Hailing
from Decatur, Illinois, where he graduated from high school with
honors, David Joyner also graduated from ITT Technical Institute of Indianapolis, Indiana with an
Associate Degree in Electronic Engineering Technology in 1981. In
1982, when David was hired to stand in store windows in malls as a
mechanically moving mannequin, hundreds of people would stand outside
the window and watch with amazement. He became known as
"Mannequin Man".
In 1984 he was hired by Texas Instruments (TI) in Dallas, Texas
where he put in 6 years as a Software Analyst.
While working for TI, he performed in his spare time at clubs, malls,
churches and local TV talk shows. Known as "Mr.
Entertainment-David E. Joyner-The Mannequin Man", he
also became a Professional Motivational Speaker in 1988, in great
demand nationwide. He resigned from TI in
September 1990 to pursue a full time entertainment career.
David became an Acting Coach at "The
Dallas TV & Film Workshop, now known as "The Dallas Young
Actors Studio & Performance Center", a non-profit company
that trains children from 3 to 18 in acting skills, where he later
became Assistant Director. There in 1990, he met Casting Director,
Shirley Abrams, who cast him in the role as "Barney", as
well as Hollywood Agent, Mary Grady, now one his dearest friends.
David began playing the role of Barney The Dinosaur
in 1991. He was the original Barney on the hit TV Series, "Barney
& Friends", from 1992 until 2001. He left the Dallas-taped
show in April 2001 and moved to Los Angeles to continue pursuing his
acting career outside the costume. The Barney Special Events
Dept. offered him the opportunity to continue traveling around the US
making Barney appearances, training new Barney's in other countries,
and the freedom to continue his LA acting career as himself.
In 2002, while guest starring on the TV series,
"That's So Raven", word got around the set that he was Barney.
He was approached by a young lady who wanted him to meet with Claude Brooks,
a producer who was developing a new children's character named Hip Hop Harry,
a rapping teddy bear. David was offered the role as Hip Hop Harry.
Two pilots were shot in August 2002. A new chapter began in David Joyner's world of
children's entertainment.
Hip Hop Harry is 100% positive in all he does. He uses hip hop as a vehicle
to spread positive and enlightening messages to both kids and adults.
Hip Hop Harry believes kids should be self-sufficient, disciplined,
educated, cooperative, creative, healthy, respectful, open minded and
most of all fun! Hip Hop Harry enjoys a very healthy lifestyle. He is a
well rounded, healthy, positive bear who loves music, dance, basketball,
reading, learning, adventuring, making new friends and keeping life
positive. He is never mean spirited and has a great sense of humor.
In 2005, Hip Hop Harry began making live appearances, blowing people away
with a live show that had never been seen before as a costume character. The live show,
complete with 4 very talented break dancers who know how to rock an
audience, is filled with fun and entertainment. The producers recently signed a deal with Discovery Kids
and Hip Hop Harry will be premiering May 2006, on Discovery Kids.
120 million homes, 5 days a week, 5 times a day -- the response to Hip Hop Harry has been overwhelming, with
many people believing he's going to be bigger than Barney. When asked
how he feels about being a costumed children's character again, David replied, "I know I have a gift from
God to entertain children, and I can't run from it, I must share it. It
was no accident that I was Barney for 10 years on the TV show, and an
additional 4 years, after moving to LA. And it was no accident when I
was asked to meet with Claude Brooks about Hip Hop Harry. I am very
grateful for who I am, and what I've been allowed to do. God is
entrusting me with his precious children, and this is the ministry I've
been called to".
David is a man who truly has passion for the love of
God and a bright light shining from within that he loves to share with everyone he
meets. Besides being an Actor, an Entertainer, a Mannequin Man, a dancer, a Purple Dinosaur,
a Drummer, a Preacher, a Motivational Speaker, and Hip Hop Rapping and
Dancing Teddy Bear, he's a very humble, loving guy, who loves people.
