Nationality American Occupation Journalist Role Journalist | Ethnicity White Name Reed Cowan Other names Reed Abplanalp-Cowan Years active 1995–present Children Wesley Cowan | |
Full Name Darrin Reed Cowan Spouse Gregory Abplanalp (m. 2013) Movies 8: The Mormon Proposition, The Other Side of the Lens Residence Summerlin South, Nevada, United States, Las Vegas-Paradise, NV Metropolitan Statistical Area, Nevada, United States, Nevada, United States, United States of America Profiles | ||
The atrophy of prolonged pain and how a father s choice changed lives reed cowan tedxunlv
Darrin Reed Cowan (also known as Reed Abplanalp-Cowan) (born July 24, 1972) is an American journalist, documentary filmmaker, screenwriter and philanthropist. Cowan co-directed the GLAAD Media Award winning 2010 documentary 8: The Mormon Proposition with Steven Greenstreet.
Contents
- The atrophy of prolonged pain and how a father s choice changed lives reed cowan tedxunlv
- REED COWAN MOUNTAIN LION PKG
- Career
- Personal life and philanthropy
- Filmography
- Awards and nominations
- References
REED COWAN- MOUNTAIN LION PKG
Career
Cowan started his journalism career working as a radio disc-jockey for KNEU Radio in Roosevelt, Utah. In 1995, Cowan worked as a part-time on-air reporter for Fox's KSTU in Salt Lake City, Utah while a student at Utah State University. From there he assumed full-time positions as an anchor for KBAK-TV in Bakersfield, California and as an anchor for WWTV in Cadillac, Michigan. Cowan next worked as a reporter and weekend morning anchor for KSL-TV in Salt Lake City.
After KSL-TV, Cowan moved to KTVX, also in Salt Lake City. While there, he anchored Good Morning Utah and covered the terrorist attacks of 9-11, the kidnapping of Elizabeth Smart, the murder of Lori Hacking, the death of former President Ronald Reagan and the fugitive stories of polygamist sect leader Warren Jeffs. For his work, Cowan was nominated and for and won Emmy awards for reporting.
Personal life and philanthropy
Cowan was born on July 24, 1972 in Roosevelt, Utah and was raised in the Mormon religion. During his teenage years Cowan had a relationship with Gregory Abplanalp, who attended the same high school as Cowan. Cowan ended the relationship at the request of a church leader, and went through years of various forms of conversion therapy, then married a woman at the urging of another church leader. During this marriage Cowan had his first child, Wesley, who died in 2006 after falling from a horizontal set of monkey bars. The marriage ended after three years and Cowan re-united with Abplanalp, whom he married in 2013 among dozens of Utah’s gay couples receiving marriage licenses at the Washington County Clerk’s office on December 23. Cowan is also a triathlete.
Wesley's death prompted Cowan to found the Wesley Smiles Coalition, which works with Free the Children to raise funds to build schools in Africa. Cowan also made the 2007 documentary The Other Side of the Lens, which covers his emotions over his son's death and his experiences with the media attention Wesley's death attracted.
Cowan is also on the advisory board for Free The Children, a child advocacy organization, and serves as a producer for the youth organization Power In You. He is also an active supporter of anti-bullying legislation and has worked as a public speaker on the subject of bullying in school.