and video) music videos, commercials and documentaries. Other projects included films for the World Expo in Lisbon, Expo'98 and the first television show produced in PAL+ (HD) in Portugal, CineMagazine with D&D Audiovisuals.

In 2003 Gillon moved back to the United States relocating to the South Carolina coast to continue writing a feature film which was to be set there, which he had written after the death of his father in the late 1990's. Gillon took a position with a small NBC affiliate, WCBD, as a marketing producer, where he and the marketing team won several awards, including an Emmy (2004) for their marketing films, "Blitz On 2", a sportscasting campaign.

From 2004 - 2008 he freelanced with Go To Team as a Director of Photography working on shows for national networks on Special Projects and also Live shots; ABC, CBS, CNN, Discovery, ESPN, FOX, NBC, TLC, among others on shows such as: Today Show, Good Morning America, NBC Nightly News, ABC World News Tonight, CBS Evening News, ESPN Game-Day, among other shows.

Gillon has focused on several documentary films over the past decade in which he is producer, director/cinematographer, writer on all of them as well as editor in some cases. "Breaking Bread" (2023 release), "Ramu, - An Immigrant's Journey" (Spring 2023 release) are in post production. In production are: DOT Org (Winter 2023 release), "Ants Marching - So Much to Say" (Fall 2023), and "From Death to Life" (Summer 2024). He's directing a film about the Dave Matthews Band fans, following the tour for the past eight months.

Kirk calls Miami Florida home where he is also completing his third narrative feature length script which the goal is to direct those films in the near future. He's also a motivational speaker.

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Kirk Gillon

Director

Writer

Actor

Producer

Cinematographer

Editor

Second Unit or Assistant Director

Camera and Electrical Department

Editorial Department