Anthony Pizzuto is a modern Renaissance man: an actor, a tinkerer, and a digital marketing pro at Wyndham Hotels. He tells us about his overactive imagination, his Star Wars obsession, and how his journey to the West Coast ended in New York.

I grew up in…the woods of Maine. Last house on the left, near a pond. My town had about 900 people in it. It was acres…and acres of forest on a lake. We got into so much trouble.

I came to New York…on my way to Los Angeles. I started acting in high school, decided to pursue it. I applied to school in California. I was on my way out there, stopped in New York, and never left. It was a great place to satisfy my urge to act. Eventually, I didn’t want to wait tables anymore, and that’s when I got into graphic design and web development.

Growing up in Maine, we had to play pretend, build things, and figure out how things were made to keep ourselves entertained.

I came to New Jersey…when I met my wife.

If I weren’t doing this, I’d be…acting, working as a general contractor, or doing visual effects production. All of these things indulge my overactive imagination. Growing up in Maine, we had to play pretend, build things, and figure out how things were made to keep ourselves entertained.

One of my biggest passions is…making things. I’m always building something. I love to paint, build models, refinish things.I love taking old stuff and turning it into something new.

On Sunday mornings, you’ll find me…going on a run, and having breakfast with my wife.

My wife is always telling me…to move things to find things.

My love of Star Wars began…with my grandmother, one of my favorite people in the world. She took me to see Return of the Jedi in 1983, and I was fascinated. She got me a VHS tape of the making of the movie, and I fell in love with how the story was created and the visual effects. Star Wars inspired me to be a maker and to find my creative outlets. And it inspired so many others to push the envelope in filmmaking. The movie makes me nostalgic for my childhood and that time of first discovering it.

Star Wars inspired me to be a maker and to find my creative outlets.

I don a mask when I…volunteer with the 501st Legion. I dress up as Darth Vader. We’ll go to charity events or children’s hospitals to meet kids who are sick or recovering. The kids get to meet their favorite Star Wars characters. It’s been a nice way to take my passion and share it with others. Seeing the looks on the kids’ faces is very fulfilling. My wife and I make charity a big part of our lives.

Seeing the looks on the kids’ faces is very fulfilling. My wife and I make charity a big part of our lives.

The thing people don’t get about Star Wars is…it’s more than just toys. It’s a great story about good and evil, about friendship, and about chasing what you believe in. The original movie changed how movies were made. If not for Star Wars, we wouldn’t have Jurassic Park, or Avatar. Star Wars lay the foundation.

I’m most looking forward to…the next chapter. I’ll be a first-time parent in November so I’m excited to (hopefully) pass on my passion for creativity, turning nothing into something, and of course — Star Wars.

Anthony Pizzuto is the Senior Director of Digital Marketing at Wyndham.

All images are courtesy of Anthony’s Instagram.