Walter is an artist who moved from San Francisco to West Hollywood two years ago. After a lifetime of acting, he's decided to go behind the scenes as a producer.

Interview by Sarika Chawla
Photography by John Skalicky
www.skalickyphoto.com

What kind of work do you do?

I'm a producer/actor/writer/bartender.

That's unusual for LA.

Yeah, I know, I'm original.

Do you prefer being behind the camera?

I love acting. That's what I've done for the past 15 years. But in learning the business, I've come to realize that actors get paid the least of anybody. They have no power and get treated like dogs. This business is not an actor's business; it's a producer/director's business, so I thought I'd try my hand at that.

What brought you to L.A.?

I have a degree in drama from San Francisco State University. I came here two years ago to actually make it happen, since San Francisco is not really that busy with production work.

What have you worked on since you've been here?

I'm with The Actors Collective, and the West Coast Ensemble theater company, where I produced The Bungler last year. I'm also going to appear in the newest video from t.A.T.u., directed by James Cox (who also directed the film Wonderland.) A couple of week ago, I produced a short film in San Francisco with a friend. It's about the reemerging artist culture there, in the post dotcom world. The liberal quality of life is back, what with gay marriage and legalization of marijuana, and so many more performance art spaces opening up. I thought it would be fun to document that, to show that my friends and I were a part of something.

So you're kind of an intellectual filmmaker.

I try. That's the first thing I ever did. Everybody I know is either a makeup artist or an actor or a writer, producer, director, or a freak -- I have an entire cast and crew right here, so I need to be utilizing them. San Francisco is so friendly to the artistic way of life. If I try to make it down here, I'd have to spend thousands of dollars on location fees and permits, while up there I can be guerilla about it.

Have you noticed many differences between Northern and Southern California life?

The people tend to be a little bit more relaxed in life in San Francisco. They tread water more. There are a lot more driven, if not psychotic, people in Los Angeles. They're hungrier, they're desperate to make it.

Are you one of those hungry people?

Yeah, I've always been. But I moved to London for six months after high school. It was really good for me because it showed me a bohemian, instead of a capitalist, way of life. I gravitated towards that hedonistic quality of life.

What do you do for hedonistic fun?

I like hiking, and movies, of course. I travel a lot; I go to San Francisco about every six weeks, and I spend time in Mexico. I like going to Hot Dog at the Parlour Club.

Are you dating anyone?

No, I'm single. I'm really high maintenance. I'm really controlling. I've dated a lot, and I think I'm better off when I'm by myself, to achieve my goals. I'm too busy for love right now. But I do get some!

So you're forgoing love for success. What do you ultimately hope to accomplish?

The reason that I came down to L.A. is that I want to start a Warhol Factory sort of collective of artists. I've been doing that with my friends in San Francisco, called Rebels Entertainment. It's a community of artists that are in all facets of entertainment arts. I'd really like to blend them all together and eventually have a new, experimental way of producing film, television, and theater in Los Angeles. That's my long term goal for being here.