Today we’d like to introduce you to Gabrielle Thomas.
Hi Gabrielle, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I grew up two hours outside of Chicago, where staying up late watching TV was really the only pastime to be had. My fascination with storytelling and cameras began at a young age. I was always eager to participate in theater and even began making short films with my neighbor’s camcorder. When I got my first camera, I filled many scrapbooks (much to my mother’s dismay). She didn’t need another photo series of my American Girl doll climbing a tree or going to the park, but she encouraged me nonetheless. My senior year of high school I won my school’s photography contest and was the stage manager of the yearly play. Growing up, I religiously watched Hughes, Brooks, and Ephron so once I got the chance I moved to the big city, I moved.
While in Chicago I attended film school at Tribeca Flashpoint College, double focusing in screenwriting and directing. There wasn’t a moment in film school that I disliked, and I remember stepping onto my first feature as an intern for a small indie movie, Thrill Ride. It was cold, brutal, and I loved every moment. Nearing the end of my higher education, I was accepted in The American Pavilion Cannes Internship program. I worked at the Cannes Film Festival to get VIP access to panels and premieres. The entire experience was a dream and only continued to fuel the passion I have for filmmaking.
I moved to Los Angeles and did anything to be a part of any show, set, or production. I started PA’ing and even landed an assistant production manager role for a season of the animated show Danger & Eggs. I interned at EOne and Aperture Entertainment hoping to refine my writing skills and my script comprehension. I began a full-time position at Wheel of Fortune as a PA, all the while working towards my true passion of directing my own projects.
The first short film I directed outside of film school was Lying Together. “A childhood drama following a boy who lives with his mother hidden from society until he meets a girl who shows him the world.” It had child actors, no money, and an interior moving car shot. I went from film school to film permits; from student, actors to film teachers and parents on set. Every film, short, show, commercial I’ve worked on I’ve put my all into and yet nothing feels the same as raising the money yourself.
I was offered a writer’s PA position on a show called Lincoln Rhyme: Hunt for the Bone Collector. This was a chance to get a real feel for a drama writer’s room and I even had the fantastic opportunity to shadow the director of the finale in NYC. While I discovered the writer’s room wasn’t all I had expected, I loved the collaboration of ideas. Then the pandemic hit and everything stopped. Well, I didn’t fully stop; I got a part-time gig reading for The Blacklist.
Eventually, I ended up getting a full-time job with Stoopid Buddies Stoodio producing shorts and commercials. I got the pleasure of working with prominent companies like Disney, Paramount, Lego, and Hulu. When I became an assistant director for a music video on Hulu, I learned about pacing, scheduling and set safety. Things were really rolling as I began pre-production for my next short film, Deserted.
Deserted was a production of friends staying at a hotel in the middle of the desert because they believed in me. As a director and a producer, I’ve never felt so honored to have people on my team who inspire me to do my best while still freezing in the middle of the night in the middle of nowhere.
I left Stoopid Buddies for G4TV, a channel I grew up with about video games and pop culture. I saw my position with them as brimming with opportunities. I began directing the sketches on Xplay, all while filming Deserted. Once the short’s principal photography wrapped, I immediately jumped into pre-production for my first TV series, God of Work. Shooting 76 pages in 5 days was an exhilarating experience and as the director, I was humbled again by my cast and crew: actors sitting in special effects makeup for four hours a day, two cameras shooting at once and a team I’d go to bat for any day. I did my last production with G4 two days before it went under; It was a Ghostbusters special sponsored by Illfonic (the video game developer). Nowadays I am reading War and Peace while directing a couple of Alienware commercials.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It hasn’t been a smooth road. After I realized that there wasn’t much work in Chicago – I moved to LA in 2015. My first meeting with a producer was horrifying, he offered me a directing gig if he could “whore me out” since I “had a fat pussy and executives will think I’m cute”. I kid you not that was within my first days out on the coast. I struggled to find any work in the industry. I was a delivery driver, gymnastics coach, and a rock climbing instructor before I had my first break with Danger & Eggs. After that show wrapped, I struggled to get another job and ended up working as an usher for Dolby theater. It wasn’t until I got my PA gig with Wheel of Fortune that I had continual work – which I didn’t apply to Wheel and initially thought was a prank call. Now my struggles come from a more creative space – difficult clients, executives, and co-workers. While at G4 I struggled to get recognition for directing one of the flagships shows being told “Comcast doesn’t really give out a director title”.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a director, producer, and writer. My latest short film Deserted is wrapping up post-production and will be premiering in the next month. I am most proud of my first tv show I directed “God of Work” for G4TV. I am most known for knowing what I want and communicating that with precision to my cast and crew. I am a problem solver and I am incredibly intense on set.
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
I am a risk taker. I have always had a love for extreme sports (rock climbing, gymnastics, race cars). In my professional career, I try to always push my limits. I discover what I am uncomfortable with and pursue it till there’s no hesitation. My first short film in LA was with children in the middle of the Santa Monica Mountains. We had to hike on a washed-out cliff face to one of the main locations. I’ve dangled from rafters to get the best shot. I’ve held boa constrictors around my shoulders to shoot a documentary. My second short film is in the desert at night in the middle of nowhere. Risk is a necessity for me, life and art pales without it.
Contact Info:
- Website: gabriellem4thomasportfolio.com
- Instagram: gabrielle.m4.thomas
- Other: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm7357226/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk
Image Credits
Justin Boyd
