Category Archives: career

I found weird videos of me on the internet.

I’m updating this website. As part of that update I’m looking to add some additional videos, especially stuff from back in the Sabrina the Teenage Witch days. All my Sabrina stuff is on VHS tapes (remember those?) so I rely on YouTube for a lot of the older clips. As I was searching I came across the following videos:

I don’t know the user, but they seem to have some pretty solid ideas on who they’d like to ‘ship and Gordy and Libby were in that category (so was Gordy and Teenage Zelda). The videos feel like art installations and I’m impressed with how our heads were made to look like they were oversized and bobble-like. Rene and I thought they were worth sharing. If you’re interested in more like this go check out Bruno Mars Fan videos of couples.

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Filed under acting, actor stuff, career, Curtis Andersen, fan fic, Gordie, Hollywood, insane, internet, stuff you can't unsee, the 90s, The Business, TV, video, videos, WTF, YouTube

I wrote comics, you can read them!

One of the earliest projects I worked on when I started working for Panda Mony Toys were the mini comics that will be packed in with the figures.

I proud of these. They aren’t breaking crazy new ground in the world of comics, but they do what we set out to do which is teach people about the characters and the world of Alter Nation.

We are releasing them as a special preview over the next couple months in the comics section of the Alter Nation website.

Go check them out and if you like what you see buy some toys! We still have some cool exclusives available until mid-August.

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Filed under career, comic books, creativity, fiction, geek, Panda Mony Toys, toys

Rose City Comic Con 2018

Last weekend I went on assignment to Rose City Comic Con for Panda Mony Toys. We are releasing our first action figure line next year and we are looking for cool shows to visit. Rose City was pretty great! Here’s a video of my adventures:

If you like t-shirts, hoodies and coffee mugs I suggest you check out our merch in ourĀ SHOP.

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Filed under adventures, career, comic books, comic movies, Disney, doctor who, fan fic, fanboy, fiction, fun video friday, Game of Thrones, geek, Han shot first, hobby, horror, iron man, judge dredd, Jurassic Park, kids, Lego, Marvel, pop culture, rambling, sci-fi, star wars, super-heroes, the future, toys, travel, video, videos, Wolverine, work, working for a living, YouTube

Squirrel – Coming Soon!

I did this movie last year. We shot at Aldworth Manor in late September and October. It was a gorgeous location and such a great time with a great team. I’m very grateful to have had this experience and I’m REALLY excited for you all to see it!

Follow these accounts for more details:

HCT.Media Squirrel Movie Instagram

Of course there’s still my Twitter, Instagram and Fanpage which will also have details as they become available – so follow those today!

Shameless plug:

If you like t-shirts, hoodies and coffee mugs I suggest you check out our merch in ourĀ SHOP.

And of course I’ll be posting updates here as they happen.

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Filed under acting, actor stuff, blatant plug, career, film festivals, filmmaking, Hollywood, horror, independent film, making movies, movies, new projects, Operation: Television's Curtis Andersen 2.0, performing, projects, scary, scary movies, shameless self promotion, work

Day 25 Operation: Television’s Curtis Andersen 2.0 The Intensive Is Saturday!

There’s still time to sign up for this weekend’s intensive! See the video and info below:

April 28th
noon-4pm

Location: Actors In Action Studio, 323Ā NE Wygant St. #203. Portland, OR 97211

This class will focus on “finding your base,” script analysis, and making strong choices. This class is appropriate for actors of all levels.

Email Curtis now for a discounted rate of $75 for AIA talent, $95 for all othersĀ Ā curtisandersen@gmail.com

Class size is limited so sign up soon to guarantee your spot!

Here’s the playlist for April:

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Filed under acting, actor 101, business, career, class, education, Operation: Television's Curtis Andersen 2.0, video, videos, YouTube

I Did a Thing: The Gimme Pizza Podcast

Winning London

Are you a fan of Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen movies? Do you like podcasts? Then I have a treat for you! I was a guest on the latest episode of the Gimme Pizza podcast and we talked about my experiences on “Winning London” and other stuff.

Check out my episode, and all the other episodes, down below:

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Filed under actor stuff, blatant plug, career, podcasts

There is SO MUCH Going On!

I am currently on location in Harrisville, New Hampshire at Aldworth Manor shooting the new indie horror movie Squirrel. It’s been a lot of fun and you’re going to see a lot of it if you’re following me on social media.

Autumn is my favorite time of year and October is one of my favorite months. Rene and I got married in October, we LOVE Halloween, the weather is my preferred type with clouds and rain and chill, it’s our cup of tea. It’s really hard to be all the way across the country away from her and Frankie. They seem to be having a good time back in Portland and Frankie is super-cute in his outfits to keep him warm, as you can can see in these pictures:

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But it’s still hard. So I’ve been keeping myself busy in my downtime.

In the interest of Halloween, I’m telling spooky stories here at the manor. The first one you can see here:

I’ll be doing more all month and these stories are TRUE! Also, the manor house is apparently haunted so I’m going to be going through it with some of the cast and crew later this month to see if we can “catch” anything. Here’s a preview of that from Friday the 13th:

Of course, it wouldn’t be Halloween if I didn’t post Bloody Mary again – it’s a tradition:

And since we won’t be able to do LIVE Discussions for a while, here’s one that i think is still incredibly relevant on being a journeyman actor:

Oh, and I forgot to mention that we have COOL NEW MERCH NOW! You can see that HERE.

You can currently order these cool designs:

Of course, our patrons have first crack at all new material and at the higher levels of patronage you get discounts on your order! You can check that out HERE.

Please like, subscribe, click the links, share, follow – you know, do all the good social media stuff! We’ll see you soon!

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Filed under acting, actor stuff, adventures, behind the scenes, blatant plug, career, filmmaking, horror, independent film, making movies, movies, Operation: Television's Curtis Andersen, projects, video, videos, YouTube

The Creative Storm: Prioritizing the Mess In a Creative Brain

Since Rene and I have moved to Portland we have been so excited to follow all the creative endeavors we felt we could not pursue while living in California. And we have been! The things that have been made public, like the current projects on the YouTube channel, are the easiest things to make and get out but only scratch the surface of what we’re hoping to do.

There are lists.

Normally I like lists. They help me keep track of things. You can check stuff off of a list. But when your list gets too long it gets hard to keep up with everything, so you have to prioritize. This is where I break. I’ve been accused of having a “yes” disease where I will say yes to doing things because they sound fun and exciting. I can’t deny that. I’m an enthusiastic person. If I am pitched an idea and I like it then I will want to do it and really commit to it. This can lead to a lack of focus and overcommitment and I’m feeling that right now.

The reason I write about this stuff is to help other creatives and people who are starting out by talking about how I solve problems common to creative people, but this is a tough one for me. So rather than being able to rely on my multiple decades of experience to help figure this out, you’ll actually be on the journey with me as I go – warts and all.

When problem solving the first thing to do, and one of the most important steps, is to figure out what the problem is. Fortunately for us I have already spend time figuring this out:

Lack of Focus.

That’s pretty broad. That’s not going to help. As with acting and performing, specifics are key; so what am I not focused on?

I am not focused on what creative endeavors I want to pursue.

Better. Probably not specific enough, but it’s better. So next step, if I am not focused on the endeavors I want to pursue then the next logical question is what are the those endeavors?

I want to make a living as just an actor again.

Woof! OK, tall order. This is not the easiest time to want to do that and now that we live outside of a major market, like L.A. or NYC, it’s even tougher. Also, this requires a few different steps to do efficiently and effectively:

  • Getting a local agent in the PNW.
  • Probably time for new headshots.
  • Regularly check the breakdowns and submit myself (currently happening)

So, that being said, even though there is some progress on that front I will need to drop this goal down the priority scale…

OK, wait a minute! Why is this – the giant overall goal – getting dropped down the priority scale?!?!?!?

Good question, here’s the answer: Paying Bills.Ā 

I hate this answer. I hate it sooooooo much. If I didn’t have to pay bills I’d have so much money (#sarcasm). But rent, electricity, food, internet, etc. all of it requires paying someone and it is impossible to stay focused on your craft and your goals if you are constantly worried about whether or not things are going to be ok at the end of the month.

Thus thusly and therefore, since I cannot rely on acting money to cover said bills at this time, since I am in progress on that goal in a way continues to move it forward even if it is at a slower pace than I would like, I can move it down a few positions and still feel confident that I am not abandoning the goal. #justification (This can be debated in the comments.)

OK, so what’s next…?

I want to generate more content for the YouTube Channel.

OK, again not quite specific enough. I am generating content for the channel. We do LIVE Discussions every weekĀ (#shamelessplug) so I need to drill down deeper.

I want to do more sketches and scripted videos for the YouTube channel.

There we go, that’s something that can be a goal! When I look at the channel analytics the things that do best are things that are funny and either scripted or follow a narrative of some kind. Even though I’d love to be a creative person’s guru (I want to share knowledge!) or be able to do “talking-head” pundit style stuff (they are soooo much easier to make) that is not what people come to the channel for they want me discussing Pokemon Battles, Rene singing about the fall, and our niece using Bloody Mary to murder her brother. I want to provide more of these things, but they have been a little tougher to get done. So what do I need to do to make this happen? I need:

  • Ideas – We have a bunch of these, a bunch! So what I really need to do is focus on which ones to do first. (Check)
  • Time – This is the resource that is completely under my control and I don’t know that I’m parsing out very well. If I really want to do it I can make the time. I find time to do other things and so I know I can do it – I just need to really hanker down and commit. (Check)
  • Money – For some of the ideas I need to get stuff:
    • Music Rights
    • Props
    • Specific Equipment
    • Crew

Money is rough to discuss because that needs to be prioritized too. Let’s not forget the “Need to Pay Bills” part – so that’s in first position priority-wise. And that takes up most of the funds. Rent, food, car (payment & insurance), health insurance, Frankie (food & meds),… It all adds up, there ain’t much left after that. So when it comes to making these things that do cost we need to find a way to pay for them. YouTube Adpocolypse Ā really affected small channels like ours so we can’t rely on that. Rene and I have started a Patreon account but I understand that in order to grow that we need to have more of the content people really like to watch (see links above). So, if one of the big things holding me back from creating is funding for these projects then I need to raise those funds.

So, in order to do more sketches and scripted content for YouTube I need to raise funds.

There we go, that’s now in a top priority slot.

I’m not going to write about next steps on this in here (I gotta’ keep some mystery about things) but this does help point me in a direction. If you’d like to help get things moving a bit faster don’t hesitate to sign up on our Patreaon #shamelessplug. Or click on the ads, that always helps too!

Is there something you’re working on? Things that you need to prioritize? Let’s talk about it in the comments.

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Filed under actor 101, actor stuff, business, career, commentary, Curtis Andersen, day in the life, Hollywood, in real life, Operation: Television's Curtis Andersen

Tough Times for the Journeyman Actor

Last night Rene and I had a great conversation with fellow actor Tony Robinette about the shrinking actor middle class and things you can do to stay on your hustle while you keep clawing at a professional acting career. Don’t forget to subscribe to our channel and check out our Patreon to help fund the other videos that we are in the process of creating. Let us know your thoughts in the comments!

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Filed under actor 101, business, career, The Business, video, YouTube

Storytelling Discussion Highlights

We had a great conversation on Sunday talking about storytelling, how we do it, and what it takes to make that your career. I’ve trimmed down the over hour long conversation into about twenty minutes of just the most advice dense parts. And there’s a little bit of Skelly in there too.

Below is the full discussion if you liked what you saw above and want to see a bit more:

Don’t forget to check out our panelists where they do their work:

Jeff Garvin at JeffGarvinBooks.com

Erin Stegeman at her Twitter

And Zeke Pinheiro at FunSizeHorror.com

And of course check out the Andelon Productions Patreon. You get exclusive access to content and material there and it only takes a dollar a month to be a patron!

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