
We thought our readers/viewers might like to learn about some of the folks that work at IdahoPTV. Because there are so many people who work behind the scenes, you may have seen some of them, or maybe only heard about them. Today we would like to introduce Director/Videographer Andy Lawless.
IdahoPTV’s Carol Beres chatted with Andy, who also produces for the station. “I started in 2014, working with Marcia (Franklin) on Dialogue. And that was kind of a part-time thing for a few years. I did a little bit of Outdoor Idaho. And then, American Graduate: Getting to Work came along. So they hired me full-time to manage all of that content. So I produced all of the American Graduate pieces.” Those are short programs that “…illuminate pathways to post-secondary education.”
Andy was born in Georgia, but grew up in Idaho. “My family moved out here in the ‘70s so that my dad could distribute Schlitz Beer…which was going bankrupt at the time.” Andy attended college at Pacific Conservatory for the Performing Arts, in Santa Maria, California. “I studied theater down there and then I kind of roamed around a little bit…I started out really wanting to be an actor. And I soon realized that my interests were more in storytelling, camera work and film work. I figured acting is a good background to play any role,” Andy laughs. “When I worked in San Francisco, I started out sweeping stages, basically. And then I just watched what other people were doing and learned how to build sets, learned how to paint and then I started working with the camera department, learning how to load cameras. Slowly but surely, I learned how to be a photographer,” Andy remembers. “I ended up…working for a company called Colossal Pictures that did MTV interstitials (short programs), Pillsbury Doughboy commercials, special effects for Top Gun and The Right Stuff, Bram Stoker’s Dracula. And then I spent about a year being a camera guy for James and the Giant Peach.” That particular movie is stop motion animation, and Andy says, “you could start a shot in July and finish it around Thanksgiving…thirty seconds of film.” Then he found work in a galaxy far, far away. “I did a stint on Star Wars: Episode 1 – The Phantom Menace. Then I traveled to Indonesia and eventually found my way back to Boise.”
While he will do free-lance work occasionally, coming to Idaho Public Television has given him another way to tell stories. “It was an opportunity to collaborate. I’m a fan of the long-form stories that we get to tell. Idaho Experience and Outdoor Idaho are great avenues for that. And with the American Graduate series, they gave me a lot of freedom to go out and find the stories and tell them on my own, which was great.”
Andy plies the waters in his free time. “I’m into boating. I have a small Laser dinghy. It’s 14 feet. They’re very fast. It’s like a go-kart on the water. I take it up to Lucky Peak or Lake Alturas. I have a buddy in Seattle who has a ‘real’ boat. I go over there when I’ve got time and go sailing with him. We spent time in Indonesia together. We have a love of boats. That and cycling.” And when it comes to his favorite places in Idaho, it’s hard to pin him down. “The whole state is beautiful. I love Sandpoint. I love Stanley. My wife’s family has a place down on the Snake River, down near Hagerman. That’s beautiful,” Andy says. “The Thousand Springs area is gorgeous…you see the springs come down off the cliffs, beautiful water and you can paddle around if you’re into that sort of thing.” And a cute monkey is Andy’s go-to for favorite PBS Kids character. “I’ve always been a fan of Curious George. I like the trouble he gets into. I can relate.” When it comes to a favorite snack, he goes with an American favorite. “I like peanuts. It’s probably because I’m from Georgia originally. Me and Jimmy Carter. We like our peanuts.”