We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Chuck Thomas. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Chuck below.

Alright, Chuck thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear about how you got your first non-friend, non-family client. Paint the picture for us so we can feel the same excitement you felt on that day.

The very first dollar I made off of a script I wrote was back in 2008. A local production company optioned one of my scripts and paid me a dollar to secure the rights. I have that dollar framed in my bedroom. The first client that paid me to write an entire script from scratch was in 2012. That was through word of mouth. I had written a few spec scripts to try and sell and get noticed, and eventually that led to my first paid screenwriting gig. A producer read one of those spec scripts and liked it enough to hire me. Getting a sample that was good enough to send around and get noticed came after years of practice and improvement. Getting that first contract was great because I then had a record of successful work.

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As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am a screenwriter, producer, and podcaster. The screenwriting came first. I completed my first full-length feature screenplay in college in 2006 and never looked back. I wrote tons of spec scripts before getting my first paid client in 2012, and have since then written for producers and others all over the world. In 2014 I started a podcast called Atlanta FIlm Chat with my friend Molly Coffee. She has since left, but I continued solo. I have interviewed hundreds of filmmakers, mainly in Atlanta and Georgia. This show directly led me to producing and starting my production companies. Hooty Hoo Productions began in 2018 because a guest on AFC told us there are lots of opportunities in the unscripted (reality) world. Co-owner Dustin Jacobs and I brainstormed some ideas and quickly landed a show called More Than a Game about the eSports world. Since then we’ve made comedy specials, music videos, and even some scripted short films. We hope to make feature films in the coming years as we continue to grow and expand.

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

In the film world casting can make or break a project, and that includes finding the right crew. You’re going to be spending a lot of time together, and if your personalities clash it can lead to some big problems. We always make sure to find a good mix of people who are not only amazing at what they do, but they can roll with the punches and are fun to be around. Productions can have tons of issues out of nowhere, so adaptability is a big deal. There are a few people we always call on first because we know they work hard but also keep us smiling all day. It always makes me feel great when someone tells us they loved working with us and can’t wait to do it again.

Also, make sure to feed people well. This isn’t just for film, this is for every industry. Give them good food and people will follow you to hell and back.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

Success in any creative field is often ethereal. If you run a shop, people come in and buy your wares or they don’t. They buy a hammer, they go home, they use the hammer, and maybe they buy some nails later. In a creative field, you’re often left on an island. Do people like the script or movie or whatever? I’m constantly throwing my work out there, is anybody paying attention? If they are paying attention, do they care? Even when you get paid to do something, you’re often left wondering if you did enough and if you’ll ever get another gig. Projects can take forever to pull off, and often they fall apart. From the outside, it will look like you’re doing nothing, and then one day you have a hit TV show or film. You will need to be your own cheerleader 99% of the time.

Contact Info:

• Website: hootyhooproductions.com
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charles-g-thomas-839aa35/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@hootyhooproductions5926
• Other: [email protected]