Film & TV Producer and Host Andre Gaines Welcomes New Standard in Entertainment – Los Angeles Sentinel | Los Angeles Sentry

Hollywood is an ever-changing landscape with a constant flow of innovative talent and stories that defy the norm. In the process, Andre Gaines is a Los Angeles-based writer, producer and director whose work constantly breaks the mold by telling stories in the most electric way.

Born in Toledo, Ohio, Gaines turned his imagination into reality. While studying at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, he began to dabble in animation. He started his business, Animation Studios, while he was in school. Years later, his work could be found all over the world as he made a name for himself in the industry. As a producer, he has financed several feature films, some of which have won Emmy Awards and Oscar nominations.

“I knew I had always had a love for animation,” he says. “When I started the business, it was really built around animation and visual effects. [It] started to develop a lot of international relationships as a result of this and really used that to pivot into the production of live action content.

Referring to one of his most recent productions, HBO’s The lady and the val documentary series, Gaines says he immediately fell in love with the story. For him, the story of Elizabeth Carmichael, a transgender entrepreneur whose rise and fall during the 1970s was a story of humanity and an opportunity to tell an untold story in a unique way and perfectly his own. . circle in my experience, as someone who started out in this part of the industry as a tool, as a really powerful and beautiful storytelling device. He went on to share that they were lacking in stock footage, however, his expertise in animation came into play, bridging the gaps between movement and colors that brought the story to life. “For me it’s exciting because if the opportunity arose I would go do quite a show that way because it’s such an innovative new style.”

Film and TV producer and host Andre Gaines (courtesy photo)

“Along with animation, it is designed to heighten your sense of reality. In some cases, by increasing your sense of reality, it can take you out of reality from something very grounded to something very artistic and illustrative. But there are other ways that you know, the way we did it here is a way to keep your feet on the ground and to keep you engaged in the story and to keep you engaged in the lives of the characters. and the cast in which we try to represent. So it was truly a triumph. It was something that we were very excited about. “

After doing such innovative crafts with The lady and the val, Gaines’ work is far from over. “I do exactly what I want to do until the day I die. I have no plans to retire at some point. I will make movies and TV shows forever, ”he said with a laugh. “It is a real blessing to wake up each day knowing that I have the privilege to do this and to wake up and know that these stories inspire people.”

He details that he’s in the final stages of a documentary about the life of legendary comedian and activist Dick Gregory, a project he funded, wrote and directed. “These are the types of stories I’ve always been drawn to. I always love seeing stories about people’s lives, their experiences, what they went through and how they got there. their triumphs, trials, successes and failures. In addition to biographical projects, Gaines enjoys real crime and sci-fi, which he recently wrapped up production in a Stephen King reboot. The children of the corn movie.

(Courtesy photo)

As he continues to maximize his potential, he explained that his main hope is that his work will create change in the world. “It’s one of the most powerful tools we have as people to really share amazing stories all over the world. From any pocket in the world you might never have heard of, with [The] Lady and the Vale, just as an example. It is a major moment in our history and in the history of the United States that no one has ever heard of, ”he said.

“These stories change people’s lives. This is something I would never really take for granted. The people, places and things the stories you tell can really touch and change hearts and minds. “