About me
Bio
I grew up near the Adirondack mountains of upstate NY in a small town. For most of my childhood, I didn't have TV or Internet and instead entertained myself with outdoor activities, reading, and listening to old time radio. This led to mannerisms and speech patterns that are more suited to the past than the present, which lend me a certain eccentric charm and an air of maturity. It also sparked in me a passion for the outdoors. I climbed my first cliff at three, impressing our guide enough that there is a climbing route in the Adirondacks called "Carl's Playground." That was just the beginning however, and since then I've become an accomplished ice climber, spelunker, hiker, scuba diver, tracker, archer, and wilderness survivalist. Growing up in such a rural area also gave me the chance to become familiar and skilled with all manner of firearms. I've shot flintlock pistols and muskets, light machine guns, and everything in between.
This somewhat archaic upbringing served as an imaginative powder keg, and it was ignited with my discovery of Tolkien. When I discovered Lord of the Rings at around twelve, I fell in love with fantasy and quickly read through every book within that universe that Tolkien ever wrote. All of them. Most several times. I moved on to Game of Thrones after that and whatever else I could get my hands on. This coupled with my love for history led me to try and immerse myself in that world as much as I could. I redoubled my practice with archery, and bought hardwood sparring weapons to fight with my friends. This is before safety paranoia mind you, and bruises and the occasional broken finger were just part of the territory. I even went so far as to build a small forge out of firebricks and railroad tie in my backyard, and find a blacksmith who I worked with for a short while to learn the basics. I would spend hours making simple household implements.
Eventually, this rabbit hole of history and fantasy led me to start going to Renaissance festivals, and my love for acting took off. I began later than many, part way through high school, but if there is one thing I understand, it's work. I read all the books I could find and always tried to seek the truth of my character before praise for my performance. After acting for three years in both high school and community theatre, I auditioned for and was accepted into Syracuse University's BFA program for Acting.
Acting
At Syracuse, I received extensive training in acting for both stage and film, improvisation, stage combat, and even clown technique. After graduating in 2016, I relocated to NYC, and promptly booked a two episode co-star role on Hulu's "The Path" which evolved into a multiple-season recurring character. I've acted on shows like "Grave Secrets", "Mysteries at the Museum" (for which I also did fight choreography) and even pulled a supporting roll in the Indie Feature "The Most Dangerous Man." I've been active in the theatre as well, acting with the American Bard Theatre and The Hudson Warehouse.
During all this, I discovered my love for stage combat and fight choreography. I did an extremely fight heavy production of Henry V with The Hudson Warehouse and found that I had a natural grasp of body mechanics and the logic of a fight. I come from a martial arts background and I'm a certified personal trainer, so I suppose that comes as no surprise. What did surprise me was the depth of storytelling that is possible through the actions in a fight. I began training with Neutral Chaos Combat and discovered that the classes were as much acting classes as they were combat lessons. A well choreographed fight tells a story move by move, with the same possibility of specificity and revelation of character as any other scene. My mission since then has been to elevate the fights in shows from the general clanging of swords that we are too used to seeing, to rich scenes that tell a full story. A fight happening between characters is a big deal that irreversably alters the characters lives and relationship. To do anything less than tell a full, compelling story within it is to cheapen it's value.
My path towards deepening my abilities as a fight performer and choreographer eventually led me to become a real-life “knight in shining armor.” In 2018, I won an episode of the fighting competition show “Knight Fight” on The History Channel, and have since gone on to make a name for myself within the sport. Check out my “fighting” page for more on that. My knowledge of historical combat - both practical and theoretical - event earned me the privilege of serving as a combat consultant for Brandon Sanderson’s new Stormlight Archive book, Rhythm of War. As a huge Sanderson fan, this was a dream come true for me!
In 2019, I began producing a documentary about combat sports and PTSD which led me to Atlanta, where I’m currently located. I still love working in NYC, and I’m thankful for the ability to work bi-coastally.
