We had the good fortune of connecting with David Andrew Goodman and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi David Andrew, how does your business help the community?
I am very in tune with my community of skilled and creative professionals. Getting and maintaining work in the entertainment industry is a difficult process. The creative industries are demanding and sometimes unforgiving, so I am very fortunate to be able to provide jobs, job training and a bit of hope to a few incredible individuals from the community of the new generation of filmmakers.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
When I was a young punk, my wonderful mom always told me to work in any part of the creative industry to have opportunities become available. I started to turn my life around after many years of bad decisions by working in the art supply industry. While specializing in airbrush and fine art painting at work and in my own creative journey as an artist, I was presented with an opportunity by one of my best customers turned friend. “We are building the sunken Titanic as a model for a movie” he said and invited me to an old airplane hangar in Playa Del Rey. While on that visit to set, I was asked to create a paint solution for making the rust on the model. I was hired on the film on the spot after I created some sample boards in the parking lot out of the back of my truck.

I will always remember and acknowledge that kindness and trust offered by my friend to bring me the most important opportunity of my life. Acknowledgement and appreciation have become a cornerstone in all my endeavors because I definately don’t do it alone.

An important early lesson, for me, was to embrace the old cliché “be prepared for the opportunities to come, otherwise they will pass you by.” Preparing includes not only education and skill instruction but also learning how to communicate and collaborate. To this day, good communication and collaboration help bolster all of my pursuits.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Souther California is so beautiful and diverse. I really enjoy taking advantage of the incredible culinary selections in and around L.A. My favorite pizza is Toppers in Oxnard and it includes a wonderful trip up the coast to get there. I still go to rock shows in Hollywood and I highly recommend The Rainbow on Sunset for amazing dining and a great “night-cap”. I also love to visit San Diego for the night life in the Gaslamp district. For a bit of sporting fun I like to water ski and jetski at Pyramid lake and Castaic lake in the summer and snow ski in Big Bear in the winter. Lake Tahoe is also an excellent overnight trip in any season.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
After years of strife and struggle with bad decisions, I am so lucky to still have the support and encouragement from my family. My mom is my greatest source of strength and my wife stands by me through thick and thin, good and difficult times.

Website: goodmangripandlight.com

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Image Credits
Images courtesy of goodmangripandlight.com

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