Today we’d like to introduce you to Andrew Bracken.
Andrew, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
For a long time, I worked in video games, primarily as a producer. I worked for a major studio and that is what brought me to San Diego. It was a great job, but it did not leave me fulfilled.
I have long had a passion for documentary storytelling, be it film, podcasts, or even VR/AR. That was where I wanted to go. When I left my corporate job after about 12 years, I partnered up with a former art director I used to work with and we began to make documentary films, videos, and podcasts.
We produced a documentary web series for PBS.org called Facing North, about the complex relationship of the border cities of San Diego and Tijuana. From there, I created and produced a podcast series called My First Day for KPBS and NPR. The program has just finished its third season.
I am not sure where I got this interest but I love hearing other peoples’ stories. I feel strongly that every person has a meaningful story to tell. That’s been my focus in these last few years.
I also am a drummer and percussionist and play in an experimental music group called no know (sound band) with multi-instrumentalist Sean Francis Conway.
Has it been a smooth road?
There is no right or wrong way to live a creative life. Some struggle through their lives just to make it so they can focus on their art; others find compromises and find creative jobs that satisfy them. For me, I have tried a lot of different approaches to find the right balance. Working in video games was amazing but I needed time to work on projects that were more meaningful to me personally. It took me a long time to recognize that and to try something new.
That said, there is no perfect ending. I feel one valuable thing I have learned is that it’s okay to try new things, to succeed, to fail, and to even get a boring job if it helps you to keep creating and building meaningful things. That’s the ultimate goal for me- to keep creating.
Another major change in my life was having kids. I felt a lot of pressure that my life would never be my own again, in a lot of ways. This major life change had a major impact on me, but not in the way I expected. It actually made me want to work on my own art and projects more than before. It made me feel the brevity of this whole ride we are on and how time goes by fast. I have created more projects since my kids were born than any other time in my life.
AB Squared Creative Group – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I have a production company called AB Squared Creative Group with my partner Andrei Booriakin. Through that, I am an independent producer with KPBS. I produce a KPBS podcast called My First Day. We have also produced a video web series distributed by PBS.org. We have also received support for our work from Latino Public Broadcasting and the San Diego Foundation Creative Catalyst Fellowship.
I am most proud of the My First Day podcast. I think it highlights my approach to storytelling, one that is more interested in listening than lecturing, and more about raising questions than providing answers. The people featured on the program come from all sorts of backgrounds with life experiences all over the map, literally. In these intense and divided times, making the program has really helped me realize how much in common we all have with one another in a lot of ways, even if it’s not always that apparent on the surface, or through these lenses we put on the world.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
San Diego is a tricky place. It took me years to find my place in the city. It took years before I found my friends, my music scene, my people. I think San Diego is secretly amazing. It has a Rodney Dangerfield-vibe to it, the way people from other cities like Los Angeles almost turn their noses to San Diego. I think people get blinded by the sunshine and beaches and don’t see beneath the veneer that there is actually a lot of really interesting things going down here. You just have to hunt for it more than some other places.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.andrewbracken.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: instagram.com/myfirstdaystories
- Other: instagram.com/absquaredcreative
Image Credit:
Chad Kelco- Andrew Bracken on set.jpg
Melissa Diaz- ABracken_Squares.JPG
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