Meet The Cast Of Hold My Beer: Ian Engelsman

This week, I'd like you to meet another cast member of Hold My Beer: Ian Engelsman!

Ian is playing Jess, a friend of Val (the lead character). Jess introduces Val to beer on Val's twenty-first birthday by taking him to Loowit Brewing in scenic downtown Vancouver, WA. Jess is the kind of friend you want to have in that he's - as described in the film - "brutally honest." He's not afraid to tell it like it is, but you know that he cares and always has your best interests at heart. Oh, and he also refers to himself in the third person (for reasons not made clear in the film, but will be explored more if - I mean, when - Hold My Beer becomes an ongoing series).

Fun fact: I actually met Ian way back in February 2013, an experience that I documented in this blog post. He was already a very talented drummer - check out this YouTube video where he played with us at the relaunch party for Joel Suzuki, Volume One - and continues to be an accomplished musician to this day. One of his current bands, Atomic Terror, even has a song on Hold My Beer's soundtrack!

Here's his bio:

Ian is a musician and part-time actor based in the Vancouver/Portland area. He is currently the drummer for the thrash metal band Atomic Terror and has played guitar and drums for other acts and groups such as Saint John the Baptist Church, Al Perez, Matthieu Raney, and Metropolitan Performing Arts. His previous acting experience includes roles with American Immersion Theatre, Murder Mystery Company, and Cinema of Horrors from Treadway Events.

Thanks for being part of our cast, Ian!

Much more to come...

Meet The Cast Of Hold My Beer: Rich Ray

Last week, you met the lead actor of Hold My Beer, Andrew York. This week, I'd like to introduce you to Rich Ray!

Rich is playing Doug, the father of Andrew's character, Val. Doug is divorced from Val's mom and he and Val have been estranged for several years. During the events of the film, the two of them reconnect because of Doug's homebrewing experience, but will that be enough to fully mend their relationship? You'll have to wait and see when the film comes out early next year!

Fun fact: Rich and I used to play together in a couple of bands years ago, which is how I first met him. He also sang the national anthem at an Autism Empowerment egg hunt back when we used to do such things.

Here's his bio:

Rich Ray has lived in Portland, OR for 24 years. During that time, he has been steadily active as a performer, having played a lead in a local production of HAIR as well as a leading role in Hold My Beer, along with being a vocalist in several rock tribute bands. By day Rich is an Early Intervention Specialist, serving as a teacher and parent coach for young children with special needs and developmental delays.

Thanks for being a part of our cast, Rich!

Much more to come...

Meet The Cast Of Hold My Beer: Andrew York

In the weeks leading up to the premiere of Hold My Beer, I'm going to be spotlighting members of our awesome cast and crew. This week, I'd like to introduce our lead actor, Andrew York!

Andrew is playing Val, the main character of the story who discovers an interest in craft beer and decides that his life's goal is to open his own brewpub. Andrew has some big-time prior acting experience (see his bio below) and came to my attention via his mom, Karen (who is also part of our crew and will be featured in a future post) and her connection to Autism Empowerment.

Although! Our paths actually crossed years ago, back in 2016, when I did an author visit to Shahala Middle School and Andrew, who was a student there at the time, was in attendance (a visit that is chronicled in this blog post)! Funny how life works.

Here's Andrew's bio:

Andrew is a 21-year-old from Vancouver, Washington with a passion for acting. He began his acting career at a young age and has since worked on such television shows as Portlandia and The Librarians. A recent college graduate in English and Psychology, Andrew hopes to soon attain his master's degree and become a high school English teacher. His hobbies include fencing, reading classic literature, Dungeons and Dragons, Street Fighter, and competitive board games.

And here's his IMDB page.

I and the other producers of Hold My Beer are so happy and grateful to have such a talented and experienced actor as the star of our film. We're sure you're going to love his performance!