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Confidence pushed TCU alum, upcoming director to success By Kennedi Hines, Fancy Ford and Makayla Lopez

Confidence pushed TCU alum, upcoming director to success

A newly hired assistant on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon and an award-winning filmmaker is making his way into the film in the industry.

Andrew Van Heusden, 24, born and raised in Brighton, Mich. continues to grow in his career and thrive with a radiant self-possession that is going to carry him to be prominent in the film industry.

HEAD UP HIGH

“I think a challenge is always like, ‘you gotta be confident in what you do. I’ve learned so much. If you looked at my confidence eight to 10 years ago and my confidence now,I definitely see myself more confident and proud of what I put out there,” Heusden said.

Heusden said he believes confidence and putting yourself out there is the key to success.

Heusden is making big changes in himself and his confidence. His best friend, Megan Guter, said Heusden has grown from someone shy to someone who “has found his bearings and knows who he is.”

Guter said that seeing Andrew go from whispering ideas to her in class to producing short films in graduate school showed her that anything she set her mind to was possible.

STARTING THE JOURNEY

After graduating TCU with his B.A in Journalism in 2019, he pursued an M.F.A in film production at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. He moved to New York in May 2022 and has worked there since.

“I don't like staying in the same place for too long,” Heusden said.

Heusden’s former professor, Jean Marie Brown, impacted him strongly. “He had decided on graduate school and was coming to me for reference,” Brown said.

“Even meeting Jean eight years ago was such a big motivation for me to kind of learn more about TCU and go from there,” Heusden said.

“I knew at that point that I wanted to try some warmer weather and a great environment. So that's why I went for TCU,” Heusden said. Despite choosing TCU for the warmth, he got an experience that led him to where he is today.

DREAMS DO COME TRUE

Heusden has grown since graduating in 2019, producing multiple short films. His award-winning short film, “Perfect Peach Summers,” was screened at the Las Vegas Queer Arts Film Festival along many other festivals.

“I am so proud of him, especially since he’s working on the Tonight Show now, and that is something that we talked about a lot,“ Guter said. Heusden was able to persevere through challenges like fearing that people would take his films in a different way and achieve his dreams.

“I've been really fortunate to find a job that allowed me to to use both my degrees to my advantage, and so right now, I’m working the Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon,” Heusden said.

Heusden uses his skills in order to thrive in this career, and he is also able to juggle tasks since his work day changes constantly.

“So, every day you’re going to get new skits and new people to interview, and so you’re sort of running errands and helping out people with certain tasks every day,” Heusden said.

DROWN OUT THE NOISE

Not only has Heusden used his skills but also his self-confidence to prosper in film and television.

Heusden said, “Even if you aren’t so sure how it’s going to be received by other people – for example, the film I just made – I know it’s not going to be liked by everyone for certain reasons, but I’m still very proud and confident about it.”

Although releasing his films to the public is a little scary, Heusden said he publishes his creations, ignoring any negative opinions.

“It’s okay not to know what you’re going to do with your life, and it’s not necessary to have it figured out all the time,” Heusden said. “You are obviously going to face obstacles, but it’s totally okay to not know what you’re going to do at 18.”