 Anderson was born in Anchorage, one of two sons of Col. Tom R. Anderson, former director of the Alaska State Troopers and later general manager of the Sullivan Arena, and his wife Christiane.Anderson attended Muldoon Elementary School and Clark Junior High, and graduated from Bartlett High School in 1985.He attended University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) from 1985 to 1993, earning a B.A.