We recently connected with Thomas Bellezza and have shared our conversation below.

Thomas, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?

1. Have you been able to earn a full-time living from your creative work?

This is a fantastic question that I feel deserves a more transparent answer on the reality of any creative journey. I never want to present misconceptions to writers (or other creatives) that earning a living solely through creative work is considered crossing the finish line. In fact, even though I earn a living through creative endeavors, it’s still endeavors with an s.

I’ve had the fortune of gaining an education from mentors who established a solid grounding in me to take action. Yes, I earn a full-time living from my creative work. But it’s a combination of full-time writing, developmental editing, and consulting writers on their writing journey. A career that has evolved over the years, starting back in 1997.

But the reality is that the freedom I created to work on my own stuff or be selective in who I choose to work with is more in depth. I have to include factors like investments and assets that helped me enjoy the privileges of being my own boss in a creative field. This was my secret to earning a full-time living with creative work.

Even Robert De Niro invested in assets like hotels and restaurants, which gave him the freedom to choose the projects he wanted to work on.

I learned early on that making a living only by doing creative work could lead to bad situations. Situations I have experienced. All creative outlets have dry spells. It can get dangerous out there if I’m reliant on income solely through creative products. Which could force me to take on projects I don’t believe in just so I can pay my bills.

Through hard work and learning how to organize my money, I’ve created passive income over many years. Though, to get there, I did, and currently do, pay my bills with the income from full-time writing ventures. That financial foundation protecting me came from the surplus of income that came from my creative outlets.

2. If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen?

Absolutely! The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. That’s the saying, right? I’ll keep it to the broad strokes while hopefully pulling back the curtain enough for others who might be feeling stuck in their career at the moment. I know, for myself, that I’d be nowhere right now without the help, guidance, and assistance from others.

But I did begin as a selfish creative mind reliant only on my “products” to get me to the top. Why? Well, I thought I was so talented that my work would speak for itself. After all, I was awesome, amazing, and unique. Man, I sure knew the secrets of the world as a fifteen-year-old illustrator while still trying to navigate the halls of school.

Let’s jump ahead after I got my head screwed on straight from the people around me. Talent did not get me in the door. It kept me in the room, but I still had ways to go before talent moved me up in the world. See, I stopped being reliant on my talent as the first thing I showed people. I adjusted my approach with compassion, empathy, and selflessness.

Three things changed my life: networking, marketing, and practicing. Once I changed my point of view, I realized that the world was much different than I thought it was when I spent all my time honing my creative skills. Networking is about the people we know. Marketing is about the people who know and remember you. And practicing is about ourselves.

I focused on building and cultivating relationships with everyone to build a strong circle of influence. That circle was not to “influence” my career, but to influence better habits. I found myself around the tables of people who were motivated, did things without waiting, and were willing to get involved with people. Oh, yeah, that’s a big one. Get involved.

Marketing comes from being yourself when you join those tables. Who are you? I had to figure that out. And over time, I learned that when I joined tables, it wasn’t about me. It was about the mission of that table. And I learned that I should join tables that had missions filled with like-minded people (in one way or another). Be you; be true.

Practice is easy. Remember, you don’t know anything. So listen, learn, and be malleable. These things helped me get involved with different tables of people. And when I joined them, I would try to lead, follow, or advise when possible. My goal was to elevate the table and those at that table. You know why? Because eventually, those people will do one of these things…

They will bring you with them as their career grows. Introduce you to people as they meet them. The list goes on. Do you know why they do that? Because they like you, trust you, and have seen your worth by being involved. Therefore, they can bet on you as a valued reference to another person.

So, how did I do it? Relationships, valued missions, and learned the industry. No one makes it to the top on the shoulders of others. That leads to people falling, and no one helps them get back up. You get to the top together as the world rises around you. A mantra I live by: work, grow, and rise together. Find your team, people, and the ones you want to help.

3. Was it like that from day one?

Day one was easy. I thought I knew it all. Day two… okay, that was a bit harder. Why? I thought I knew it all. I kept running into walls, and instead of changing things up, I tried harder at doing the same thing. Something that really hits me hard now is that I don’t need to be right. My way doesn’t have to be the way I make it to the top.

Life is hard enough, and just because a person thinks of something doesn’t mean their value is based on the success or failure of that thing. I thought if I worked on my talent, it would get me to the top. So day one, two, three, and all the way up to five years later, was hard.

Why five years? It took me five years to get my head out of my… well, you know. I finally started listening to my mentors. I mean, I come from the music industry. I started as an illustrator, then music, eventually comedy and acting, and, you know, now I’m a writer. So, my career has been ever-growing over the course of my first day.

I brought up music because one of the first major lessons I learned from a mentor of mine was that music doesn’t make you money in the music industry. Imagine being told that writing doesn’t make you money in the publishing industry. Well, they were correct. I know, it sounds crazy. But day one was all about me. “Five years later” was all about others.

You might be thinking, Thomas, what do you mean writing doesn’t make you money? Okay, here’s a thinking exercise. I love this one. Write a book and finish it. Now, while you are writing the book, don’t tell anyone about it. In fact, don’t tell anyone you’re a writer. After you write the book, place it in the closet. Now wait by the door for people to pay you for the book.

A couple of things: writing doesn’t make you money. A book will not make you money. People don’t spend money on strangers just because they did something. Yeah, the numbers game might get you sales after spending eight hours in Time Square, NY. But you won’t earn a living. So, what does that mean?

Speaking to people about you being a writer is networking and marketing. Telling people about your book is marketing. What you write about is marketing, but only if you tell people about it. You have to tell them, since no one knows that your book is good until they pick it up, and even then, there’s a percentage chance they will like it.

What you do is not your job. Your job rewards you financially, giving you the freedom to do what you do passionately. Your job is networking, marketing, and practicing. Your job is getting involved. Your job is helping others and working with people. Your job will reward you with money. Cash money. The more people who like you, the more people will support you.

PS: The more people who believe in your message, the more people will want to elevate that message.

Writing is only a small part of the process. Remember that. And that’s why day one was not like my career is twenty-plus years later. It takes time to build relationships, build a brand, and learn the industry beyond your craft and the talent that you work hard to hon. I’m not saying don’t write. I’m saying, do your job to earn the right… to write.

4. If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?

Yes. Yes, I do believe that if I had known the process back then, I would have sped up my career. In fact, what I learned happened during my ten-year music career. I retired in my late twenties. After some time had passed and I realized how boring sitting around could be, I became a comedian. Well, I began my journey as a comic.

I used the same skills I developed in my music career to get me where I wanted to get with stand-up comedy. That led me to paid gigs, touring gigs, opening for people (friends and contacts), getting on the radio as a co-host (no podcasts at the time… I know, I’m old now), and it also got me in the rooms with other writers.

From there, I decided to become an actor. In turn, I did the same thing. And over the course of a year, I joined the SAG-Aftra Union by connecting with a group of people and getting involved. I eventually opened up a theater and began teaching people how to write, among other things. I found myself working on SNL (background), where I met writers and friends.

My point is, when I became a writer working on screenplays and other things, I had no open door for me. I had to work to get to know people. No one cares about your talent when they don’t care about you. But you know what? Every time I told one of my producer friends that I was coming out to LA or NYC, they’d say, “Bring me two or three pitches.”

It’s a difficult industry, and even now when I write novels (epic fantasy) or my self-help books, it’s not easy if I don’t speak with people or build my brand. I spent the first few years teaching people how to write. Then I worked on helping other people put together scripts for TV and film stuff. I worked on my own stuff on the side. And occasionally, we filmed my stuff.

This is the reality: when in doubt, reach out. Because if you’re not present around others, then you won’t be seen. And I can’t tell you how many times I got a gig, got hired, or referred to others for acting, comedy, music, and yes, writing opportunities because I was on someone’s mind. We are only available to those who know we are available.

So what were my major milestones? Each person I met, every time I got involved with something I believed in, got to learn the industry firsthand by being present on a set or in a writer’s room. These milestones were all small steps that led to great things. I never, nor have I ever met anyone, that had one massive milestone that didn’t come from a bunch of single steps.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

1. For folks who may not have read about you before, can you please tell our readers about yourself?

With a dynamic presence in the entertainment industry spanning over two decades, Thomas J. Bellezza is an embodiment of creativity and mentorship. Originating from New York, his journey began with art and evolved into a captivating musical adventure, leading the acclaimed metal band “TENEbRAE” across stages in America and Canada.

Bellezza’s multifaceted journey encompassed diverse roles, including the establishment of BBR Productions, a nexus of marketing, consulting, and development. This foundation paved the way for his foray into stand-up comedy, acting, and writing, a testament to his versatile talents…

Wait… pause. That’s coming off like a bio. Well, okay, that was the beginning of a bio that spans a career from my teenage years to now in my… oh my god, I’m in my mid-40’s. These kinds of questions have always stumped me. “Tell us about you…” What’s a more powerful way to show who we are beyond what you like to read? What’s your favorite movie?

Yes, I read all the time because of my career. I have to read my own books and client books. I read a lot. And Shawshank Redemption is my favorite movie. Now that we have that out of the way, is it about ourselves that truly shows people who and what we are about?

I believe that our actions will always showcase the truth about who we are. And that comes down to not taking myself seriously. Well, I take making people laugh and think seriously. But me? I think my website says it all: www.MakeARightLeftHere.com

See, that made you think. Hopefully laugh. But when you go there, you’ll see my personality and all that I do. Alright, plus it’s not been updated since Thursday, 2020. That’s a lie. I think I updated it on a random Sunday after that. Social media? I don’t know, but the website is getting an overhaul. Eh, is this the “who am I” part that just gets all fancy with bullet points?

• Bellezza’s impact extends to fostering emerging talents. His “Team Rise Together” initiative fosters collaborative empowerment, while the “TOP OF THE BOTTOM PILE” mission elevates aspiring comedians to new heights.

• His influence reached new heights in 2011 when MGM acknowledged his show “Laundry.”

• Following that moment in his life, he created an array of resonating theater and short-film productions. Notable projects like “The Super Hero Villain,” “All in the Course,” “Bad Mexican,” “Letter of Reason,” and “The Monologue Chronicles” showcased his creative prowess.

• His television series “The Circle” achieved international recognition, securing a spot in the prestigious 2017 Pitch Fest.

That gets boring. Are those accomplishments really about me? Are they who I am? Maybe the presentation of this answer really did the job it was meant to do: show you who I am through my writer’s voice.

2. How did you get into your industry / business / discipline / craft etc.?

I always wanted to be a writer. That’s how it starts, right? Or is it “write”? Truth be told, I always wanted to tell stories. What child didn’t make up worlds when they were a kid while playing with Legos? Can I say Legos? Building blocks. Let’s go with building blocks. What began with toys transformed into drawings.

Oh yes, the humble beginnings of a writer, where it all started out as illustrations while I gave commentary over it all. Honestly, that was a fun time in my life. I think about my youth often when it comes to storytelling. It’s probably why I got into role-playing games with dice, dragons, and sword fighting.

The big hiccup with writing came in the form of a teacher. She told me that I should think of a trade instead of writing because I can’t spell. Did I mention I was in the fourth grade? Oh, yeah, and I have dyslexia. Something that wasn’t a known and popular thing back in… well, a long time ago. Teachers, don’t kill the dreams of children. Water them and nurture them. We’re kids.

Anyway, I wrote a poem in fifth grade because we were assigned to. Each kid got up and read theirs at the front of the room. When it came time for me to read, all the kids laughed at me. It was awesome. Wait, I spelled horrible incorrectly. They laughed because my poem wasn’t written with the rhyming rhythm of “roses are red, violets are blue; who knew Jimmy picked his nose for you?”

I wrote it in free verse, telling a story over the course of prose filled with figurative language colored over in imagery. That might have been the day I walked away from writing until Mr. Abrams put his arm around my shoulder and told the class that what I just did for my age level was one of the hardest forms of poetry to write with no training.

I don’t know if he meant it. Nor do I know if he believed what I wrote was good. What I do know is that it was what I needed to hear. I learned two things that day: don’t worry about what people say while you’re developing your voice, and writing is hard.

That’s how I got into writing. Long story short, no pun intended, my writing career looked like this:

1. Illustrator
2. Comic book writer
3. Lyricist for my metal band
4. Tabletop role-playing storyteller
5. Poems
6. Jokes for stand-up comics
7. TV screenplays
8. Scripts for theater plays
9. Shorts
10. Film
11. Novels

That’s what a career from the late 1990s until now looks like. Time seems so short with lists. Oh, wait, before I finish, let me say this. I got into each of those fields of interest through, you know, networking, marketing, and practicing. I got involved and did what I could to join the tables of missions I believed in. Every single one of those had nothing to do with talent.

My career is thanks to the people around me. It’s grown because of the people I know and have helped. This full-time writer’s life is a series of support for both me and others. No career has ever happened without someone saying yes to someone. You want to be a salesperson? Someone has to say yes to either giving you the job or to buying what you’re selling.

Want to be a writer? Same thing. Agents, publishers, audience.

3. What type of products/services/creative works do you provide?

This is the sale’s pitch part! I’m a writer. So I’ll write stuff for you, or you can buy the things I write. All that and more are on my website. However, the fun and direct way of pushing the product element is that I provide the following services: writer, developmental editor, and consultant for those trying to improve their career in any creative outlet.

You’ll find everything from my music to my poetry, performance-based products, and all my novels. Since I’m always working, listing anything here would date the interview and promotion of my current or present work in the future. Let’s try something playful here. My next XYZ is finally out; find it through my website. If that doesn’t work, try finding the hidden monkey that is on my website somewhere, unless he has finally moved out.

4. What problems do you solve for your clients and/or what you think sets you apart from others?

I think my personality sets me apart from others because we are all different. That and my beard. It has a life of its own. Solving problems is a fun part of any service. As a writer, I’ll write a person’s story or provide my own novels. As a developmental editor, I have several ways to tackle that based on the needs of my clients.

Some clients only need someone to give direction to their narratives. Others want a full overhaul of the narrative they feel doesn’t flow right. One of my favorite things to do with a client is outline their story and develop the narrative through characters, worldbuilding, and plot. Ultimately, we will develop your story.

When it comes to consulting. I teach my clients about the power of taking proactive steps to get their career moving forward. I teach them about the three sides of a career: success, longevity, and purpose. These sides show my clients how to achieve success, longevity to that success, and fuel their purpose to keep growing their career.

We also laugh a lot because I’m a sucker for puns!

5. What are you most proud of and what are the main things you want potential clients/followers/fans to know about you/your brand/your work/ etc.?

I am most proud of bringing people together. My long-lasting career has given me a chance to celebrate the victories of those I have mentored, educated, or helped in their dreams. My history is filled with drawing groups of people together. My theater was designed to be a place for the community to hang out during the day, be creative with one another, and at night throw together performances of plays from new to old. It was a place for people to try, fail, and fail again so they could learn.

Bringing people together has become the thing I am most proud of because of the missions I created to see others come together. My nonprofit, “Team Rise Together,” began in my theater and turned into something beautiful over the years. Though COVID and my battle with cancer that I won have slowed down the mission, the heart of it breathes through those who were involved. I see them working with people and continuing the message.

This life of ours has the potential to be filled with a rich collage of love and creative expression. Things don’t happen alone. They happen when kind, compassionate people are all around us. If there’s one thing I hope comes from my legacy, it’s the idea that all I wanted was to inspire people to try and try together. So when you think you’re alone, remember that you are not. There are others out there with like-minded missions, waiting for you to join them in their adventure.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

Getting involved and proving my worth through my actions. Keep in mind that I make sure that those I do get involved with fit within my mission in one way or another. We don’t have to agree 100% on the mission, but if I see certain qualities in a person or group, it gets me excited.

So what is that? For me, I want people who are compassionate, selfless, willing to make mistakes, and take accountability. I want people who believe that their life isn’t about using up the resources of other people just to get themselves to the top. I want to work with people who are kind and believe in the mission of the tables they build. And I don’t want their mission to be: how do I use these people to bring myself success and then leave them all behind?

I want the Adam Sandler mentality in people. We’re here to work, grow, and rise together. Not that people can’t work on other things, but that you always know you have a home with your friends and the people you love and respect.

This helped me build my reputation within my market. I got involved, and then, when the time came, I created open door opportunities for people. I did this with my theater, my Top of the Bottom Pile brand, a free writing class on Wednesdays at the theater for fellow writers to meet one another, and my Team Rise Together mission. Which created projects, free networking events, and other avenues for like-minded people to work together.

Something that has always helped me showcase my mission is that when I meet people who are like-minded, even a little bit, and fit within my mission, I always do this one thing. I will introduce them to two people. And I make sure that I don’t gain anything out of that introduction. I want all parties involved in that introduction to be a good fit for each other. They don’t have to be at the same level, but they do have to have traits and skills that benefit each other.

Another thing I do is, when I see opportunities for people I know, I send those opportunities to them. I refer people to others. Basically, to be what you want others to see, you have to believe in it and become it through your actions. I became the guy who knows a guy, who eventually became the guy you need to know. I got things done. I picked up the phone. I helped people solve problems, even if the solution came from me introducing them to another person who knew the answer.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

I love feeling something when I watch, read, or experience art. I don’t care what the medium is; I want it to invoke something in me. The emotional range of it can be anything from joy to anger to love; I’m even down to crying. If a piece makes me cry for a happy or a sad moment, I’m all the more impressed with it. Art needs to create a connection that influences emotions and a conversation.

With that said, to me, the most rewarding aspect of being an artist in a creative field is laying the foundation for the emotional and thought-provoking elements to be present in the art of whatever medium is being worked on. From there, the audience takes to it as they see it. I want people to be able to live through the moments I write. Be it music, poetry, moving pictures, or the words in my novels, I love getting people to think and feel something from watching the story unfold.

I’m grateful that I have been able to see such responses from people who have participated in experiencing my work. Writing is not easy. Nothing we do is easy. The journey to mastering our skill level still takes time, even when we become experts. We’re always learning. And in the moments where audiences tell me that they felt XYZ while reading something or that they thought about something they never considered, then I feel I did my job as a creative person.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.makearightlefthere.com/
• Instagram: http://instagram.com/thomasjbellezza
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThomasJBellezza
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bbrproductions/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/ThomasJBellezza
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheWriteMindset?sub_confirmation=1
• Other: SHE (Poetry Book): https://amzn.to/31nKSkU