Meet Curt Fulster | Author, Illustrator, and Producer (a.k.a. C. Fulsty)

We had the good fortune of connecting with Curt Fulster and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Curt, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
The thought process behind starting my business, C. Fulsty Productions, LLC (C. Fulsty Books), was to take a shot at creating new, inspiring stories for children. It all stemmed from a conversation I had with a parent of a child in my “Learn-To-Play” roller hockey class I taught. We had talked several times before and he mentioned one day that his son hated reading. He said his son thought Dr. Seuss books were old and newer books were boring. He took his son to a bookstore to help him pick out some picture books but he thought the books were boring too. He said the newer books had no imagination to them and were very plain. After some brainstorming. I decided to give it a shot to create fresh, imaginative stories like Dr. Seuss and others had done before. I didn’t have a college degree or experience to start from, but it quickly grew into something I was very passionate about and I decided I would make things work any way I could. Now I have my own merchandise, I’m releasing my first animated short film, and I partner with charities from time to time. I just released my fifteenth picture book with two more scheduled to be released in 2023. I am partnering with Punk Rock Saves Lives on one of those books, which is a Colorado charity.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I’ve had to overcome a number of challenges with starting C. Fulsty Productions (C. Fulsty Books) that I knew nothing about. Of course I’ve read children’s books and watched animated short films (I love Pixar shorts and “Lucas the Spider”), but I had no idea how to create picture books or animated films. The first step I took to kick everything off was going to a bookstore and buying a book, “The Everything Guide to Writing Children’s Books.” I’ve studied multiple other books on business, researched how to illustrate, creative write, and self-publish, and contacted other authors and creators to get tips on how to follow my passion and turn it into what I envision. I’ve made a lot of friends and still connect and collaborate with almost all of them. For example, I’m writing a sequel to “Punk Rover Saves Lives” which is a book I created for the organization, Punk Rock Saves Lives. One challenge I currently have that I haven’t overcome yet, but I’m always working on, is getting my brand more recognition to start a snowball effect of success. From Dr. Seuss showing how writing under a different pen name was tough to seeing how having a celebrities name on the book would guarantee millions of sales, I need to get my brand to that level of recognition which has been tough to do by myself with my budget.

Something I think sets me apart from other authors and animated short film creators is the fact that I don’t have a background or education in this area of work. I know most people may see that as a disadvantage, and I believe it was in the beginning, but now I feel like it’s an advantage because I didn’t have people telling me the way “I have to write” or telling me the subjects I have to write about. I’ve always been a quick learner and I feel I have fresh creative story ideas. Which, right now, I have so many story ideas that I have notebooks sitting aside with extra ideas I didn’t want to use yet. I’m also self-published which means I’m free to write and create whatever books I want, I can collaborate and work with whatever charities or companies I want too. This journey has been an up and down struggle for me since I suffer from depression and that can cause tough days to be tougher, but I’ve learned so much like how to create a book from an idea to printed copies and learning some of the ins and outs of turning a story idea into an animated short film like my first animated short film, The Happy Statue. I have so much more I want to do and create. My new big goal that I want to accomplish is co-screenwriting an animated feature film. I’m working on that goal right now by co-screenwriting two animated feature film ideas. My short film will show what I can do and I plan on that being a stepping stone to the feature film.

A big thing I would love C. Fulsty to be known for is always trying to help others. Whether I’m giving all the rights and profits of a book to a charity, or I’m trying to help others with a moral like depression, bullying, or having confidence. I want to help others. Hopefully, one day I can do this full time and I can quit being an electrician. A random fact about me, is the pen name “C. Fulsty” comes from me wanting to use an initial because a lot of good authors have initials in their name. The “Fulsty” portion comes from that being my hockey nickname. I’m sure people know that in sports a lot of athletes get nicknames at some point. When I was playing inline hockey in high school, “Fulsty” became a nickname that stuck, so I used it as a way to honor how I initially started my author career and because I just genuinely love hockey.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I love Colorado since this is where I was born and raised and my wife and I are big foodies, so we love places like Toast Fine Food & Coffee, The Cow an Eatery, Sawa Sushi, Rodizios, Rock & Lobster Roll, and Woodhill Smatch Batch BBQ. We definitely go to a mix of those whenever we can. We love several other places but those would all be in our top tier favorites. I do like to go relax and chat at breweries too, like Coal Mine Avenue Brewery, Max Taps, Grist, or Living The Dream. I don’t go as much as I would like, but those are my favorite places to catch up with friends. If my wife and I are feeling like taking a day/weekend trip, our favorite places are Vail Village or Estes Park. Vail Village does hold a special place in our hearts since we got married in Vail and my wife’s family spent many years in Vail. We love a few places up there like Blu Cow and Vail Brewing Company. If it’s not a weekend trip and we’re just wanting a night out or something to do during the day, I love going to a Colorado Avalanche or Rockies game (I’ve always been a big Avalanche fan), walking around downtown Littleton and stopping at Savory Spice or Inside Scoop Creamery. Some of my other favorites are going to a comedy show, a concert (I love punk music, but my wife and I will go to reggae or country shows), or Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. Even just taking a walk next to south Platte River with my wife and our dogs or playing in one of my ice hockey games, I can always find something to do when I have free time. I love Colorado and I definitely have my favorite spots.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’d like to give a few shoutouts. To the two other entrepreneurs that have helped me and I feel we’ve all grown together; Badi with The 6th Clothing Co. and Dale with DB Skate Designs. The charities I’ve worked with so much either directly or indirectly; Rob with Punk Rock Saves Lives, the Sly family with the Tony Sly Music Foundation for Kids, Andrea with Youth On Record, and Rob with the Colorado Veterans Project. Last but definitely not least, my wife Kelly for all the support she has given me through all the ups and downs I’ve been through while chasing my dream.

Website: https://cfulstyproductions.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cfulstyproductions/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/curt-fulster

Twitter: https://twitter.com/cfulsty/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cfulstyproductions/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXEXr0a1jCQz2AuDjK4BOTg

Image Credits
Photos 3 and 4; TKMV Studios Main photo: Robin Cain Photography Photo 8: Old 121 Brewhouse