Big Sur

Hi! Thanks for caring enough to read my bio. For a very long time I thought that the things that needed to be listed here are the conventional achievements that define a well-executed life/career. A polite humblebrag that chronicles the diplomas, awards, and CV highlights by which we traditionally measure success. If you feel this way, I understand. Here’s that list executed with the utmost brevity:

Bachelor of Science in Astrophysics. Master of Music in Music Performance. Professional Certificate in Music Supervision. Radio Host. Musician. Business Analyst.  Software Consultant. Music Supervisor. Cinematographer. Artist. Creative Director.

I have learned that I have other credentials that are far more important. Here are some of them:

Almost everyone who meets me enjoys my company. I’ve traveled more than most. I have a very broad skillset that allows me to solve problems better than most. I have very high standards which makes the work I do better than most. I have a higher EQ than most. I’ve gone through the pain of losing the person closest to me in the world, twice.

If these things resonate with you, I think we’d be a great fit to work together.

Lastly, I hope you have a great week, month, and year. I hope you always celebrate the importance of chosen family. I hope you’re supported and challenged in ways that allow you to push beyond what you perceive are your own limits. I hope the spark that makes you unique and precious is celebrated and nurtured and not suppressed or vilified. I hope you’re freed by our cosmic insignificance and empowered by the knowledge of how incredibly rare and wonderful your mere existence is.

Cody Tesnow (1979 - 2022)

Big Sur Creative lost half of its heart with the passing of director Cody Tesnow in November 2022.

Here is what he said about himself:

Cody Tesnow is an accomplished and self-loathing "ad man," a writer of many things, and a director. He’s also a surfer, sailor, builder, potter, painter, and damn good cook.

Cody is a capability junkie who likes to know how to do as many things as possible, but first and foremost, Cody is a director.

He believes his greatest skill is getting disparate creative personalities to do their absolute best work together in pursuit of an awesome and common goal of kick-ass content.

He also believes that existential crisis is imperative to the creative process, that telling connective and collective stories is one of the most important human activities, and very much believes that there are no rules.

Here is what I would like to say about him:

Cody was the most powerful life force I have ever encountered. He was smart, loud, giving, and had a strong opinion about everything. He was insufferably charming. He was curious, well read, well traveled, and when you spent time with him you understood who he was immediately. Cody never met a stranger he didn’t like. He had such an enormous heart.

He was an incredible amateur chef, a prolific artist and graphic designer, a talented craftsman, an accomplished sailor, a dedicated writer, a loving husband, and a creative sponge. He was the most enthusiastic cheerleader. He was deeply supportive of his friends and their endeavors, freely giving his wide-ranging skills and ever-present confidence to his chosen family when we needed it. If you had some weirdo artistic thing you wanted to do, Cody was the best person to call.

Cody and I were best friends for nearly 30 years. I will forever cherish the memories of us making up improv comedy games as kids in my basement, learning about life together, supporting each other through good times and bad, and laughing uproariously at our own stupid bits. I could spend day after day with Cody and never get tired of him, because when we were together it was like a perpetual joy machine. He had a way of knowing exactly what would make you smile.

I am so grateful that life allowed us to come together for a brief time through Big Sur Creative and start creating the stories we had been making up in our heads since childhood.

Thank you for everything, Cody. It is my most sincere hope that you’re now a wild ball of cosmic energy prancing about the cosmos, causing mischief and joy in equal measure. Save a spot for me.

If you’d like to learn a bit more about this beautiful maniac, I invite you to watch the video we put together for his memorial.