From Oslo to Los Angeles: SMC alum Andrea Gylthe’s creative journey
Andrea Gylthe was a professional downhill skier who lived in Oslo, Norway until the age of 21, when she made the courageous leap of faith and moved to Los Angeles, Calif. Gylthe started her academic journey at Santa Monica College (SMC) at 21 years old, transferring to University of Southern California (USC) earning two associates degrees— one in communications and one in social and behavioral sciences.
Now 29, Gylthe has earned her master’s in Digital Social Media on a full academic scholarship from USC.
For Gylthe, it was a “culture shock,” coming to SMC as an international student. “Even just documenting my own journey and having people in Norway ask me questions, like, how did you do this, and how is your time at SMC, made me really interested in the media world. I’ve always been interested in how fashion and music have always been intertwined– but how a lot of industries have become more intertwined because of social media,” Gylthe said.
As an athlete, Gylthe would race around with music blasting in her headphones. Due to her athletic nature, she was consistently putting so much work into everything she did— Andrea carries that hard work ethic with her, especially within her time at SMC.
“I used to be a professional downhill skier, so there's a lot of adrenaline. You’re uncomfortable a lot. And I think taking that kind of leap and moving to the U.S. by myself… I knew I wanted to go to USC or Columbia, and everyone was like, well I don’t think it’s gonna happen,” Gylthe said.
“Skiing is definitely something that I still enjoy, even though I can’t compete anymore. I still enjoy it, like when I go on vacations, especially when I go home to Norway and visit. I will say, there's a transition of moving from Norway. I think that sometimes people underestimate because they’re like, oh, you’re moving to the U.S. I’m like, yeah, it’s two completely different worlds,” Gylthe said.
The guidance Gylthe received at SMC opened and provided different opportunities for her. “I’m super grateful for all of the people that I’ve met and all the memories I’ve made. I think that it (Los Angeles) really is a city of opportunity — which is the main reason I moved here. I had the guidance and belief in myself that if I put my mind to something, I’m going to make it happen. I think the transition was huge, but now that I’ve been here for eight years, I could never imagine moving back to Norway. I have my whole life here, my friends here, and it’s so crazy to look back upon now, SMC was really the start of the life I built here.” Gylthe said.
Currently, Gylthe is the head of Social Media and Communications at the Los Angeles Academy for Artists and Music Production (LAAMP), which was founded by Tor Hermansen and Mikkel Eriksen of Stargate. It is executive directed by Chris Anokute. “I’m able to help people take their artistic journey to the next step and be able to help develop them to a point where they hopefully are on that big stage. I think it’s really meaningful,” Gylthe said.
In her position, she oversees content strategy, brand storytelling, community engagement, and press outreach. Gylthe believes that social media is a great way for artists to express themselves, in addition to being a way for others to discover new talent.
“Back in the day, we would watch TV and a bunch of reality shows and that’s how young people would get influenced, versus now that has been moved over to social media. We watch less TV and spend more time on social media. We’re able to reach people that we never would have been able to reach before. You can actually communicate with people. It feels a lot more interactive than in the past. I think that’s a huge part of the fact that we feel more connected, you can easily comment and they might see it,” Gylthe said.
Gylthe always had an interest in media, music, and creativity. From a young age, it’s something she was passionate about. When she made the transition from Norway to Los Angeles and was no longer a skier, she took that opportunity to develop other interests while at SMC, and took those new passions along with her to USC.
One day, Gylthe’s dream is to open her own firm or be an executive– but she is happy with the work she’s doing right now. Before working at LAAMP, Gylthe was Khloé Kardashian's assistant.
“Working for the Kardashian-Jenner family, I learned a lot about what goes into kinds of celebrities of a certain caliber. I’ve always wanted to do something that had a positive effect on the people around me and the people that I worked with. I think the work that I do at LAAMP is really meaningful. It’s stressful, but I think it’s really meaningful— it gives me a feeling of making a difference.” Gylthe said.
Marcus Nasrollahy, a friend Andrea met during her time at SMC, described her as “ambitious, hardworking, friendly, sociable and compassionate.” The two were both international students, something they bonded over when first meeting. Nasrollahy moved from Scotland.
“She’s an open book.” Nasrollahy said. “She’s always trying to bring everybody together, whether it’s through events or group meetings or gym workouts, making sure everyone is having a great time.”
One of Nasrollahy’s most memorable moments with Andrea was doing facemasks together. “We’d go out and wear them, like go grocery shopping and go eat and stuff like that. People would look at us crazy but… We just had a good time with it. We didn’t care what anyone thought. Just having fun.” Nasrollahy said.
Another memory he recalls is spending time with Andrea at USC student day. “We had a really fun time, walking around and tailgating, walking around the campus, stuff like that. It was a nice experience to do that with her and see what her career and school life was like at USC, you know?” Nasrollahy said.
For any students wanting to pursue a creative career path, Gylthe says, “Always believe in yourself. People might try and push you in certain directions. I think it’s important to adapt and evolve, but at the same time, stay true to who you are and your morals and values. If it doesn’t feel right, it’s probably not right.”