I was born on March 3rd in the city of Faribault, MN about 45 miles south of Minneapolis. The town is home to the Tilt-a-Whirl, Faribault Woolen Mills, Shattuck-St. Mary's and the Minnesota State Academies for the blind and the deaf. The rural environment provided for much of the entertainment of my youth as it was spent outdoors primarily fishing, hunting, building forts, playing sports and doing chores for my father. Probably my most character defining moment came in my senior year of high school while attending Shattuck-St. Mary's. Shattuck's rich educational tradition and history is what initially attracted me to the school and my attendance there helped me to greatly appreciate the value of personal growth in challenges. (Some famous Shattuck alums include Brent Musberger, Marlon Brando, Tom Seibel, A. Carl Helmholz, Hubert Humphrey, and Bud Wilkinson to name a few.) While at Shattuck I was first introduced to the theatre. A girlfriend at the time dragged me to an audition for "It's a Wonderful Life". I read for it having absolutely no clue what I was doing; I ended up getting a decent part, and she became the production's stage manager. So, I graduated and attended the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota in pursuit of a business major. Institutionally St. Thomas did not provide the same level of enjoyment I found at Shattuck, and I think this coupled with my love of film is what drove me back to the theatre. Spring semester of my sophomore year I auditioned for a college production and unfortunately didn't get a part. The following fall I auditioned and did receive a small role. During my senior year I branched out to doing plays in professional theaters, independent films and I found an agent for commercials and theatrical projects. After gaining some experience and raising funds I needed to pay off my father I made the move to LA. Los Angeles was a pretty decent culture shock from what I was used to in Minnesota and it took some time to get re-organized. My first housing arrangement was living with 6 people in a two bedroom apartment. After three months I moved into a much more cozy one bedroom living with an average of three often more people at a time. My first major accomplishment was booking the lead role in Steel Valley opposite Ed O'Neill. The role was that of young law school student who was making a run for state senate and was based loosely on the life of Tim Ryan. The experience was very exhilarating and I benefited tremendously from working with Mr. O'Neill. I couldn't have been blessed with a better role model for my first experience with such a seasoned and accomplished actor. After filming was completed, and we made the festival rounds I joined the union and was signed theatrically. Shortly after, I booked my first TV role, a top of show guest star on CBS's Close to Home . In the role I played a "misguided" accountant who poisoned my best friend/business partner to prevent him from uncovering my embezzlement. I had a great time working on the show; the regulars and crew were extremely nice and supportive. Currently in addition to auditioning and attending class at Playhouse West I have been working on creating some projects of my own. I hope to direct the first short I have written in the fall of this year. I have been very thankful for my accomplishments leading up to this point and for all the people who helped me achieve them. I look forward to growing and challenging myself in the future both as a creative professional and a human being.
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