We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Nathan Amondson a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Nathan, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Are you happy as a creative professional? Do you sometimes wonder what it would be like to work for someone else?

I questioned the value of an artistic life vs. the “regular job” at an early age. Our father had a wide variety of professions: artist, chainsaw sculptor, preacher, politician, and amateur home builder. As a child, a “regular job” (doctor, lawyer, or some other more secure profession) was the dream. Stability seemed like a beacon of promise in the ever-changing and uncertain world of our father’s artistic and entrepreneurial endeavors. But as I grew older, I found myself drawn to those same pursuits. I loved to draw, paint, sculpt and build odd inventions from recycled electronics and old Erector sets.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I started my creative life in high school theater. Our high school drama teacher, Hjalmer Anderson, was incredibly passionate about theater and encouraged his students, pushing them to go above and beyond. I was fortunate enough to receive a scholarship to study theater at Southern Methodist University. I majored in acting and directing but was encouraged by my costume design professor, Giva Taylor, to explore theater design. I studied under the legendary theater designer, Chis Barreca, and learned many of the skills I still use today. I enjoyed theater design, but still had my sights set on acting and film. After graduating, I tried my luck as an actor / filmmaker in Dallas but that never took off. My brother Andrew, also studying theater, had a connection to someone in India who promised great fame and fortune. Dissatisfied with life in Dallas, I took a leap of faith, quit my “regular job”, sold everything, and moved to Mumbai in search of Bollywood with my brother. The connection ended up going no-where but I was determined to stay until accomplishing my goal. Through a series of fortunate introductions, dumb luck, and determination, I finally landed the role of Major Robers (the evil British officer) on the Bollywood soap opera, “Yug Yugantar”.
After returning from my 15 minutes of fame in India, I moved to Los Angeles with my brother. Acting in Hollywood proved much harder than Bollywood and I began transitioning to work behind the camera as a storyboard / concept artist. I started out on student films and worked my way up to feature films, starting with Legally Blonde, Ella Enchanted, and the Italian Job. I began working on a variety of small, low and no-budget films as a production designer (working mostly for free).

One of the pro-bono independent shorts led to my big break when the producer, Samson Mucke, introduced me to the legendary director, Wim Wenders. I landed the role of production designer with Wim on “Land of Plenty”, a very low-budget film, starring Michelle Williams. The next film with Wim was “Don’t Come Knocking”, starring Sam Shepherd and Jessica Lang which led to a nomination for the Deutsche Film Prize. It took years of struggle, risk, and credit card debt to work my way up from the low budget world of films to designing large budget films for the studios. I worked around the globe, in Argentina, China, Mexico, and Shreveport Louisiana for years. I helped create epic vampire, sci-fi action, and a couple Nicholas Cage action films along the way.

After 15 years in the film industry, I finally settled down and started a family. I faced a new reality that wasn’t compatible with the globetrotting life of film production and needed to balance work and the needs of my family. I needed to find a “regular job” which seemed a daunting task. I started sending out dozens of resumes to related fields and for months, there was no response. Finally after sending out over 50 resumes, I received my first interview with Thinkwell Group and found a new career in the world of themed entertainment. I started as an art director for Warner Brothers World in Abu Dhabi, in charge of Gotham, the Justice League dark ride and Joker Funhouse attraction. For the first time, I had a “regular job”, with a 401k, paid vacation and job security. I could stay at home, and work humane hours. I worked on a variety of theme parks and attractions over the next 6 years with Thinkwell and eventually moved on to Neon Global where I worked my way up to the position as Executive Creative Director overseeing projects with Marvel and Warner Bros. After Neon Global I moved to THG Creative as senior art director where I’m currently employed.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

The best resources are the people you meet along the journey. The way you treat those people (no matter where they are on the ladder) makes all the difference between a successful career and a stagnant one. Seeking out the advice from others in your industry, or the industry you want to be in, leads to great knowlege, better connections and a network of support and mentorship. Helping others with their projects (paid or unpaid) led to many opened doors along the road in my own journey. Wherever you are on your creative path, giving your time and helping others is well worth its weight in gold.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

For me, the most rewarding aspect of working in the creative world is being part of a team that can help bring a dream into reality. Collaboration with a wide variety of skills and personalities in a shared vision is a rare and incredibly rewarding experience. Whether you’re leading that team or participating in that endeavor. seeing that vision realized is a fundamentally life changing experience. It’s not always an easy path but the rewards, and relationships you form along the way, make it worth all the effort.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.amondson.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amondson
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathan-amondson-94a2446/