Toby Amies | |
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Born |
Tobias Amies 27 June 1967 Birmingham, Warwickshire |
Nationality | British |
Occupation | Film director, broadcaster, and photographer |
Notable work | The Man Whose Mind Exploded |
Tobias "Toby" Amies (born 27 June 1967 in Birmingham, Warwickshire) is a broadcaster, filmmaker and photographer, best known for his feature-length documentary The Man Whose Mind Exploded, and his work on Radio4, MTV UK's Alternative Nation, FilmFour, Lonely Planet Six Degrees and The Rough Guides. Toby has specialised in making programmes about art, music and travel, with a special emphasis on fringe culture and alternative perspectives. In addition, he is a widely published portrait photographer and writer.
Amies was brought up in Worcestershire and went to the University of Exeter in Devon and subsequently the University of Kansas, where he was awarded a scholarship in Art History. He declined the scholarship in favour of work in music TV in the UK at the Powerstation, where he was on the air with Chris Evans, Boy George, Steven Wells and Suggs. He started DJing in art college in Cheltenham (he was in the same class as British artist Tim Noble) and after leaving the UK he worked behind the decks in Arizona at top 40 radio station KRQ alongside Jimmy Kimmel. He later worked at MCA Records in Los Angeles and then moved to work in the news department at MTV Europe partly thanks to work/appearances with Quentin Tarantino and Traci Lords at MCA.