Daniel Maggio was born in Hemet, California and many of his films have been produced there. At the age of 13, he wrote his first screenplay (The Unknown Superhero) which was directed by his teacher/mentor Jimbo Marshall and produced through his middle school. The film premiered at the Temecula International Film Festival and that screening was the moment that solidified Daniel's lifelong pursuit of filmmaking.

At 17, he started filming his first feature film (Brosis.) It's the story of a brother and sister who unknowingly start dating each other over the internet. The 90-minute film was completed in 2008 and remains a controversial classic among Hemet residents and fellow perverts.

Everything changed when Daniel started hanging out with the independent band, Hippie Cream. With Hippie Cream's prolific output and collaborative spirit, Daniel was hooked and wanted to start making films "the hippie cream way." As a collaborative artist, you give your performers/team members just enough structure to stay true to the "song" but allow their personalities/talents to shine through. Maggio has directed multiple short films based on Hippie Cream's music as well as a feature length sci-fi musical (Marty's Magnificent Day-Glo Dream-A-Thon) and a documentary telling the band's story (Radical Parade).

The most heartwarming and successful project Maggio has directed was "The Glory Hole" which premiered at Dan Savage's HUMP! Fest. The 4 minute short tells the true story of how Jeff and Cosgrove fell in love at a San Francisco glory hole 22 years ago. The couple is still together today and Cosgrove has appeared in many of Daniel's films. "The Glory Hole" won the Grand Jury Prize at HUMP!, screened at FRAMELINE, and is distributed through Wolfe Video.