An Upstate New York Actor Is On The World’s Biggest Show

It's hard to remember a time before streaming these days. It's entirely replaced cable as the default method of watching TV, and with it, has changed how TV Shows operate.

The first major streaming TV show came out in 2016, with the release of Stranger Things Season 1. For better or worse, this phenomenal season of television changed the way we view the medium, and now Upstate New York has a connection to the world's biggest TV show...

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Who is Austin Janowsky?

Hailing from Upstate New York, New Hartford specifically, Janowski is a screenwriter, director and actor, who has seen moderate success through the late 2010s and early 2020s. He's been a part of Netflix's 45 Seconds, Mark Savage's feature film, Pain Killer, and the series Black Veil.

It seems that in his time working his way up the ladder, someone important noticed him. Whatever it may have been, he caught the eye of the Duffer brothers, the two men behind the hit series Stranger Things.

Upstate NY in Stranger Things

Despite being set in the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana, Janowsky has brought some Upstate flair to the set. He was cast as Alan Miller in the show's fifth season. In his part, he plays the father of one of the kids in Hawkins.

A BTS Photo of Janowsky's Scene in Stranger Things S5E4

He made his debut on the show in Season 5 Episode 4 entitled "The Sorcerer". It's unclear if Janowsky will return as the series nears its close, but with his time in the spotlight, he's left a mark on American television that Upstate New York won't soon forget.