Paul-Anthony Anselmo on Life, Lessons & Legacy

We’re looking forward to introducing you to Paul-Anthony Anselmo. Check out our conversation below.

Paul-Anthony, we’re thrilled to have you with us today. Before we jump into your intro and the heart of the interview, let’s start with a bit of an ice breaker: What do the first 90 minutes of your day look like?
The first ninety minutes of my day include yoga, breakfast, and a shower. It usually takes me almost an hour to go through my normal vinyasa flow routine. Spending at least ten minutes meditating first thing in the morning really helps me. After that is breakfast which usually includes eggs, brown rice, avocado, and salsa with a cup of coffee on the side. Once that’s finished, it’s time to shower and get ready for the day. If I can get all of that done before nine AM, life seems a lot easier.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Paul-Anthony Anselmo. I have been an Editor in Los Angeles for the past seven years. I specialize mostly in movie trailers. I recently created my own feature length animated film called “Horror Tonight!” that is now streaming on Tubi and Youtube free w/ads! It took many years to create but I’m so excited to say it’s out in the world. My dream has always been to create my own movies and I am very thankful to have been able to do that while also paying the bills with freelance work. I am currently working on my next one and look forward to seeing it finished in a few years so I can start on another.

Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. Who taught you the most about work?
My parents both taught me the most about work growing up, especially my mom. When I was in middle school, she was studying at beauty school to become an aesthetician. She worked very hard and I would help her study with her exams. She now has her own spa. Her work ethic and professionalism are two traits that I believe shaped me into the man I am today.

When you were sad or scared as a child, what helped?
I think whenever I was upset as a kid, movies were the one thing that consistently made me happy. Maybe it has to do with me being an only child or maybe it’s just pure escapism. I could always find peace and solace in movies no matter how hard life got or even if it was going extremely well. Having an outlet to empathize with a story, especially when you’re completely immersed like in a theater, I believe can help ease life no matter how old a person is. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a new movie either. Sometimes rewatching a film you love with a new, older perspective brings a level of calm and enlightenment that few other things on this planet can.

I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. Whom do you admire for their character, not their power?
I admire the film director David Lynch for his character. His recent passing was one of the few celebrity deaths that I actually felt genuine sadness and emptiness from. Funny enough, I don’t think it even has to do with his movies. He was such a wise and interesting artist that didn’t care what people thought. Whenever somebody would ask him to explain his work, he would gently say behind a veneer of smoke, “No.”. He always believed that each piece, whether it be a painting, music, or a film, should stand for itself and was no longer his once it was out of his mind and into the world. I think we should all strive for this mentality in terms of our creations. He may not have had a lot of power in this world compared to some but that was never something he strove for. He was striving to create and I believe there is a lot of power in that.

Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. When do you feel most at peace?
I feel most at peace when I am creating. Making my film “Horror Tonight!” made me realize this. There were so many hours of literal blood, sweat, and tears at my desk creating each frame of that movie that it really gave me a feeling of purpose. Creating is one of the things in this world that I can say I genuinely love and am grateful that I can do for a living.

Contact Info:

• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-anthony-anselmo-990377162/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Tall-AnthonyToons
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@tallanthonytoons

  https://tubitv.com/movies/100045500/horror-tonight