Every week we interview people in our team so you get to know us better.
Other interviews so far:
Anders Blixt is one of the most well-published designers of roleplaying games in Sweden and has had a leading role in the production of classical titles such as Drakar och Demoner and Mutant. He’s been writing role-playing games since the late 1970s, written several fantasy and science fiction novels. He calls himself a “dreamsmith” and he’s a true pioneer of building worlds to games. Now he will work within Tulpa Creatives as a “World Builder” together with Guillaume Le Huche.
The interview was made with Anders in May 2019.
What made you pursue working creatively within the film, tv and/or gaming world?
The sheer joy of being creative, of seeing thoughts be transformed into text and picture, to learn how much the gamers appreciate the worlds in which they go on adventures.
In 2-3 sentences who are you?
Father of three lovely and creative daughters – the greatest blessing imaginable. Veteran worldbuilder with 42 years’ experience – I also know that many such worlds remain to explore. Civilian Afghanistan veteran in 2008-09 – six months that changed my life profoundly.
What motivates you and why do you work creatively?
I want to make people’s lives better. It may sound banal, but that has always been the underpinning of my creative work. I tell tales of how to slay monsters and travel to distant worlds, how be like Robin Hood and how to topple tyrants. Hopefully my adventures and settings give the gamers opportunities to constructively analyse the real world and their roles in it. That way they can figure out how to make the future better than the past.
Tell us one memory from your previous work that still to this day inspire you.
Years ago, a man sent me an email in which he explained that my role-playing games had made him endure his miserable teenage years. A sudden insight that my toil at the keyboard had saved this fellow from a breakdown. Earlier, I hadn’t realized how much spiritual uplift I provide to bewildered teens. I’ll treasure that email for the rest of my life.
What’s Tulpa Creatives for you?
A team of dreamers, tellers of wonderful tales, setting out to explore new worlds. A five-year mission to place where no human has gone before? I certainly hope so.
What’s your dream?
To visit Saint Catherine’s Monastery in Sinai. To me that’d be a psychological journey back in time, to the late classical age. (In 1984, I climbed the Masada rock at night and watched the sun rise over the Moab desert. Looking down to the ground, I then saw the outlines of the Roman camps that were established there during the siege of Masada around AD 70.)
How do you see yourself?
A jolly grizzled chap, a dreamer who makes strange things come true, a facilitator who helps others get ahead in life.
What are your biggest strengths/assets?
A holistic approach – that is, I make sure that the whole product is greater than sum of its parts. 40 years of professional experience in the gaming industry. I am a fixer who gets things done on schedule.
Name three movies and/or TV-series that inspired you a lot in your life.
2001: A Space Odyssey – the universe is larger than we can imagine. Babylon 5 – it takes courage and character to save mankind. Nausicaa of the Valley of the Winds – fear will lead you astray.
Do you have any advice for young film makers/writers out there?
When you see an opportunity, take it at once, because it won’t come back. Professional expertise never comes cheap and there are no shortcuts to it. You must spend many arduous hours to get there.
Which film maker/writer has influenced you the most?
Michael Straczynski, in particular his Babylon 5, in which he created a credible and memorable universe.
If you got the opportunity to remake a movie or TV-series, which one would you go for?
I’d love to update Dark Angel and make its plots tighter, its world more consistent. It’s great ass-kicking protagonist lost in a Gibsonian dystopia.
Working with a project, is it harder to get started or to keep going?
To me, the hardest part is completing the job. Those final 10% are always the toughest. But I get them done, too.
What was the most important lesson you had to learn that has had a positive effect on your work?
All team members will contribute to the project in ways we cannot predict at its start. Therefore, make sure that everyone gets thoroughly involved in it.
Mention one thing you think would make the film/tv/gaming industry better, what would it be?
Encourage writers to deliver clever scripts, and don’t let committees make their plot duller. A good story compensates for poor special effects, but not vice versa.
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