Today we’d like to introduce you to Tom Vaughan.
Hi Tom, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I started writing stage plays while I studied acting at the University of Houston. Some UH friends and I opened up a short-lived theatre in the Montrose area, which led to some positive reviews in the Houston Chronicle. Somehow those reviews found their way to a literary agent in Los Angeles, and I turned to writing screenplays soon after. It was an immensely lucky break, but that’s what started my professional writing career. Over the last 25 years, I have alternated between living in Houston, where I am happiest, and Los Angeles, where my work is. My eighth film THE QUEEN MARY will be released next year, and we’re hoping my ninth film will be in production as well.
Through this time, I discovered that I love teaching as well. I started doing it independently here in Houston and kept doing it in L.A. with workshops and weekly classes. While I never want it to replace writing and making movies, my passion for it is just about equal. I truly love it. I can’t imagine not doing both.
I am also a die-hard Coog. I kept my football season tickets all these years and would fly back from LA for most games. It’s been a dream of mine to teach screenwriting at UH. During one of my stretches in Los Angeles, I got my MFA in the evenings with that goal in mind. A few years ago, they brought me in to teach a special class, and now I teach there every semester. I couldn’t be happier about it.
Currently, I split my time between writing, teaching, and building an online community of aspiring writers.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Most writing careers have had ups and downs. On at least two occasions, I thought my career was over, and I considered doing something else for a living. Each time I would miss writing, and I would somehow find my way back in.
My insistence on living in Texas has made things slightly more difficult, but it can be done. Living in Los Angeles is no longer really a necessity in this business. One of the only good things to come out of the pandemic was people’s increased comfort in video conferencing. I used to feel the need to fly back to Los Angeles once a month, and I flew back exactly once this year.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Winchester (2019) was my seventh movie, but my first to be released theatrically. It was creatively a disappointment, but the thrill of having something in wide release was something special. Hearing Helen Mirren speak lines I wrote is something I’ll always remember.
I jokingly brag that I “launched” Wesley Snipes’ straight-to-DVD career when UNSTOPPABLE, the first script I ever sold, was produced. People will often get it confused with the Tony Scott-Denzel Washington movie of the same name. They get excited and ask, “You wrote Unstoppable?” and I like to reply, “Yes! But not the good one.”
Watching so many of my scripts take wrong turns in development and production has turned me more into directing and producing. I am focusing my energy on the relationships and responsibilities that allow me to stay on board longer and have a stronger influence on the final product.
I really think my teaching has helped keep me sane throughout my career. It’s also made me a better writer. Teaching forces you to explain why you make the choices you do, and when you’re forced to explain them, they become more tools than gut instinct. When that happens, they’re more readily available when you need them, making your work more consistent. As I tell my students, talent doesn’t always show up, but the deadline doesn’t change.
What was your favorite childhood memory?
My favorite childhood memories almost all revolve around movies in one way or another. Like so many in the industry, I fell in love with the medium very early. Whether it was action figures with my brother or us staying up late watching movies on VHS. As I got older, it was acting in high school. My life has revolved around film and theatre since I was 10 years old.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://storyandplot.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/storyandplotclasses
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/storyandplot
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/storyandplot
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@storyandplot
