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Geno Andrews was born and raised in Pacific Palisades, California. His claims to fame include semi-regular appearances on the ‘70s sitcom Hello Larry as a child actor, some commercials, some really bad movies not worth renting at Blockbuster®, and music videos from some of the best “hair bands” of all time, POISON and MOTLEY CRUE. "I always wanted to be a rock-star,” he says. “But looking back, it wasn't really about the lifestyle. I just wanted a platform to tell my stories. Writing and performing songs in a band made the most sense at the time." Geno's first film, JILLIAN'S VANTAGE, won numerous awards including Damah's “Best of Show” in 2002. Geno’s second film, THE VISITS, premiered earlier this year on his 40th birthday. Both films have been picked up for distribution through The Spiritual Cinema Circle. "I think everyone in this town is hoping to make a living at the thing they are most passionate about," says Geno. "For me it's telling stories. Whether I'm telling a joke at a party, or performing a song, or sitting in a theater while an audience is watching one of my movies, I get such deep satisfaction from seeing people respond emotionally to the experience of being touched by a story that I'm telling. If God created the world by speaking it into existence, then I think one of the coolest ways to mirror His image is to write stories. And I very much believe that our inspiration to write, to create, to move people with our stories, comes from God.” Geno and his wife, Selena, have two kids, Tegan and Dakota, and they reside in Calabassas, CA. Although filmmaking is Geno's passion, he works as a freelance graphic designer and video editor to pay for the kids’ diapers. Learn more about Geno at http://www.genoandrews.com GENO ANSWERS DAMAH’S SIX-PACK OF QUESTIONS 1. Who has
had the greatest influence on your work? Movies like The Sixth Sense, The Usual Suspects, or The Shawshank Redemption, would be examples of what influences me as a writer and a storyteller. Big punch lines. Everything the writer sets up gets paid off. Many of us grew up on episodes of The Twilight Zone. I suppose if I had to name a name it would be Rod Serling. What Hitchcock was to the “Suspense” genre, Serling was to the “Twist” genre. 2. Which three
films would you absolutely have to have with you if you were stranded
on a desert island? I have so many writer friends and we've all pondered how IMPOSSIBLE this question is. We've argued things like, "Are we alone on the island?" "Don't I get three choices per genre?" "Am I picking movies I could watch over and over again, or do I have to pick my FAVORITE movies?" (Cause there is a difference.) And probably the biggest question is, "How the hell did I end up on a desert island with three DVDs and a TV?” But assuming you're asking for my TOP 3 movies, of ALL time, that cover EVERYTHING about storytelling that I aspire to? I'd want all three of my choices to be copies of It's A Wonderful Life, in case the other two get scratched. Ever taken DVDs to a beach party...? However, assuming there's no way my Wonderful Life could get ruined, I'd also need a copy of Ben Hur. And lastly, I'd need a copy of The Sixth Sense. Not just because I think it's the best twist movie of all time, but because M. Night has a great lesson for all of us to learn; his next three films were COMPLETE DOGS in comparison to "6th" which proves that every time you write a script its merits stand on nothing more than the story itself. So don't get lazy. Put your all into everything you write. Don't wimp out just because you told one really great story and the world paid homage to your brilliance. (Now that I've slammed M. Night, it'll probably be his boat that passes my desert island and refuses to acknowledge my distress signals.) Another twist ending. 3. Boiling
it down to only three words—why do you love film? That's a bad Italian play on words but it works both ways. The theater is today’s forum for telling stories. In the old days, the tribe would gather around the tribe's storyteller and he/she would entertain them with stories. Inspire them. Motivate them. Encourage them. Make them laugh. I love being entertained by the movies of today’s storytellers (the good ones), and I enjoy entertaining my friends by telling stories. One of our biggest exports from this country is American films. Our nation is blessing (and cursing) other nations with what we have to say as storytellers. Everyone loves a good story, and film is the most powerful tool for telling and hearing stories in the world we live in today. 4. What has
been the toughest thing about pursuing a career in film? Mind you, I'm not talking about a short film you want to make for festivals. You can shoot those on Mini DV, edit them at home, and tell a compelling story. You might even win some cash prizes or some awards and sell a few from your Web site. But we're talking about a "Career in Film." But let's suppose you have that script. To make a film, you need an actor. Any actor will do, really. They're all the same. Extremely attractive, inflated ego, broke...you know the type. But the guy with the money says, "I'll give you this money, if you'll get Johnny Depp." (Ahhh...see, if I make a BAD movie with Johnny Depp, my investors will have a better chance at recouping their money than if I make a GREAT MOVIE with John Valdetero. He's the lead actor I've used in both of my shorts. Brilliant, but unknown.) Now pay attention, here comes the Catch-22 to beat all Catch-22s. In order to secure Johnny Depp to my script, I need to attach a check from my investors to my script when I send it to Depp's agent. But my investors refuse to write that check until I secure Johnny Depp to my script. THERE IT WAS! Did you catch it? I can't get the money from my investors to secure Johnny Depp, till I get the money from my investors to secure Johnny Depp. Go ahead, read it again. I wrote it and I still have a hard time wrapping my mind around it. 5. Who is
the one actor that you would love to work with? We had talked briefly about my father's accomplishments as an amateur golfer and he started going into the most specific details of what he did to emulate Jones' swing. He described it like someone describing a homemade secret recipe. Then he cracked my back (his dad was chiropractor, or he studied it or something, but he knew what he was doing) and then he shared some personal stories about his marriage. All in about 15 minutes. He was very transparent. Very open. Very serious. He seems to be someone who would be very open to direction and would be an asset as an actor to telling a great story. Plus I'd hit him with a few jokes just to make him laugh. He's got a great smile! I think he'd be cool to work with. 6. What are
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