INTERVIEWS

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Cult Critic : What was the initial spark that led you to create ‘WORDLOTTO’? 

Tom : It seemed that every one was talking and not listening.  Not just talking .. but blurting out things that no one in their right-mind would say. I felt that if there was a price to pay by blurting non-sense, the public would be careful what they say. That was the initial impetus of the WordMeter.

 
Cult Critic : What were some of the biggest challenges you've faced throughout your career? 

Tom : I have always been a terrible writer.  But I had an idea and I had to rely on my writing skills to communicate it.  

 
Cult Critic : How did you overcome them? 

Tom : I wrote and wrote and wrote to make the ideas come across in a comedic way. I became a better writer which helped my build the comedy series called WordLotto.

 
Cult Critic : Can you recall the defining moment when you made your first film or launched your first film? 

Tom : I could not expect to get investors and I definitely did not have family to back it.  Fortunately,  I had an incredible year in my IT company and I used some of that money to launch the film.

 
Cult Critic : How have you adapted to the changing landscape of the film industry over the years? 

Tom : Its been a total learning process. WordLotto did well in Film Festival circuit.   But that did not equate to money or industry interest.  I had to find streaming services to get the project moving towards viability.

 
Cult Critic : What strategies did you adapt to connect to your audience and build your fanbase? 

Tom : Since WordLotto is not a viable story for the film industry - its politically incorrect - I had to  work all the social networks and YouTube.  I did not have the budget to advertise with a traditional film marketing campaign. So I used more grass roots approaches.  The success is there.  We have over two million views on YouTube after a couple months.

 
Cult Critic : It would be great to learn about the achievements of ‘WordLotto’. How many awards have you grabbed in your bag till now?  

Tom : WordLotto has won 150 film festivals.  In additon, the actors have received a number of accolades.  I think they did a fanstatic job, so I am especially proud of their awards.  To get a full listing you can go to IMDB.  WordLotto (2023) - IMDb

 
Cult Critic :  How do you plan to adapt your own filmmaking style to the changing landscape of the industry? 

Tom : We decided to go the webseries/streaming approach. That requires smaller episodes.  We originally wrote the episodes an hour long, but streaming needs a smaller quicker episode.  So we have to adjust the content to provide a quicker punch.

 
Cult Critic : What are your goals for the future?  

Tom : There are already 25 written one-hour episodes. We need to find a way to monetize the pilot in order to get more money to do more content.  It looks like its going to be an episode by episode challenge.

 
Cult Critic :  How do you approach filmmaking on a limited budget? 

Tom : Our cast and crew are dedicated to the project.  That saved a lot on traditional filmmaking costs.  I'm hoping to continue this partnership with them.

 
Cult Critic : How do you handle feedback and criticism? 
 
Tom : I've been in sales most of my life.  So rejection and criticism is par for the course.  

 
Cult Critic : Do you find it helpful or challenging?  

Tom : When the film is in the can, its hard to deal with criticism.  Its just too expensive to make changes.  But during the writing, filming, and editing I listened wherever possible.  Of course, the budget determined what can be accomplished.

 
Cult Critic : How do you use it to grow as a filmmaker? 

Tom : I will definitely use the feedback and criticism for future episodes.  Hopefully that will happen.

 

Cult Critic : What advice would you give to young filmmakers who are just starting out? What lessons have you learned that you wish you knew earlier in your career?  

Tom : It takes time and patience to make anything happen. Of course Money, Money, Money.