Andy Bydalek

My desire to make films was sparked when I saw the horror masterpieces Poltergeist, Carrie, Halloween and The Shining. I was fascinated by their mixture of stunning visuals, strong character development and psychological horror. I didn’t have the language for these things as a child, but they were firmly imprinted on my developing creative brain. By 12 years old, I had taught myself the basics of screenwriting, storyboarding, cinematography, video technology, linear editing, sound mixing, etc. My efforts got the attention of a journalist who wrote a cover story in our local paper declaring me a young Steven Spielberg. That maaaaay have stretched my talents just a little bit, but it was an encouraging start nonetheless. Following a turbulent adolescence, I turned my attention to the academic study of the human psyche and interpersonal behavior patterns. Studying under some of the most respected professors in the discipline, I graduated with special honors B.A. in Psychology. My honors thesis focused on the interplay between self-image, social roles and sexual politics – themes that play out in almost all of my films. After a sabbatical in Europe and several years working as a graphic designer, I rekindled my filmmaking aspirations. It was like I’d never been away from the camera. Only this time, I was equipped with the psychological and experiential tools to inform my work on a much deeper level. My first short daMNaged screened at festivals across the US and Germany. Following that success, I continued creating narrative shorts such as Haunted, the crowd-pleaser Skinnyfat (which went on to become a best selling DVD with TLA Releasing) and two promo films for Folsom Street Fair (Here Comes Helen! and The Passion of the Unicorn.) During all this, I branched into helping clients create vision videos and promo videos for their organizations. Currently I am working on two screenplays, one of which will be ready for development in early 2020.

Andy Bydalek has written, produced, directed, and edited short films that have played in festivals across the U.S. and internationally. His most recent work, Skinnyfat, enjoyed multiple sold-out screenings in San Francisco and a worldwide festival run before going onto become a top-selling DVD with national distributor TLA Video. In addition to crafting edgy comedies and psychological thrillers, Andy has also created promotional videos for Bay Area clients such as the award-winning Performing Arts Workshop. With a focus on issues that affect the LGBT community, Andy combines insightful perspective, a clear narrative voice and compelling visuals to produce unique works that entertain and provoke discussion.