| Andrew Helm | |
|---|---|
| Born | Andrew Lawrence Helm 1969 United States |
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| Website | |
| http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0375604/ | |
Andrew Helm is a latter 20th century and early 21st century American actor and writer.[1] He is most notable for his work as "Evil Kevin" on The Hunted webisodes created by actor, Robert "Bob" Chapin.[2] In addition, he is known for his work in the story department of the syndicated television series Queen of Swords. Executive Producer and series creator David Abramowitz named the character of "Dr. Helm" (portrayed by actor and medical student Peter Wingfield) after Mr. Helm.
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Andrew Helm graduated from California State University, Chico with a Bachelor Arts degree in Media Arts,[4] after which he left his home in Northern California and moved to Los Angeles to become a writer.[5]
Before making it as a writer in Hollywood, Helm worked in other positions in the film industry. In the mid 1990s, Helm was hired to be a member of the sound department and boom operator for the 1995 film "Tornado Run."
His big break came when he met Laura Brennan who was Script Coordinator for the syndicated TV series Highlander: The Raven which starred Elizabeth Gracen. Also working on "Raven," at the time was Creative Consultant, David Abramowitz. Abramowitz took Helm to work with him as an assistant on his next vehicle, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World.
In the second season of Lost World" Fireworks Entertainment, along with Paramount Pictures (and a host of European investors), picked up a new syndicated TV series idea. When David Abramowitz got involved, the series became Queen of Swords. Abramowitz accepted the Executive Producer position on Queen of Swords and hired Helm to be the new script coordinator for the series.
"Queen of Swords" only lasted for one season, but by that time, Helm had developed acquaintances with other actors and swordsmen in Los Angeles. That, and a fan-base he had developed, allowed him to become part of the "Highlander: The Series" fan convention scene. From 2001 to its demise in 2006, Helm appeared at Fan Odyssey conventions in Culver City, California run by actor Valentine Pelka's American contacts. This provided some income for downtimes and allowed Helm to network with his fellow "Queen of Swords" alums Roberta Brown, Elizabeth Gracen, and Robert "Bob" Chapin. Swordplay skills that were used at the conventions were practiced at the former Westside Fencing Center in Culver City.
At the same time as Queen of Swords came to an end, Helm and Robert "Bob" Chapin started work on a new kind of entertainment. Though not a popular concept in 2002, Chapin developed the idea of a comedic, vampire-slayer, webisode. Chapin starred as the hero ("Bob") while Helm wrote episodes of The Hunted. Eventually, he took on the role of "Evil Kevin" and finally became "Bob's" goofy friend, "Andrew." Names did not need to be original in The Hunted. Other Highlander: The Series. and Queen of Swords alumni participated in the webisodes. These included Anthony De Longis and Roberta Brown. As the Internet expanded and high speed internet became the norm in most households, webisodes increased in popularity. Prior to high speed internet, it had taken a long time to download videos for viewing when dial-up was used. Webisodes could be watched in real-time. Then, when the vampire craze hit with The Twilight Saga, Helm and Chapin's work in The Hunted increased in popularity.
Andrew Helm's work in the world of entertainment expanded after that with workon some of the most popular science fiction works in cable television. These included Mutant X, Flash Gordon, Area 51, and Shrek 2. In addition, Helm was afforded the chance to work on the highly acclaimed cable series Monk with actor Tony Shalhoub.
The natural progression of a screenwriter is to the role of producer. Helm ultimately earned that title with "A Gothic Romance"[6] in 2004. "A Gothic Romance" was a short film starring former fencers from the Westside Fencing Center.
In 2011, Andrew Helm wrote a the script for an updated remake of the Amityville Horror films with "The Amityville - The Legacy 3D" distributed by Dimension and Miramax.
Andrew is married. He and his wife chose to make Burbank their home for many years. In August 2009, during the wild fires in Southern California, Andrew commented, ""We're close enough for a nice little apocalyptic plume."[7]
Andrew's sister, Linda Helm, appeared with him in his film "A Gothic Romance".
Andrew has taken stage swordplay lessons from actress and swordmaster/fight director Roberta Brown.
... aka Reina de espadas (Spain) ... aka Tessa à la pointe de l'épée (France) ... aka La regina di spade {Italy)
... aka Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World (Canada: English title)
... aka L'immortelle (France)