Today we’d like to introduce you to Andrew Tamarkin
Hi Andrew, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I’ve always loved stories. When I was a kid, I was a bookworm. Then, when I was 9, I got cast in my first play, and I fell in love with theater and the art of performing. Since then, I’ve been dedicated to being a storyteller. I went to a performing arts high school back in Minnesota, where I got amazing training from some talented mentors. Then, when I moved to Chicago for college, I found filmmaking.
I teamed up with Meredith Kirkman and, together, we produced The Promise of the Butterfly, a feature film about a lost young man who finds himself in the arts. I wrote this coming-of-age story at a time I was coming-of-age as an artist, as a young professional in Chicago. So, while it’s not based on real life, the sentiment is grounded in truth. After its festival run, the film landed on Prime Video (this was in December of 2020), and that same month, I moved to Los Angeles.
Moving to LA isn’t easy. I left a pretty editorial job back in Chicago and found a job at a restaurant here in LA instead. That’s when the hustle really kicked in. I teamed up with my friends, friends of friends, new friends, and I started making stuff. An indie pilot called Feeling Vertigo with Charlotte Kennett. Some short films like Purple Sky, The World Isn’t Ending, I’m Not Like You, and Mother’s Love. I joined an acting studio (shouting out Ivana Chubbuck!) and got signed to Baron Entertainment. The more I showed up in the world as a filmmaker, as an actor, the more my community expanded. And it still does! I don’t really believe in “networking”, but I do believe in the connective nature of artists, especially when working collaboratively on a project with shared goals.
I landed an in-house position as a producer and writer for LatiNation Media (formerly known as LATV Networks), which has provided me a creative homebase for many artistic endeavors at all levels. I’ve joined Aura Quiroz, Enrique Sapene, and Andrés Palencia on the producing unit of The Q Agenda, which won a GLAAD Media award this year. I created the docu-series, Storytellers, with Susana Vaamonde, which was nominated for an Imagen Award last year. Here, I am developing my experience growing talk shows, documentary projects, comedy on social media, and working collaboratively with talented colleagues.
Recently, I was cast in Sofia Garza-Barba’s latest film, Efflorescence, which will be airing on Netflix later this year.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
There is no simple way to work in film and TV. Not the way I’ve seen it. There is no linear path. There is no example that can copy and paste itself on to you. I’ve learned how to wear many hats, stay innovative, and speak up for myself along the way.
I think the hardest part is striking a balance between your personal life and your professional life—and knowing the difference. When I was still working in restaurants, it was harder. When I wasn’t working a shift, I was writing scripts, auditioning for projects, and teaming up with other creatives with vision and ambition—and I still considered this “professional life” even though I wasn’t getting paid. Eventually, you start getting paid for being an artist and things become clearer. But sometimes, I still don’t get paid, if I love the project enough. And sometimes, I decide to pay others to help my vision come alive. “Professional life” as an artist is not dictated by money, but by experience, by the types of projects you want to make next, and the community that comes together to create it.
You always become friends with the artists you collaborate with; I think it’s natural. At times, understanding that grey area can be a challenge. I’ve lost and regained some friendships. Some relationships have changed. This is all subjective work, so you have to work with people you admire and check your ego at the door. Always.
There were times I felt like I didn’t have time for a personal life. Some weeks are like that. But I try to remind myself all the time that you must live your life to make art. If you don’t, you’ll run out of things to make art about.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Right now, I am known for making queer stories beautiful and digestible for mainstream audiences.
I write and produce talk shows and documentaries for LatiNation Media that explore, challenge, and celebrate queer lifestyles.
As an actor, I have played an array of gay characters—the funny sidekick, the sassy villain, and almost everything in between. Particularly, I am very proud of the work I did in the independent film, “Purple Sky”, where I got to play the lead character, Adrian, a gay man who considers cheating on his ‘very stable’ boyfriend when he meets a sexy man who likes him twice in one day. I was able to showcase a range of colors and experiences in this role, and that’s what I’d like to keep doing.
I try to bring comedy to drama, drama to comedy, relatable to the specific, and specific to the relatable. I think my best art comes from vulnerability and bold choices, whether I’m in front of or behind the camera.
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
The most important lesson I’ve learned on my journey is just letting it all go, at least once a day. No matter how busy or how slow the day is, whether or not you’ve been on set or you’ve combed through your invoices, I often feel like I’m not doing enough. That pressure I put on myself can have negative effects on my mental health, on my relationships, and on my clarity of vision. I am constantly learning how to turn off those artistic neurons–to just enjoy an hour in the sunshine, take a yoga class with a friend, or catch up on TV with my boyfriend. We have to enjoy the fruits of our labor at least once every day 🙂
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.andrewtamarkin.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andrewtamarkin/?hl=en
Image Credits
Getty Images, Josiah Sickler, Willa Cutolo
