
About
Dan is an FAA Certified Flight Instructor (CFI/CFI-I) and has worked as an Airline Captain, multi-media and branding professional, and Public Information Officer. His formal education consists of a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Human Resources as well as an Associate’s Degree in Motion Picture Production. Dan has had many unique opportunities to utilize creative talent alongside his business management skillset. He has served in various roles as a volunteer first responder ranging from Operations Manager for a disaster response agency to being deployed to a disaster zone with the American Red Cross. Dan’s volunteer efforts have included his service as a Director on the Board of Directors for the New Life Society, Arizona Center for Germanic Cultures, and Mountain Girl Rescue. Dan’s commitment to safety, accessible education, and public service is a driving force in everything he does.
Dan has worn many different hats ranging vastly from being an airline pilot to consulting for the Arizona State Board of Education about changing policy and standards. Prior to becoming a pilot, some of his work included digital security consulting for various clients, working with tactical and government agencies, public speaking engagements, and more. With family support Dan worked on a litany of projects before starting his career officially, some of which led to his becoming a published poet at age 11, accepted to compete in a Honeywell science innovation competition with his invention “Bird-B-Gone”, and shortly after, as the youngest filmmaker to compete in the first Peoria Film Festival where he had three films accepted to show in 2008.
Shortly after his silver screen debut in the Peoria Film Festival Dan became an Intern for the City of Peoria’s Communications Department and worked with the City Council, TV Station (Channel 11), and other departments within the City. During his career, Dan has had the pleasure of working with many dignitaries, elected officials, and well-known figures like Secretary of the United States Air Force Barbara Barrett, Muhammad Ali, Senator John McCain, Emmy Award Winning Actor Bill Oberst Jr., Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, and more. From 2019-2021 Dan was involved with Companion Pets in Crisis (CPiC, a 501(c)(3) non-profit. His experience working with municipalities, tactical and fire/medical departments, and various government agencies helped him in successfully securing new government and private sector partnerships, funding, donations, and driving volunteer engagement. Dan quickly progressed through the ranks of CPiC first as a first responder, then Public Information Officer, and finally as Operations Manager when he resigned at the end of his term in July 2021. Dan has served in a variety of first-response roles, many of which combined all of his skill sets. Most notably, Dan was a volunteer Disaster Responder (DAT Team) with the American Red Cross on both a local and national level.
In this volunteer role, he accepted a deployment to a Disaster Zone to assist in response efforts. Dan has since worked with animal rescues around the country on a volunteer basis doing animal behavior training, rescuing, and animal rehabilitation. Additionally, he has spoken many times to audiences of young minds between the ages of 11-18 years old about animal rescue and disaster response, as well as other topics like business, media, and marketing. Dan was involved as a mentor with STEM-based education groups such as the Chief Science Officers (Scottsdale, AZ). Being conversational in German and having Germanic roots provided Dan the unique opportunity of giving lectures at high schools and private universities in both Austria and Germany about technical topics and encouraging submissions to a new multicultural and international film festival.
Dan earned his BS Degree in Business Administration and an Associate’s in Applied Science Degree in Motion Picture Production. After college, Dan served on the Board of Directors for AC4GC (a non-profit corporation located in Phoenix, Arizona devoted to preserving and promoting Germanic cultures). After the completion of his term as a Director for AC4GC Dan wanted to stay involved with non-profit policy and promotion. His interest in health and fitness stemmed from being struck by lightning in 2010 which prompted him to then secure a position as a Director on the Board of Directors for the New Life Society, a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation that provided support and educational services for organ and tissue transplant recipients and donor families. His newfound passion for health and wellness also led him to become a nationally certified personal trainer in 2017 (ACT). Additionally, this personal training and fitness experience helped Dan to be cast in the 2018 season of American Ninja Warrior as the Puppy Pilot Ninja, on which he competed in the Jurassic World Night.
Curriculum Vitae



- Dan is an FAA Certified Flight Instructor (CFI/CFI-I) and Commercial Pilot (FAA CSEL/CMEL/IRA). The majority of his training was done in the Phoenix, AZ area, however to finish his commercial SE/ME and CFI checkrides he moved to Kansas City, MO to expedite the process and work on an accelerated timeline. Dan had the privilege of working with some truly excellent aviators such as his multi-engine instructor, Bill Hays, who used to be a charter pilot for President Barack Obama in his days as a Senator.
- Mountain Girl Rescue, a 501(c)(3) non-profit based in Flagstaff, AZ offered for Dan to become a Director on the Board of Directors. Dan gladly accepted the Director position for a 1 year term.
- Dan’s company Weecks Productions, LLC currently provides broadcasting services producing graduation and live event videos at Cardinal’s State Farm Stadium in Glendale, AZ for multiple agencies. Weecks Productions, LLC is based in the Phoenix area and is authorized by the FAA for aerial sUAS use and production services.
- Dan volunteered for the American Red Cross (2018-2020) as a Public Information Officer and disaster first responder (DAT team), both of which frequently required him to head directly into disaster areas to assist in recovery efforts. In some cases, this role required providing immediate medical or other emergency care. Part of these roles was assisting with community events like preventative fire alarm installations, blood drives, and educational events. According to the Red Cross internal tracking system, Dan volunteered 3,385.7 hours (worked and on-call) in 2019.
- During his flight training in early 2018, Dan became the Digital Marketing Strategist for Westwind Air Service, the premiere charter airline which provides Grand Canyon sightseeing and tour packages using their fleet of fixed wing aircraft.
- In Early 2018 Dan was recommended as a consultant for the Arizona Department of Education on its new Technical Standards Validation Committee. He was accepted by the AZ DoE and subsequently became the only non-governmental business person that year to consult for the committee. The committee was looking to validate, review and revise the technical standards for Arizona’s Career and Technical Education (CTE) Film and TV Production programs and was very successful in validating, combining, adding, deleting, and refining the existing technical standards for the state Film and TV Production programs, which will result in an industry standardized learning environment for high-school students all across the State of Arizona.
- Dan's fitness journey led to being cast and competing on American Ninja Warrior (NBC) during the Jurrasaic World Night episode. The episode was S10E02 with Chris Pratt & Bryce Dallas Howard, and aired on June 6, 2018. One of Dan’s published books is “Bodybuilding Anywhere”, available now on Amazon, in which there are behind-the-scenes pictures and ninja training tips and tricks. Through his ninja training, competitions, and involvement with the ninja community Dan has become friends with some of the greatest athletes in the world like Olympic freestyle skier (2018) Elizabeth Swaney, Brian Rambo (ANW), Adam Rayl (ANW), and more.
- For approximately 3 years beginning in 2016, Dan was the Co-Chair of the Arizona Skills USA video production competition. The competition was part of a nationwide competition giving high school students the unique opportunity to showcase their acquired knowledge and skills for video production, through a variety of projects in different categories. This program runs the duration of the school year in some aspects and presents state finalists with the chance to compete on a national scale during a 2 day state wide summit.
- After previously participating in the NTIA proceedings on UAV (drone) best practices, Dan received his Part 107 sUAS operator certificate from the FAA in 2016, and was the second person in the country to do so (due to a time difference).
- In 2017, Dan became a nationally certified personal trainer with ACT accreditation.
- Dan's TV show concept, Puppy Pilots, was created in the year 2017 and has since garnered an international viewership. Puppy Pilots (www.PuppyPilotShow.com) has partnered with media conglomerates like The Dodo, Fox News, CNN, and most recently was featured on the Japanese Prime-Time TV show “Amazing Stories” (October 2019).
- In 2014 Dan conceptualized and became the Executive Producer and Co-Host of the Talk Around Town TV talk-show which was sponsored by Best Buy, and in its prime, was distributed online in over 150 countries with occasional network TV airing in the United States and showcased in Best Buy stores.
- Dan had served on the Board of Directors for AC4GC (Arizona Center for Germanic Cultures), a non-profit corporation located in Phoenix, Arizona, for just a few months in 2014 when he proposed starting an international film festival, known as the Zeitgeist (Medien Fest) International Film Festival. His work as a Director of the Board was devoted to preserving and promoting Germanic culture in Arizona and as a Film Festival Director traveled to multiple Germanic countries to lecture in universities, high schools, and community events to drum up submissions, as well as coordinate and run the annual festival.
- Concurrently with his BoD position at AC4GC, Dan was offered a position as a Director on the Board of the New Life Society to serve next to retired Arizona State Senator Leo Corbett and some other very influential business people. NLS (now the Transplant Community Alliance) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation which provides support and educational services for organ and tissue transplant donors and recipients. Through partnerships with the Donor Network of Arizona, local hospitals, and other groups the New Life Society was able to effectively fundraise through license plate and private donations and provide many life altering workshops and support avenues for organ transplant recipients and donor families.
- During this time Dan was also working as a Talent Manager and Publicist and through various clients and projects worked with musicians, Olympic Gold Medalists Misty Hyman (2000) and Henry Cejudo (2008), hypnotists, a magician, and was invited to visit Jay Leno’s Tonight Show. His work with Weecks Productions, LLC and as a consultant led him to work with Barbara Barrett, Secretary of the United States Air Force (2020) and Retired United States Ambassador, the late Senator John McCain, Justices Sandra Day O’Connor and Ruth McGregor, and many more.
- Dan was a repeat recipient of the Bergamo Scholarship (in honor of broadcasting legend Ron Bergamo) as well as multiple Maricopa Community College Honor scholarships for his academic achievements before he received an Associates of Applied Science Degree in Motion Picture/Television Production, and a Certificate of Specialization in Film Production at Scottsdale Community College. Dan is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management through the Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, AZ.
Projects Directed and/or Produced
Below is a brief sampling of projects produced and/or directed by Dan Weecks. For a more complete filmography through 2016, please visit Dan’s IMDB page.
















