Life & Work with Tom Downing of Hollywood

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tom Downing

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
My calling came early and most definitely saved my life. I grew up in a big Irish Catholic family in middle America. School was a huge struggle for me until I found the art department. So by the time I left for college, I had some high school plays under my belt, a morning radio show, some music projects, and enough short films to know the Entertainment Industry was something I wanted to pursue in some form. The only thing I was serious about was acting and I was willing to do anything and everything I could to make this thing happen.

After I graduated from Purdue, I moved up to Chicago and immersed myself in the comedy scene and indie film community. I found my way into the Second City Conservatory. Pure luck and divine intervention got me an agent and I began auditioning rigorously – never saying no to anything. I had a few things going for me – I had instinct, a drive, and a good look, which got me small roles on some big projects and granted me a Union membership. Watching and learning from true professional actors gave me a Masters in what it meant to really do this thing right. Even though I was booking, it was still a huge struggle though I didn’t notice. I was young and full of energy and hope. I did comedy at night and took every workshop I could find. At one point, I lived out of my car auditioning and going from film to film from Wisconsin all the way around the Great Lakes to Detroit and as far south as Nashville. It was terribly romantic and gave me this incredible foundation of discipline, faith, and fearlessness. I did some commercials and my first few breaks were small roles on shows like Shameless, Chicago PD, and some short-lived network dramas. Indie film was my bread and butter and I had a few in those first 5 years that did very well on the festival circuit winning some awards which got me into bigger rooms and prepared me for the jump to a bigger market.

For on-camera and comedy, everyone was going off to LA, but I tried to think differently. New York City was doing great with film and tv and I wanted to badly to experience life in the greatest city in the world. This is where my craft really began to take shape. And where I truly saw struggle. If there was a period of enlightenment, this was it. Again, by some happenstance, I became a pupil of Ted Sluberski and Bob Krakower – the absolute best of the best for on-camera training. And again, I went into crippling debt taking every workshop I could find. For the next 5 years, I did tons of film, tv, and commercial work up and down the east coast and my films were playing in festivals all over the world. In those first 10 years, I think I did something like 40 films and tv shows. Acting is so much about the audition and towards the end of my time there, I felt I could walk into any room and win it. If Chicago gave me masters, New York gave me a doctorate. It sharpened my style and gave me a voice.

Once Covid hit, I took advantage of the shut-down, packed up everything again and moved to Los Angeles.

Not long ago, I started a production company with my wife called XO Productions where we help indie-filmmakers crew up and cast their projects, seeing them through the festival and distribution stages. Since we both knew so many great actors, using us to cast was an efficient resource. After seeing hundreds of tapes coming in, I realized something shocking: Most actors really didn’t know what they were doing in an audition. I realized with just a little help, I could turn these tapes into contenders. I began to coach actors remotely, which has since really taken off and surprisingly helped improve my acting even further. If I found out how to routinely beat out 2500 actors for a role, that’s a rare and profitable trade to have. I show actors how I find success in a business with a 98% failure rate. I love showing people the light, cracking the callback code, and incorporating business, art, and personal growth in a style different than conventional acting schools.

We have a few projects out there currently. I’m still auditioning full time. I also have a podcast called Before The Break where actors whom I’ve met along my journey regale their stories of how they survived this business. It’s pretty inspiring and has helped actors stay on their path and transform their perspectives.

I have a great team behind me. And most importantly, everyday I stay toiling in this crazy business, I’m honoring that boy who had a dream he couldn’t shake. It’s been 25 years since I found my vocation and I feel I’ve only just begun.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
NO. Oh my Lord. Positively not. Let me be perfectly clear. I heard a clear voice at the very beginning telling me this was my destiny, but it also included one important fact: It would be the hardest thing I’d ever do, but I would get through it.

There was terrible poverty, incredible loneliness, and stretches of time where I barely got through the day. I’d run lines in the bathroom of a mid-town restaurant in between taking tables. I remember one shift jumping out to a cab to hit an audition, and racing back in time to take dessert orders. It was laughable the little stories of struggle I saw every day.

I auditioned 1,000 times. Lost tons of jobs (of course I’d later realize they were never mine to begin with). You’d see friends on tv in a role you went out for, or catch an ex on a billboard doing wonderfully while you’re on the unemployment line. There were so many sacrifices. I missed holidays with family and would always feel everyone else in the world was checking off life boxes while I was playing pretend and passing hors d’oeuvres. This type of thing runs along any actor’s journey. But it’s the very thing that fuels the spirit of an artist if they can channel it correctly. Acting, or any art, is the vehicle of the human experience. The more misfortune you have, the more humility you have. Over the years, you sculpt integrity, discipline, patience. You face and surpass fear. And somewhere along the way, through their own Metamorphoses, an artist is formed and true art is produced. Artistic transcendence is attained. Enlightenment is found.

Acting saved my life. It gave me a spouse and two beautiful children. It got me sober and taught me the meaning of life and every revelatory lesson in it. Not many jobs operate on the winds of chance. That’s why it has such a low success rate. It’s so easy to act, but it’s so hard to be an actor. Here, you go into every day taking your number, doing all you can just to be here, release control, and catch whatever wave comes your way. And just as it seems you’ve got nothing left, a lucky break comes practically delivered to your door. And you’re back in business.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I try and make it as simple as possible. My approach and style is different than most. You won’t find tons of red markings on my script. I like it old school and am big on natural instinct. How would someone truly behave in this situation? If I have a style, I suppose it’s realism. I have some favorites who’ve always inspired me: Robert Duvall, Sam Shepherd, Ben Mendelsohn, Jack Lemon. These guys make you forget you’re watching something rehearsed.

When I teach actors, I try to focus on what’s between the lines and that real acting is in the re-acting. I stress the importance of timing and tempo, the rhythm and musicality of dialogue, that the body is a huge component of the character, and how to tap into presence and the power of stillness.

Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
You don’t have to spend $50,000 on training like I did, but you must be willing to spend the time and money finding the answers. I love taking on new clients because I get to show them my process and they end up booking more work. Always. Most actors just want the return without the investment.

As far as mentors go, look for the people who aren’t jaded or cynical. Find the ones who are booking and don’t be afraid to ask for advice. People love a free lunch.

Half of my opportunities came from knowing someone through something. When you’re at a film festival or theatre gala, introduce yourself without an agenda. Go for pure connection. If you’re nervous that’s ok, everyone is. Just ask them about their lives and journey.

Volunteer at film festivals, organize actor/writer meetups. Take people’s names and contact info in classes. Everything is divine – You have a path and there’s a reason others are crossing it.

New Releases:

-I’m producing a Country Album complete with my favorite old school country tunes which I’ll be releasing in 2025 via Spotify. This has been a long-time dream of mine and I’m so excited to release it.

-Penitentia (2024, Gravitas Ventures) is about a man who gets lulled into the good life by a prestigious job until a pro bono case reawakens his instincts for justice. We brought a ton of wonderful actors onto this project and we’re thrilled to have Gravitas behind us. It’s now available on Apple TV, Amazon, and Fandango.

-The Dancing Monkey (2024, Random Media – Amazon Prime) This is one of my favorite projects we’ve done. It’s adapted from Eugene O’Neill’s groundbreaking play, ‘The Hairy Ape’, and follows a factory worker who has the pivotal vote in a union election confronting the realities of the labor workforce in small town America. It was awarded ‘Best Feature’ at the 2023 Block Island Film Festival and was an official selection of tons of great festivals including Gig Harbor, Coney Island, Catalina, and San Antonio.

Pricing:

• Private Sessions: $75
• Lifetime Coaching: $497

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.thetomdowning.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/imtombytheway/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WorkingActorPro
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@workingactorpro
• Other: https://beforethebreak.buzzsprout.com/