We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Tommy Wright a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Tommy , really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?
I found my purpose through trial and error. I was never the one to follow the beaten path. If you told me that everyone does something a specific way, I would look for a different way to do that thing. Since I was a little boy, I’ve always been a storyteller; narrating (in detail) my dreams from the previous night to my mom and sister on the way to school. I also grew up loving sports. But like most kids I realized at an early age that being a pro athlete wasn’t in the cards. Around that same time, I found two new loves, theatre, and creative writing. As an actor in LA I was told “no” over-and-over again and grew tired of the word and decided to try my hand at script writing. Low-and-behold writers hear “no” just as much as actors. But writing gave me something that I had been missing. The joy of storytelling. Now, how to get my work seen on the big screen? Sell a script? You have a better shot at winning the lottery. Create your own production company was behind door number two. Of course, that was the door I happily took, and it led me to purpose. Not just telling my stories but finding — unique, young, talented, ambitious creatives — and aiding them in cultivating their stories. It’s been a fun and rewarding experience. Something that keeps me up at night and gets me out of bed in the morning. That’s all you can ask for.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
Two Towns Entertainment was created with the intentions of becoming a full-service motion picture production company. Our goals, however, do not stop with simply creating motion pictures. We offer mentorship, and workshop courses to members of our community in the areas of creative writing, directing, acting, and producing — as well as career consultation, and project development. We aim to provide individuals who have limited access to — knowledge, skills, tools, and connections in the entertainment industry an opportunity to learn in a safe, clean, affordable facility to better their chances of success in the entertainment industry.
I arrived in Los Angeles 11 years ago from Sacramento, California. I, like so many others, came with a vision and a dream. However, I found the entertainment industry in Los Angeles confusing and extremely difficult to navigate. What I realized over time, is that this industry is all about relationships and connections. And it’s filled with those who have them, and those who do not. If you don’t have them, you don’t receive the necessary opportunities to advance and succeed. As a person of color, cultivating relationships with “the right people” can often feel impossible in the Hollywood market. It took me a solid eight years just to figure out the business side. Having now worked on network television, and being on multi-million-dollar movie sets, I have started cultivating meaningful relationships, and building a solid network of professional contacts. Our goal at Two Towns Entertainment is to share what took us decades to obtained, by building a creative hub — where young aspiring artists of color can receive the knowledge, connections, and relationships that I wasn’t privy to when I first arrived in LA. We envision by doing this, young artists will receive opportunities that in other circumstances may take them a lifetime.
There are very few (if any) successful black owned production companies in LA who’s number one priority is uplifting artists in this way. As an artist myself, my main objective is to be a servant to my community.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
I think the three best qualities to have in the entertainment industry are, perseverance, tenacity, and personality. The best advice I can give on how to improve these skills is to simply live your life with unapologetic purpose. Set goals, long and short term. Be motivated and not discouraged by “no’s”. Be kind and welcoming to strangers even when you’re having a bad day. Always be excited about the journey and not the destination.
Okay, so before we go, is there anyone you’d like to shoutout for the role they’ve played in helping you develop the essential skills or overcome challenges along the way?
My mom and my grandfather were the two most impactful people in life to date. Unfortunately they have both passed on, however, their lessons always stay with me. The biggest of them all, be kind to others.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: realtommywright
- Linkedin: Thomas Wright
Image Credits
Val Vega
