Before I write this post, I need to say thank you to Keith and Kurt for calling me on my indecision, and for making this transition so simple.  Two better friends I've never had, and two better producers are ne'er to be found.

You may have noticed that my last post was deleted - the use of proper nouns was wreaking havoc with the Google searches, and my blog was popping up before the Variety articles our investors and business partners need to be looking at.

Suffice it to say, my day job has been a source of much pride, simultaneous to raising some questions in my life of late - with my very dear friends, I've built a production company that has basically taken the industry by storm over the last few months.  As that happened, I began to lose focus.  What I've come to realize is that my job there is complete.

What I've built is a place where my financing and content can meet with the production and distribution solutions needed to build my own library of films.  At the age of 30.

From here on in, I need to establish myself as a binary star, rather than a planet in orbit.  Three things are needed to do this:

1. My own, independent network of professionals throughout the industry,
2. a more comprehensive, working knowledge of the marketing end of things,
3. and money.  Lots of money.

Many of you have heard my philosophy about money - it's the easiest thing to get.  I stand by this, and with my writing talents and the content I have for sale, money will come as I expand my network.

As far as the network and my marketing skills, I hope to move into a place where I can pursue both for my daily bread.  I've applied for work as a creative director at one or two ad agencies that deal in entertainment, and I'm completely open to other solutions.  Financially, the film equity I've built up over the last few years is popping this summer, and I'm looking to sell my writing talent, so I don't expect or need the cush paycheck.  I'd love work that stretches my creative muscles simultaneous to strengthening my business acumen.  My strengths show themselves on the frontier - I have enormous patience with problem-solving, and once a problem is solved, I need a new, different challenge.  Don't make me the guy who creates a process and then implements it over and over again.

With all these years of financing films, screenwriting, directing, following and implementing market trends, copywriting, proofreading legalese, what I ultimately have become is the guy who understands how the financial side and the creative side of filmmaking fit together. 

They aren't two sides of a coin, so much as a moebius strip - and I understand how.  This perspective informs my own art, and it puts me in a position to help content creators and executives get on the same page.  Between my analysis of trends and my understanding of the creative process, I'm in a unique position to make life a LOT easier for any production company, or any artist looking to find financing.

Add into the mix my ability to think laterally around problems and approach them from unique angles, and I become a pretty attractive candidate to any development or marketing team.

If you know someone who should be putting my sales experience, my problem-solving skills, and my creative energy to work, please let me know. 

In many ways, I'm leaving home.

What my friends reminded me of is that home will always be there.  That's where I'll be making the films that mean the most to me.  Now, it's time to create the money, the relationships, and the skills that add value to those projects, and many others, way beyond what we can create by ourselves.  This way, my films are uniquely mine, and I can take care of my family while they take care of me.

I'm being sappy, and you know what?  This is my blog.  My feelings for my coworkers go way beyond camaraderie, and if you've never worked in film or theater, you might not understand.  The risks we've taken together have exposed not just our thoughts, but also our deepest fears, our most outlandish dreams, and all the faults and miracles that make us who we are.  Having seen all that, we remain the closest of friends and the strongest of collaborators.  This is part of being a collaborative artist, and this kind of long-term relationship is what I offer anyone who works with me.

So if any of you reading have ideas or contacts as to how I can expand my family, I'd appreciate the help.  I deserve it, and so do the people who have struggled and built by my side.

For all my sales know-how and creative juice, that family is what everyone in this industry hungers for.  From Inland Empire to XII, it's what has defined my experience in film.  My commitment to bring that sense of filmmaking with me is what makes me the very best kind of collaborator.  All that stuff about bringing the money and the creation together - that just means I'm really useful.

Spread the word.

Yours Truly,
T