We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jack Anderson. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jack below.
Jack, appreciate you joining us today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?
There’s nothing better than a good story. Whether you’re watching a great movie, or hearing a riveting story from a friend, there are few things that can ground us in the present moment and motivate us more than the power of a story. I’ve always been a fairly grandiose individual. When I played football I was sure I was going to the NFL. When I did stand up comedy I was certain I would be on Netflix within months. When I casually make a shot while playing basketball I genuinely have a moment where I think to myself, “I think there’s still time for me to go pro”. I am always wrong, but I can’t help but imagining the most epic version of whatever endeavor I embark upon. There is something about imagining the highest of highs that can inspire anyone to reach well beyond their initial potential.
I am a huge mythology nerd and when you look through mankind’s oldest stories, you start to notice a common pattern in the human experience. Every story is uniquely its own, but in each there are fundamental commonalities that not only keep the reader turning the page, they reveal fundamental truths of what it means to be a person. There is a fine line between crafting an archetype and becoming formulaic. However, it is within this middle ground that you can really speak to your audience. Stories have this unique ability to do something that’s never been done while also providing comfort that there is a higher standard to strive for. Good versus evil is a great example of this. When done in the most basic way, the journey will be predictable and even though there may be moments of excitement, odds are it will leave many unsatisfied. However, with a bit of nuance and originality, the audience can be left with an overwhelming sense of courage and morality that even has the potential to shape culture with the right circumstances.
My passions range from absurdist comedy to the highest concepts in fantasy. People always say you should write in your own specific genre, which I always take as a challenge to try something new. While there are fundamental differences between a movie like “Step Brothers” and “Lord of the Rings”, at the end of the day they are both trying to do the same thing, tell people a story they’ll never forget. I find that bouncing between genres enlightens me as a writer because I have to understand the core of a good story, and then I can allow whatever inspired me in the first place to give the work a life of its own. The legendary creator Jordan Peele explained why he could pivot his incredibly successful career as a sketch comedian into becoming one of the greatest horror writer/directors arguably of all time by simply explaining that both comedy and horror rely on the fine line of tension. The only difference is how you pay that off. In my experience, recognizing these commonalities gives you unlimited freedom to be yourself and not worry about making the work “good”, but instead, allowing it to be inspired.
Some of the simplest, yet most impactful tools I’ve used to do this are sticking to the ABC storyline structure, embracing the Hero’s Journey first coined by Joseph Campbell, and taking improv comedy classes. Every story you’ve read, heard, or watched has had at least an A-Story, if not a B, C, D, etc. simply to give the audience a point of view in the adventure you are taking them on. I try to think of these storylines as the frame of a picture. You can put whatever you want into the image itself, but without the frame you have no way of showing the world what you’ve created. The Hero’s Journey is another structure for storytelling that is certainly not required, but if you look at many of the greatest stories in human history, many of them have some version of this character arc. And when you look at the circle that represents these classic beats of a protagonist, it’s not hard to see one’s own life being reflected in the journey of the greatest characters mankind has ever created. Finally, learning the craft of improv comedy, I believe, is critical because it teaches you how to create a story based on your gut. Nothing may get more in the way of creativity in general than the simple thoughts of the human mind. Judging the quality of one’s own work is rarely a productive practice, that is the job of the audience. Your task is to show the rest of the world your inspiration and to make that as true to you as you possibly can. Improv gave me the gift of releasing those worries and trusting that I am always headed in the right direction, and even if I stray the work will lead me exactly where I am supposed to go.
There’s still so much for me to learn, however, with these basic principles I have been able to move from a daydreamer to an actual writer and creator.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
The most fun I’ve ever had in my life was growing up with my best friends Sam Butler, Wes Patrick, and Karl Breidenbach. From kindergarten till an age I’m honestly a bit embarrassed to admit, we would go out to the backyard and allow our imaginations to guide us. Whether we were playing out our own sequels to Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, and any other film series we were obsessed with, or creating our own original worlds, characters, and stories, that was always where I felt the most like myself. Until High School, this was just what I did with my friends. It kept us out of trouble, made us feel like the literal heroes of our own stories, and brought us endless laughter. I would never have the courage or skills to attempt anything creative without the years and memories I shared with those three.
I never thought of being a professional at this, however. Honestly, I didn’t even realize that was an option. I always assumed movies and TV shows were these amazing anomalies in space that we were fortunate enough to have the opportunity to enjoy. And besides, I hated writing classes and the idea of being an actor terrified my inner-introvert to no end. But then, my sophomore year of High School, I started giving Sam a ride home after football practices. It was around this time I started watching the hit show “Scrubs” and was immediately hooked. I grew up watching classic sitcoms with my family like “The Simpsons”, “Arrested Development”, “The Office”, “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”, just to name a brief few, so I had a soft spot for comedy, but for whatever reason “Scrubs” just hit differently. I would talk to Sam who was already a fanatic of the show and once again, we soon started to lose ourselves in creating our own version of our now favorite series.
We casted our best friends in various roles, and to avoid ripping “Scrubs” off completely, we decided to make our characters detectives rather than doctors. Before we knew it, our show “Badge” had taken a life of it’s own and we found ourselves with stacks of yellow legal pads filled with scribbles of our self-proclaimed brilliant idea. Unfortunately, only a few months later, the hit show “Brooklyn 99” aired, of course becoming another one of our all time favorite sitcoms, but also forcing us to pivot and create a completely original idea.
We continued to find inspiration in various shows and films and never stopped writing. Sam and I both went to film school and learned the actual craft behind the medium we loved so much. I started taking acting and improv classes at this time as well and found a true joy in performing. Today, Sam and I are working together more than ever on tangible projects that have been met with great success. We’ve started our own weekly podcast “DMT: Don’t Miss This” which now has well over 200 episodes, as well as performing in a hilarious sketch comedy team based here in Denver called “The Dads”, and together have written over ten full television pilots which we are converting into a new product we’re calling audio-screenplays which we fully direct, produce, edit, and often act in.
Of course, the dream is to be the showrunners for our own television series, but as long as I am creating with my best friends, then I know I’m making that young kid who eagerly played Gimli in the backyard proud.
What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?
Just stay open minded and seek out things you enjoy. The beauty of art is its subjectivity. Every “terrible” movie is somebody’s favorite film of all time. I think criticism, especially if it is constructive, will always be necessary but that does not need to be focus. Society has been shifting towards a more negative view on things, especially when it comes to film and television. The negative headlines will get clicks, however they do nothing to progress the conversation. So many projects fade because either a negative reaction makes decision makers flinch, or they are so worried about getting that bad press that they make conservative decisions and compromise the spirit of the piece. I have been told on multiple occasions that any sort of fantasy or sci-fi projects I would dream of doing should be based on previously established intellectual properties because producers do not want to take a risk on something of that budget that does not already have a pre-established fan base. I cannot fault this mindset from a business perspective, however, business does not create art; it facilitates it to audiences. To make creative decisions based on business concerns is a great way to take the life out of a project. I think this falls back on society in the fact that these decisions are being made based on the voice of the audiences. Of course, there are going to be some duds, but I believe every project deserves the benefit of the doubt. And if it wasn’t great, it is important to express that. With that in mind, the more consistently negative audience react, the more likely that studios will be incentivized to make safe choices that could compromise a potentially great new idea.
Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?
I wish I would have started taking improv classes earlier. I have been practicing it for over five years now, but if I could go back, I would’ve started as soon as I could have taken classes. It is an incredible craft for opening the mind, generating judgement free ideas, and learning to trust yourself as well as the collaborates that surround you. It makes you feel a bit like a maniac at first, but then you quickly learn to embrace that feeling and it helps you take chances you never could’ve imagined even at the beginning of the show. Because you feel free and are in a form of flow, your mind starts generating ideas without even needing to try. I always say that whenever I step on stage with a joke preloaded, it always flops. However, if I stay present, listen, and respond as honestly as I can based on the scene we’re creating, then it generates a laugh that makes me consider quitting my day job. A simple improv class at a local theater is all you need to do. You will meet so many incredible people and to me, it serves as a workout for creative muscles which will keep them sharp in any of your other endeavors.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jackydmt/?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@dmtstudios4436/featured
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/show/0nCDgwptQhEQ7nXXe0XFTc?si=a69976ae8555418a “DMT: Don’t Miss This” Podcast https://open.spotify.com/show/1seJYCoP602xQoWLMtghnW?si=967cbc8761b442f1 “DMT Reviews” Podcast https://open.spotify.com/show/7LoIvZB0IPnzCJ86v3KSIY?si=dbff18f071e34725 “The Line: A DMT Studios Audio Screenplay” https://open.spotify.com/show/0fUtbZvuph2zVPaUJkMrJb?si=8dc356b0de7846c3 “All Day Fitness A DMT Studios Audio Screenplay”
Image Credits
Photos taken by Gary Miller