Andrew Helm

Andrew Helm is a latter 20th century and early 21st century American screenwriter who fathered the writing of webisodes for filmed episodic entertainment on the internet.
Career
Education and Early Efforts
Helm earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Media Arts from California State University, Chico. Upon graduation he left his home in Northern California a to start a career as a professional screenwriter in the Los Angeles area.
Before joining formal, story departments for various media, Helm worked in film-related jobs such as in sales at both Universal Studios Theme Park and at Blockbuster Video. In the mid 1990s, he was hired to be a member of the sound department and boom operator for the 1995 film Tornado Run.
Career with Highlander-related and Fireworks Production Companies
Helm began professionally writing for filmed entertainment upon meeting Laura Brennan. Also working on Highlander: The Raven, at the time, were Creative Consultant David Abramowitz and co-executive producers Jay Firestone and Adam Haight. Abramowitz put Helm to work as an assistant on this same endeavor. As Fireworks Entertainment along with Paramount Pictures (and a host of European investors) developed the new syndicated TV series idea, Abramowitz (now as Executive Producer) hired Helm to be the new script coordinator for Queen of Swords. The position required Helm to swiftly coordinate all scripts and script revisions for the series between all entities involved in production of the series. As such, Helm developed close contacts in media production, not only in the United States and Canada, but also in Spain, France, and the United Kingdom.
Convention Work
Queen of Swords only lasted for one season, but by that time, Helm developed acquaintances with other actors and swordsmen in Los Angeles. That, and a fan-base he acquired, allowed him to join in with "Highlander: The Series" fan convention events as guest and "talent." From 2001 to its demise in 2006, Helm appeared at Fan Odyssey conventions in Culver City, California (home of MGM/Sony Studios). The gatherings were operated by actor American contacts. (Pelka had worked on Queen of Swords with Helm.) Appearances at fan conventions provided income during downtimes and allowed Helm to network with fellow "Queen of Swords" alums Roberta Brown, Elizabeth Gracen, Valentine Pelka, and . Swordplay skills, ultimately presented by Helm and others at the conventions, were practiced at the former Westside Fencing Center (which was ironically called Helms Bakery in its pre-1969 existence) in Culver City.
Early Webisode Creations to Feature Film
At the same time as Queen of Swords came to an end, Helm and started work on a new kind of entertainment. Though not a popular concept in 2001, Chapin developed the idea of a comedic, vampire-slayer, webisode. Initially, the work (called The Hunted) was simply meant to give sword combat students a chance to practice what they were learning in classes. In 2011-2012, Helm worked on the story for a feature film version of The Hunted along with Tex Wall and Robert Chapin.,
Movies
In 2004, Helm produced his first feature film, A Gothic Romance. The film starred former fencers from the Westside Fencing Center.
In 2011, he wrote the script for an updated remake of the Amityville Horror films with The Amityville - The Legacy 3D distributed by Dimension and Miramax. The film was renamed Amityville Horror: The Lost Tapes. For unpublished reasons the film was shelved.
Honors
His early roles in writing internet-based, fantasy-combat, webisodes and television was recognized in 2011 when he was chosen to be a featured presenter at The Combat Con 2011.
Personal
Helm is married. He and his wife chose to make Burbank their home for many years. In August 2009, during the wild fires in Southern California, Helm commented, "We're close enough for a nice little apocalyptic plume."
Acting credits
*The Hunted (2003-present) Webisode—Evil Kevin, Andrew
*Monk (2002) TV series (script coordinator)
*Mutant X (2001) TV series (script coordinator)
*Queen of Swords (2000) TV series (script coordinator)
... aka Reina de espadas (Spain)
... aka (France)
... aka La regina di spade (Italy)
*' (1999) TV series (assistant to writer)
... aka Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World (Canada: English title)
*Highlander: The Raven (1998) TV series (assistant to writer)
... aka L'immortelle (France)
Producing credits
*A Gothic Romance (2004)
Published works
*Author of "Muse", part of an anthology he coauthored that is named Hell Comes To Hollywood Nominated by the Horror Writers Association for the Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in Anthology. It is "a collection of short stories about psychotic killers, ghosts, demons, vampires, and other horrifying creatures stalking the entertainment capital of the world. Featuring 20 original tales written by Movie and Television professionals." Reviewers have rated Helm's contribution to be especially gripping.

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