Meet Judd Nissen | Collector/Curator/Host of The Old-Timey Slideshow

I started out in the film/tv industry right out of college in my hometown of Chicago, until work dried up in the mid-90s. Continuing in that industry meant a move to Los Angeles, where I worked for another 15 years. I then moved into the Themed Entertainment industry (helping create theme park and museum attractions) where I still work today.  In the mid-2000s, I started collecting old 35mm slides as a hobby. I was going to estate sales and garage sales on the weekends and would see carousels and boxes of slides just discarded in the corner of these old houses. One sale, I decided to take the plunge, bought a bunch and was hooked immediately when I came across a slide of a gravestone that had “Mozart” and my last name “Nissen” chiseled on the same stone. Turns out Nissen (no relation) was Mozart’s biographer, who ended up marrying Mozart’s widow. From there the collection grew and grew with no real end-game in mind, other than thoughts of a gallery showing of prints made from the coolest slides in the collection. Then COVID hit and I was no longer going into an office every day, so I had time to start sorting the slides while working from home. Going through them I realized that most of these amazing slices of life have never been see outside of the respective family home shows. So I started the Old-Timey Slideshow and put it on my Facebook page; OPS: Other People’s Slides. I figured it would go on for a few weeks until the office opened back up. . . but here we are almost two years and over 700 shows later, and still going strong.

Unlike many of the unbelievably talented folks who Shoutout LA articles focus on, I can’t really call myself an “artist” per se. My “art” is exposing the world to photographs and more recently old home movies that would otherwise have ended up in a landfill somewhere. It’s amazing to see how well the Kodachome slides hold up even after 70 plus years. The colors are so vivid, you feel like you could reach right through the screen and touch the subject. Seeing the old cars, buildings, trains, planes and people of these bygone eras really gives you an interesting insight to the past. I have family collections that show a couple getting married, having kids, going through life’s important milestones and then their kids getting married and having kids. Hairstyles change, fashions change, cityscapes change, but in these photos they are locked in that exact moment in time forever. What sets me apart from others? At this point, I’d say two main things; a). my ability to find a way to connect one slide to the next and keep the viewers interested even if we’re just showing a “road to nowhere” as a transition slide, and b). sheer stubborn, stick-to-itiveness. Our first show on March 19th, 2020, missed a show or two in that first two weeks, but as of April 3rd, 2020, we haven’t missed a single night! We recently celebrated 700 episodes IN-A-ROW and haven’t repeated more than a dozen slides in that whole time. If I had to guess we’ve probably shown somewhere between 30,000 and 40,000 individual slides. Not to mention the great films I’ve collected over the years. Some amazing 16mm films from the late 1930s, 40s and 50s, including my family’s collection that my octogenarian mother handed off to me recently. These were shot by my grandfather, including one of my mother’s first birthday party, over 80 years ago, that we are showed in honor of her birthday in early March.

Los Angeles has so much to offer, I’d be hard pressed to make any one-size fits all recommendations. There are excellent hikes and beaches for the outdoor types, amazing food options for the foodies (Masa of Echo Park is a favorite and the closest thing to the authentic Chicago-style deep dish pizza I miss from back home), and entertainment of every variety. I’m especially partial to the comedy scene (UCB, Groundlings, The Improv, The Comedy Store), and, as a film buff, some of the greatest movie theater experiences in the world.

First and foremost my very patient wife, Jennifer aka “Jake”. Even though the collection has outgrown my office and crept into the living areas of the house, despite herself, she really does love the show and seeing all the slides and films. She’s been my off-screen co-host for most of the episodes. Her color commentary and our banter really give the show a personal touch that I think our small but loyal audience really connect with. My dear friend and musical genius Alan Stein has provided a catchy opening and closing number, along with countless other great ear-worms over the last two years (the disaster music is a fan favorite which, unfortunately for me, does get played more than I’d like – the perils of working with analog equipment like the old projectors). My neighbor Mary Margaret Robinson, whose encouragement and support have been invaluable. Steve Hanley, aka The Psychogenealogist, a friend I’ve made through the slideshow, who’s help tracking down names and relations of the people in the slides has been invaluable. My slide mentor, Charles Phoenix, who reminds me that we are the caretakers of these collections, and that part of being a good curator is being a good editor (a lesson I’m still trying to perfect). And most importantly, my fans. We started with a few co-workers and friends watching, and have somehow connected with a brilliant group of viewers who tune in almost every night and add such great comments in the chat, that the show has become an amazing interactive collaboration. Together, this disparate group of people has come up with some very fun catch phrases and shout outs that keep us all laughing for an hour every single night. We have one family with three generations that now join the fun. A few viewers in other countries. East Coasters and West Coasters, and all timezones in between. During COVID lockdown, a number of my new friends reached out to thank me for giving them something to look forward to each day, in otherwise depressing times. These are people I have never met in person, but I feel I know very well now. It makes me feel great knowing that I could lighten someone’s day even for just the short time we’re on each night. Plus, it’s a great way to travel (in both time and location) without ever leaving your house.  I would encourage everyone to stop my the nightly Old-Timey Slideshow (usually starting at 7pm PDT) and let us know you heard about it on Shoutout LA.