Today we’d like to introduce you to Tom Morris.
Hi Tom, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
As a young kid growing up in Ohio, I was absolutely obsessed with Peter Pan. I believed Neverland was real, and attempting to fly was my biggest mission. Then, on a fateful trip to McDonald’s, back when they were selling VHS tapes at the drive-thru, my mom purchased a copy of Steven Spielberg’s ‘Hook,’ and my mind was blown. When I watched the film and then saw a behind-the-scenes interview with the director, making movies was all I wanted to do.
All through middle school and high school, I had a camera in my hand. I filmed things on VHS tape and edited between two VCRs until I scraped up some money to buy an eMac. I was very into extreme sports and played drums in a screamo band, so most of the time, I was documenting the shenanigans of the crew, but now and again, my friends would allow me to convince them to be in a short film, and that’s where my love of directing began.
On the night of my high school graduation, my sister’s friend who lived in California messaged me on Myspace and asked if I wanted to work as a camera PA on a micro-budget movie. I decided to leave the band behind and come out for a few weeks. I worked on my first film for 12 days in the camera department and then got asked to jump onto another movie for 15 days. My eyes were opened to the magic of Hollywood filmmaking, and I decided to stay.
I enrolled in film school at Brooks Institute in Ventura, California. I rented my sister’s closet in Santa Barbara for $200 a month and worked on as many student films as possible. It seemed like every week of my first year of school, I wanted to quit to go crew on some big movie or join the union as a camera assistant, but my dad encouraged me to focus on directing, and the reason I got interested in film in the first place.
Over the next two years, I wrote, directed, and produced as many projects as possible. When I graduated, I decided I would forgo looking for an industry job and try to make a feature film while I was young, broke, and dumb. With three friends’ help, we raised $500k and made our first feature. We got a theatrical release through Warner Brother’s Digital a year after finishing film school. We expected to set the world on fire and begin making studio films for the rest of our lives, but nothing happened.
So, while still being young, broke, and dumb, I decided it was time to write and direct another feature film. After finding some money, the film was shot and completed, and we finally landed a job developing and producing a movie with another production company. Somewhere along my journey of making four indie films, I was asked to direct a music video for an artist named Lindsey Stirling. The music video was a hit, and I started getting offers to produce commercials.
Over the last nine years, I have stayed busy directing commercials, branded content, and movie projects.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The road to where I am now has undoubtedly been challenging. With any artistic pursuit, bringing your vision to life and living while doing it is always a struggle. I don’t think I am rare in the stories of “starving artists” trying to pay their bills while getting their work completed. I’ve had financing fall out countless times for films, gear breaks the day before the shoot, cast leave projects, all the things that feel earth-shattering at the moment, but looking back, are the fun stories that made those projects worth it.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I work as a film and commercial director. I would say I specialize in comedy, but oftentimes, people don’t find my work funny. Somehow, I keep getting hired. My dream is to do quirky, off-beat comedy spots that lean into the awkward territory, but I end up getting booked for a lot of stuff that plays it a bit safer and tends to leave you with a little smile than a gut-busting laugh. I am probably most known for being easy to work with and enthusiastic about projects. Making movies is a long road, so maintaining a positive attitude goes a long way. On the commercial front, I’ve always been good at taking the agency’s ideas and elevating them to a place that maximizes their resources.
As for what I am proud of, I am happy to be able to maintain a career as a freelance director and raise three kids with my wife. My kids have traveled with me to every directing job and love being on set. They also love sitting in on an edit session. Being able to work in a field that I love and keep my kids involved, as long as they are interested, is something I am very proud of.
We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
I think like most artists, I am my biggest critic and always end up hating everything that I make. It is sometimes hard to separate the finished project from the vision in your mind. I can also really beat myself up during slow moments between jobs and begin to think that I will never work again. Aside from that, people are always surprised to learn that I only drink water.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.TomMorrisFilm.com
- Instagram: @TomMorrisFilm
