Today we’d like to introduce you to Christina Caster.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I was very involved with musical theater while growing up. After I got married, I ended up acting in a children’s show, filming DVD’s, and traveling to military bases in the US and overseas to perform for military families. My husband was building a film and TV entertainment company at the time. We were doing what we loved, but both had the dream of creating a children’s show of our own. Two kids later, the time felt right to make that dream a reality.
We wanted to create a children’s show that the whole family could enjoy. As a homeschool mom, I wanted the show to respect the intellect of a child and encourage curiosity and wonder. That is how Gus Plus Us began.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Looking back, one of our biggest challenges creating Gus Plus Us was time. There wasn’t enough of it! We wanted the show to be handcrafted; to feel like we touched all the sets and props by hand. It took our entire team to hand-make every prop and set piece to give them a DIY aesthetic. We also had the challenge of a 28 day shoot during a pandemic, and our production was hit by the 2021 Texas Winter storm. We lost power in the studio for a whole week! But our amazing crew and team pulled together as a family and persevered through the challenges.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
The show is called Gus Plus Us. It’s set in a world hand-crafted by creativity and imagination. There is an endearing creature named Gus, who is voiced and puppeteered by my husband. In each episode, Gus invites you to embark on a melodious adventure, fueled by curiosity and discovery, with his faithful, zany sidekick, Karrot (also a puppet), and whimsical mentor, Lucy, which is the part I play.
Each episode of Season 01 resembles a life-sized pop-up book, all made from familiar hand-crafted materials and accented with 2D animation. Every adventure reveals something new about life’s elementary mysteries — such as the importance of good values, personal responsibility, and the many incredible wonders that are just outside the door.
This is a show made by a family for families. We hope it brings viewers joy while watching it.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs, or other resources you think our readers should check out?
As a homeschool mom, I love books and podcasts by Sally Clarkson as well as anything put out by Read Aloud Revival.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.gusplusus.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gusplusus/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christinacaster/
