Meet T.C. De Witt

We recently connected with T.C. De Witt and have shared our conversation below.

T.C., looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?

I grew up as a long distance runner. My dad is a collegiate cross country and track coach, and he instilled upon me the work ethic and discipline necessary to run a race. You do all the workouts right, and you can run the marathon. Running is an individual thing, but it’s also a team sport. You run your own workouts, you run your own race, you train to be your best to do better every time you set out. And then there’s the team aspect. You run alongside your friends and teammates. You all train together for the same goal. Being raised in that mentality and in that environment – understanding that you can grow as an individual among other individuals and achieve something great both personally and as a group laid an incredible foundation that I have used my whole life. You can’t run a race successfully if you don’t put in the miles. You can’t produce a film or write a screenplay successfully without putting in the work. It seems simple, but a lot of times people forget how important the little steps are in the journey. Of course we all want to succeed (however you define that) but it takes countless tiny steps to reach those huge and special milestones. Success as a runner is built upon many, many little victories. I know what I am capable of, and I know how hard I can push myself to achieve more. I know when I’m slacking off, and I know how to hold myself accountable. In writing and making film, it’s so important to me that I work as hard as I can so that I feel success as an individual, but also that the group that I’m working with and producing with and creating with can feel that victory too.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I am a storyteller. I will take any and all opportunities to tell a story, whether that is in screenwriting, novels, stage plays, sketch comedy, podcasting, illustration, or music. I love telling stories as much as I love hearing them. My nephew asked me once if I knew what my purpose was, and I didn’t hesitate to tell him that I actually did. I know that my purpose in this world is to tell stories. Professionally, I have been a screenwriter for over a decade now. I have worked in film and television, as well as writing plays and novels. It was a monumental moment in my life when I realized that I no longer needed a part-time job – That writing was paying all my bills. I had come to Los Angeles in the hopes of finding my way, and I am so grateful that I have.

This September, my third feature film was released by Gravitas Ventures on Apple and Amazon. THE DEMON DETECTIVE is a film I wrote and directed, produced by Dani Scott (our second feature together), and is quite possibly the coolest thing I’ve made so far.

THE DEMON DETECTIVE: Miles Mako, a Catholic outcast turned supernatural mercenary, makes a living as a professional exorcist. But when a new client encounters a demon tied to his past, he must face the evil he’s been running from—and pay his rent.

This movie is so much fun, and the team that brought it to life was small but mighty. There is something so beautiful and fulfilling about this group of passionate storytellers who came together to use our skills and talents for a single purpose and rise to every challenge thrown at us. I couldn’t have wished for better. All the many short films and previous episodes of TV and features I worked on and produced gave me every tool I needed to create this movie. I’m so proud of it and the team that made it possible. It was a dream come true to direct the legendary Doug Jones and Adrienne Barbeau and Vivica Fox.

Additionally, the screenwriting series I’ve been co-hosting since 2019 is wrapping up its sixth season. THE STUDIO DEMANDS IT! is a peek into pitching and developing a script from the ground up and under specific requests from producers. Jim Burzelic and I get “demands” for a film live on the air and we then craft the screenplay on the spot. Every year, we end our season but letting the listeners “green-light” one of the pitches, and we write the full feature screenplay, which we then produce with a full cast table read with score, and sound design. It’s an absolute blast. The series is available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

And as I am never able to sit still, I’ve been working through the Groundlings program over the past two years. I recently completed Writing Lab and a fantastic show on the Main Stage.

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?

When I first moved to Los Angeles, I didn’t come out here with any grand delusions. I wanted to be where movies were made, and I wanted to be a part of it. I didn’t expect to be famous or even want to be. It was this naive and cliché, “I wanna be where the people are” idea. My first week here, I read this post about “Defining Success”. It was probably one of those motivational blogs — I don’t remember — but it said two things that have stayed with me to this day: Firstly, don’t consider success on anyone else’s metric. You decide what you want to accomplish, and you decide if you do so or not. If you do, based solely on what you’ve decided matters, that’s success. No one can take that from you. And secondly, and even more importantly, is that success is a triangle of TALENT, LUCK, and PERSISTENCE, and you only need two of those in this world. Plenty of talented people have gotten lucky, innumerable people have been lucky and persistent, and certainly persistent and talented people can make it. Any combination of those three elements, and there’s no reason you can’t succeed. And hey, if you have all three, that’s magic. I’ve carried that notion with me ever since.

To speak on being a runner again, there’s something my dad tells all his athletes, “Don’t start a race unless you can finish it.” When I set out to do something — write a movie, produce a short, draw a comic, perform a sketch show — anything at all — If I start it, I’m finishing it. Even if I have to limp across the finish line, it’s getting done. It’s so easy to give up on a thing if it’s not going well, but if it matters enough that I started it, I believe I need to see it to the end. And nothing will ever be perfect. So, I try to remember that as long as I strive to achieve the best thing *possible* and see it to the end, it doesn’t need to be perfect. I’ve done what I set out to do.

This probably all sounds like woo-woo mumbo jumbo, but it gives me this odd sense of focus. Thinking about those notions of finishing and what is success and aiming for what is possible — it all grounds me.

But really, the most important piece of knowledge that has been so impactful in my life in storytelling is leading with JOY. As hard as it is sometimes — and it can feel impossible lately — putting joy and goodness into the world can only make it a better place. I have this Mr. Rogers (one of the greatest souls to ever walk this Earth) quote in my wallet: “Relationships require kindness and patience, tolerance, optimism, joy in the other’s achievements, confidence in oneself, and the ability to give without undue thought of gain.” As different as we all are, and as divisive as things are right now, in the grand scheme, we’re all here for such a short time. Why waste that time with hate and anger and cruelty? Lifting one another up, fanning the flames of creativity, excitedly cheering on people who have wonderful talents and skills — all of that makes for a better experience making something together. THE DEMON DETECTIVE, like so many of my projects, turned out as amazing as it did, because we made it with joy and love and encouragement. Sure, of course there were a hundred stressful things along the way, but those are so much easier to forget and leave behind when JOY remains at the center of it all.

Do you think it’s better to go all in on our strengths or to try to be more well-rounded by investing effort on improving areas you aren’t as strong in?

When I first started working professionally as a screenwriter — after many years of making short films and music videos with friends — I tried to stay hands-off and out of the way of the camera crew. Even when I started directing, I would stay back and say, “Hey, that’s your area of expertise, not mine.” I didn’t want to get in the way of people who knew better than me. “I’m here to write and/or direct. I don’t need to touch the camera or lights.” And for a time, that was the right way to approach filmmaking. But I eventually realized that by not getting my hands on equipment and gear that I was limiting myself. Sure, I absolutely wanted to be working with people who are joyful experts in their field. The productions I’ve been on in film and stage have thrived because the team was filled with people who knew their talents well, but by not understanding the ins and outs of even just cameras and lenses, I was handicapping myself. I spent the years that followed putting in the 10,000 hours to be a master of my writing, but I also spent my time doing what I did when I first came to Los Angeles and got on sets — I observed and learned everything I could. I would never claim to be an expert cinematographer, but I learned the language or it so that I could easily and effectively talk through what I want as a director with the DP. I learned how to edit, so that I could easily communicate with editors. I has been immensely important for me to know as much about movie making from every aspect. It’s a balance of honing your strengths and being a sponge for everything else. Truthfully, the most powerful and important tool is knowledge. And knowing who has more of it than you too.

I’m gonna let let my nerd flag fly here for a moment and reference Star Trek. The Captain sits in the chair and knows every position on the Bridge. They can take any station and operate it, but the very best captains don’t need to. They’ve surrounded themselves with the best people to handle those roles. They trust they crew they’ve gathered to get the job done and done well. That’s how I see it. I surround myself with people I know and trust and love to tell stories with, and we all know how to communicate with each other, and we all know where we thrive. Sure, I could’ve made that point without talking about Star Trek, but what’s the fun in that?

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.studiodemandsit.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tcsbighead
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@REDACTEDMedia
• Other: You can find THE DEMON DETECTIVE on
  AMAZON: www.primevideo.com/detail/0ICAX31NO4F9T7CC2GZC24G50X/ref=atv_dp_share_cu_r
  and
  APPLE: tv.apple.com/us/clip/the-demon-detective/umc.cmc.ire535m18bcogib04j9mpxui?targetId=umc.cmc.39460b93juupupdsdgzv6ay3g&targetType=Movie

  And THE STUDIO DEMANDS IT! podcast is available on
  APPLE PODCASTS: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-studio-demands-it/id1452331528
  and
  SPOTIFY: open.spotify.com/show/7iZ1EVVCIoou8OhKzblTG4?si=e0f110a17677428d