San Diego’s Ron Fusselman is an art department specialist in the film and TV industry. He also recently became a published author and illustrator, releasing “Dear Son, Dear Mom…Thoughts I Wanted You to Feel” and “Dear Son, Dear Mom…Lessons I Learned from Somebody” with his mother, Dr. Hilda Villaverde. Learn about Ron Fusselman…
Hometown: I am from Phoenix, AZ, and moved to California by myself in 1990 when I was 18.
First job: My first job was bagging groceries at the local grocery store when I was 14.
Favorite ways to spend your free time in CA: Spend time with my wife and our two young children, Finn, age 2 and a half, and Willa, 9 months, at our beautiful Southern California beaches.
Your biggest accomplishment and why: My biggest accomplishment was moving to California on my own and eventually finding success in my friendships and work, and finding my beautiful wife, Yvonne.
The biggest obstacle you overcame: The biggest obstacle I have worked to overcome has been self-doubt. “Feel the fear, and do it anyway,” my mom has always said.
Someone who inspires you and why: The person who inspires me the most is my amazing, hard-working, supportive mother because she has always shown me that you can accomplish anything you want in life as long as you believe in yourself and work your butt off.
Advice to someone pursuing a career path in what you do: My advice to anyone who wants to work in the TV or film business is this: Get up early, be on time and be prepared to work extremely long days. If you can’t do those things, the industry will chew you up and spit you out!
Favorite quote: I’m not sure if it’s my favorite, but I’ve been thinking about a William James quote a lot lately since I’ve become a dad. “Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.”
Something someone would be surprised to learn about you: People might be surprised to know that I recently became a published author and illustrator. During the pandemic, my mother and I decided to team up for the first time and write a very open and honest book about our intense, drama-filled life together while I was growing up and the special, close relationship we worked hard to build along the way. We ended up writing two, tiny books with a big message. Our books are titled “Dear Son, Dear Mom…Thoughts I Wanted You to Feel” and “Dear Son, Dear Mom…Lessons I Learned from Somebody.” It has been an exciting time for us to see that our books have been getting rave reviews on Amazon, and one woman shared that she felt inspired from our story to re-connect with her own son. Please visit our website at www.dearsondearmom.com,
What makes someone fabulous: I think that what makes somebody fabulous is their ability to be open and honest. If you are truthful with yourself and your friends and loved ones, it can be a very healthy and freeing feeling.