Nick and Christina Caster first met through a matchmaking scheme arranged by their mothers. Christina’s worship band was looking for a keyboard player, so Christina’s mother talked to Nick’s mother, and suddenly Nick was in the band! “It was a rock ’n’ roll match made in heaven,” as Nick would describe it. At that point in his life, Nick spent his time pursuing music and investing in a newfound love for creating travel videos made from family vacations. Christina was seriously considering a career in musical theater since she spent most of her childhood on the stage. It’s safe to say that the arts run deep in these two. When Nick and Christina tied the knot, it was no surprise that a truly special idea sparked. But the idea was put on the shelf because the timing wasn’t right.
Nick founded Caster Studios with his brother, Justin, in San Diego, CA, back in 2007. It was a humble beginning as they worked out of their parent’s garage with a desk quaintly placed next to the washer and dryer. Christina was busy traveling with a children’s musical entertainment group. Over the course of four years, the group performed at numerous venues and U.S. military bases both here in the states and overseas. The production was also made into a DVD series for kids. Caster Studios began to produce promo videos for both corporate and nonprofit companies along with music videos for bands like O-TOWN, Carrie Underwood, Midland, and George Strait.
The time came for Caster to begin developing an original project of their own. Nick and Christina dusted off their idea that was placed on the shelf years before and presented it to Justin. The wheels started turning. Together, they began developing the characters, test shooting concepts and fleshing out script ideas. “We wanted to create a show the whole family can trust and enjoy while respecting the mind of a child,” said Christina. The ideas continued to grow and so did Nick and Christina’s family. They had a plan to homeschool their children and were hoping to find a nest with a little more land. This brought them out to Dripping Springs, TX, in 2016.
“Looking back, I am so thankful for this community and the local coffee shop Mazama. We have met so many people that have both helped and supported our family dream. We know we are home,” said Nick. Caster Studios also found a home in Dripping Springs. Just down Sports Park Road, in the heart of the city, lies the Caster Studios sound stage.
Justin was splitting his time between Austin and Los Angeles as he was pursuing his acting career. In 2020, he decided to officially move to Austin to join his family. It was now time to bring Gus Plus Us to life. “We truly believed the show would work, but we didn’t have the resources or manpower needed to execute it in the way it deserved. In 2020, everything came together and we knew it was time,” said Justin Ray.
Gus Plus Us was created to be meaningful but simple with the purpose of bringing joy to the entire family. Each episode of Season 01 resembles a life-size pop-up book, and all the sets and props were made from familiar handcrafted materials. In this show, you will meet an endearing creature named Gus as he invites you to embark on melodious adventures fueled by curiosity and discovery along with his faithful zany sidekick, Karrot, and whimsical mentor, Lucy. Gus Plus Us is an engaging, humorous, and exciting new series for the whole family.
“This is a show made by a family for families. I really think we made something special and I hope it brings families joy when they watch it,” said Christina.
Cool Fact: Season 01 of Gus Plus Us is officially out and able to stream through a kid-safe streaming app called KidoodleTV or through Amazon Prime Video.
Both Nick and Justin are so thankful for the new members of the Caster Studios team. Dallas Morgan first worked with the brothers when they hired him to be the producer of Gus Plus Us. They liked him so much they didn’t want him to leave. He is now the Executive Producer for Caster Studios and Head of Distribution. Noah Green spent three summers interning for Caster. It didn’t take long for Nick and Justin to see that he would make an invaluable member of the team. Noah is now the Media Manager and works in multiple stages of post-production. As season one of Gus Plus Us entered post-production, Caster was looking to expand their reach. This is when Christina Rodriguez joined the team to head up their Marketing and Social Media Management. They are so happy to have her on board.
Caster Studios started as a boutique film company for music videos and commercials and has grown into a full-fledged entertainment film studio. They have turned their focus toward developing, producing, and distributing premium film and television projects. Caster Studios will continue to grow but will strive to always keep its humble family values intact.
Caster Studios is only getting started and is thankful to be living out their dream in a welcoming community like Dripping Springs. You can find Caster Studios and Gus Plus Us on Instagram and online at: @casterstudios, casterstudios.com; @gusplusus, gusplusus.com.