Boyum was raised in Los Angeles, California, where he was a world-class surfer, ski-racer, ski instructor, and motocross racer. Later on, he moved on to perform stunt work in many films, including Apocolypse Now, Bound for Glory, and The Blues Brothers. Boyum then moved on to be a cinematographer and second-unit director, working on many films like George of the Jungle, Mystery Alaska, and Jingle all the Way, among others. Soon, he made the transition to full-time director for films, television, movies-of-the-week, and miniseries. Throughout his career, Boyum has worked on over 1,000 movies and TV shows.