Meet Timothy Cubbison of Horseless Cowboy

Today we’d like to introduce you to Timothy Cubbison.

Timothy, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
When I moved to Los Angeles, I didn’t know a soul. I had packed everything I owned in the back of my car and set out on the same westward trail of dust and dreams that so many others had traveled before. I started off as an actor, but opportunities led me down a path that allowed me to become a director, producer and casting director. I originally founded Horseless Cowboy as a type of creative collective to make use of the talents and skills of the impressive artists that had come into my life.

Our passion for storytelling, performance, and innovation helped the company evolve into a thriving business that consults on how to best integrate talent and narrative into a firm’s story or product. In video games alone, my team and I have overseen the recording of over 1 million lines of dialogue during more than 3,000 talent sessions on 60+ titles resulting in thousands of production days. Recently, we have expanded into virtual reality and worked with leading companies like Arcturus XR, Future Lighthouse, and Penrose Studios.

We also work with companies producing more traditional content to figure out how to disrupt the current methodologies and improve the quality of their productions without breaking the bank.

Has it been a smooth road?
There are always obstacles that stand in our way, but we have to look at them as motivating factors that force us to adapt, improve, and grow. A key challenge occurred for me when a miscommunication with an old business partner snowballed into a major conflict. It forced clients and employees into incredibly uncomfortable situations and led to what can only be defined as a business divorce. While I am confident that my decision to leave the company and how I handled the dispute was correct, I do regret that so many people that I cared about, including my old partner, were negatively impacted. The prolonged battle made it clear to me that even the right choices can have unintentional consequences.

We have to be ready for challenges and take responsibility for our choices when they occur. We also have to recognize that conflict and unpleasant situations are going to happen. I’m reminded of Charles Bukowski’s book of poems “What Matters Most is How You Walk Through the Fire.” It would have been easy to let that tumultuous conflict push me to the ground, but I took it as a lesson that as long as we stay true to ourselves and build a strong support network, then we can get through anything. Afterward, I was able to shift my full attention to Horseless Cowboy and began building a team, environment, and company of which I could be proud.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Horseless Cowboy – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Horseless Cowboy is a creative consultancy at the intersection of technology and entertainment. We help our clients navigate the uncertain waters of Hollywood and use those creative tools to tell their stories. This can range from casting actors and produce the performances for AAA video games to helping a new media production company figure out how to integrate SAG-AFTRA actors into their productions to creating branded content for a start-up that explains their complex product.

We are probably best known for our video game work since it has the highest profile. I’ve been the casting director and shepherded the performances for dozens of games including franchises like Life is Strange, Fallout, Destiny, and The Elder Scrolls. Our game work has allowed us to partner with incredible developers, talented actors, and highly creative individuals. Together we made content that has impacted millions of fans and been recognized by numerous narrative and performance awards.

I think what sets us apart from other folks is that we make it a priority to stay fans of the content we create. It is easy to get tangled up in the weeds of production and become disillusioned with the process. This can easily lead to cynicism, so to combat that negativity we insist that the team continue to play games, watch movies, read books and comics, see plays, and look at them not only with a critical eye of what can improve but also as fan considering whether the experience was simply fun. This approach helps ensure that we are always passionate about the media, performance, and narrative that play such an essential role in our business.

The thing that makes me most proud as a business owner is an extended family that we have built up. A business like ours is based on the team, and over the past decade, we have brought together a family. Austin Snyder, a producer at HC, has been through hell and back with me, our directors like Phil Bache, who met me on his first night in LA, and Bennett Smith have guided some of the best game performances of the last five years, Josema Roig, a stellar director that started as my intern, has created groundbreaking VR content, Kenny Zhao, another former intern, is a cutting edge sound designer and musician, Harry Buerkle, who has collaborated with me on countless projects and can paint with light, is in the process of making a film about the first Austrian in space.

The number of our extended family that continues to impress me is far too long for me to list, but they are what help us stand out, and make the production process so enjoyable. I am immensely grateful to have them all in my life.

Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
Los Angeles is the creative capital of the world and a fantastic place to be if you want to craft stories with actors, writers, and directors. Since these types of artists are crucial to our business, it is imperative that we are based in the city. While there are great actors and creators all over the world, the sheer number of them in LA and their level of talent make the city so well suited for what we do. LA is unique for artists because it still embodies some of the frontier spirits of the American West.

It is removed from an establishment that is more present in older cities, so its creators don’t have to compete with the ghosts of how things were done in the past. Additionally, the size of the city allows for multiple enclaves with their unique character that attract different flavors of artists. Downtown is different from Hollywood which is different from Venice which is different from South Bay. These neighborhoods are part of what makes the city so unique and experiencing them on a local level rather than just as the LA area is necessary to fall in love with the entire city.

I think the city is great for someone starting out, but they have to be willing to stick with it. The strength that I mentioned before is also a weakness. LA can be very lonely for someone before they find their neighborhood and circle of inspiration. That search for where you belong can take a little while, but once you find it you fall in love with the city and start to appreciate all of its diversity and quirks.

Contact Info:

• Address: 800 Wilshire Blvd, STE 200 Los Angeles, CA 90017
• Website: www.horselesscowboy.com
• Phone: 323 596 7249
• Email: [email protected]

Image Credit:
Harry Buerkle

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