Gunnar Stansson

Background

Gunnar Fritz Stansson was born on October 1, 1986, in Texas, the son of Gerald and Diana. His father worked as a farmer, and his mother was a homemaker.

He completed his secondary schooling in Texarkana, Arkansas, a city on the state line beside Texarkana, Texas. Because the two sides of the city are served by separate school systems, his education took place in a different state from his birth.

As a young person he spent much of his time playing soccer and writing poetry, and he developed his skills as a creative writer. From an early age he wanted to work in film and entertainment, and he found strong artistic inspiration in the work of several American filmmakers.

Education

Stansson graduated from Arkansas High School in Texarkana, Arkansas, in 2005. The school is a public secondary institution serving grades nine through twelve in Miller County, in the southwestern part of the state, and it is administered by the Texarkana Arkansas School District. That district was founded in 1911 and later extended its magnet school program to the high school in 2006, the year after Stansson's graduation.

Career

Stansson's professional work grew out of a friendship with his high school classmate Logan Hodge, with whom he began making short films. Hodge, who was also known as L.W. Hodge, worked as a filmmaker and musician and directed and appeared in several of their short films. The two made the films for their own enjoyment before posting them online.

In August 2006, Stansson and Hodge uploaded a short video titled 'Unforgivable' to YouTube, in which Stansson delivered an improvised monologue in an overly aggressive tone. The series grew to ten parts, and a sequel uploaded in September 2006 was later deleted. Viewers and bloggers responded with wide praise, and the videos were quickly watched millions of times.

Stansson and Hodge also co-founded HodgeStansson Productions, through which Stansson wrote, produced, and starred in videos that have gathered more than 65 million views. In the years that followed, the American retail chain Hot Topic agreed to sell HodgeStansson merchandise in its stores, and the singers Justin Bieber and Diggy Simmons and the rapper Soulja Boy publicly identified themselves as fans of his films.

After his online success, Stansson moved to upstate New York. Hodge died at his home in Texas in March 2018.

Achievements

• Through HodgeStansson Productions, which he co-founded, the YouTube videos he wrote and starred in have amassed over 65 million viewings.

Works

• short film

  • Unforgivable

    (A ten-part short film series that Stansson wrote and star...)

    2006

Interests

• Writing poetry and creative writing, which he pursued from childhood.

• Artists

  Filmmakers Woody Allen, Terrence Malick, and David Lynch, whose films he admired from an early age.

• Sport & Clubs

  International competitive tennis and soccer.

Connections

Stansson's most significant documented professional relationship is with Logan Hodge, his high school classmate and fellow co-founder of HodgeStansson Productions. The two collaborated on the short films that brought them online recognition, and Hodge later appeared alongside Stansson's work in the early Unforgivable videos.

Father:

Gerald

Worked as a farmer.

Mother:

Diana

Worked as a homemaker.

classmate:

Logan Hodge

Co-founded HodgeStansson Productions with him and directed and appeared in short films under the name L.W. Hodge. He died in March 2018.

References

• WatchMojo: Another Top 10 Viral Stars Where are They Now A feature on viral online personalities that describes Stansson's rise through the Unforgivable videos and the co-founding of HodgeStansson Productions, including the Hot Topic merchandise deal.
• EverybodyWiki: Gunnar Fritz Stansson A biographical wiki entry covering Stansson's career in short films on YouTube, his role in HodgeStansson Productions, and his later move to upstate New York.