About
The Short Version
I’m a writer, both freelance and enslavedlance. Currently I work in Austin as Director of Communications for one of the largest nonprofit social service agencies in Texas. I’m also a contributing editor to The Business of Design Online as well as a senior Aboutkateer. I’m also a public relations director, graphic designer (print and web), actor, teacher, playwright, director, and what they used to call a “generalist” before the word soured in the mouths of businessmen.
The Long Version
Much of my adult life has been spent working for non-profits of one type or another. My first design gig was as the copy and layout editor of my high school newspaper. I even designed my commencement program. After I received my Bachelors from Texas A&M University Corpus Christi, I started as a teacher of small children with the Art Museum of South Texas, then became the educational director of a children’s theatre troupe in Odessa. Like any good non-profit employee who teaches one day and scrubs toilets the next, I started designing show posters and press releases for the plays I was directing, plus public appearances on TV and radio.
My next job took me back to my hometown as the editor of the Foc’sle, the newspaper for Naval Station Ingleside, where I was fortunate enough (blessed is not too big a word) to have a boss who taught me the power of both quality layout and design, but also the importance of consistency in your work.
Like any small office editor, I not only wrote and edited articles, but also provided photographic support as well as ad placement, laying out the spreads, even sending them to print at the local paper. There was nothing so pride-filled as seeing that film pop out of the end of the monolithic machine and realizing that you’re actually making a newspaper come to life.
I moved on to a slightly larger military base in the area: Naval Air Station Corpus Christi. Similar job, with twice as many papers to produce. I collated information from 22 departments, including Coast Guard, Marines, Navy and Army and wrote a few of my own articles as well. I got to hang out of the side of a helicopter and take photos of ships; flew in a Black Hawk to the middle of the Gulf of Mexico, and enjoyed myself thoroughly.
Like all good things, though, my time as a Navy contractor came to an end, and after a few minor jobs with a non-profit in the area, I struck out on my own and hung a very small shingle. My foray into self-employment taught me not only how to network and maximize my time, but also how to use a contract, set up a payment schedule and all the things I hope that young creatives learn before the get burned to the root. Workaholics make the best and worst business owners. Eventually my self-employment efforts translated into a series of contract jobs for various groups, so I did well. My advice to all you folks who think about self-employment: Go for it, but do a lot of homework first.
After a few years I decided to fulfill a longtime dream of pursuing a degree in performance. Now, here’s a curious coincidence. I was admitted to the University of Montana via a pretty nerve-wracking audition process, and I remember the phone call so vividly:
“So, Tom…we won’t be able to offer you anything other than basic student loans…unless of course you happen to have any experience…writing press releases?”
After I stopped laughing and crying, I spent three years training as a professional actor and writing press releases and creative synopses during the day. At the same time I continued various creative gigs as a web designer in Texas, and became involved with Cat Morley, Neil Tortorella, Jay Wickham and others who would eventually form both NO!SPEC and The Business of Design Online.
I finished school and returned to Texas, where I returned to my non profit roots and became a Director of Communications. I currently write and disseminate press releases, coordinate events, design for print, web and media, take photographs and terrorize my coworkers by insisting on cohesive branding for every event we do.
And one fine day, spurred on by many friends and supporters, I started writing Dyer Straits for BoDO, and have now combined forces with Cat Morley on the creation of a new series called Working Pro Bono, where I’m using my personal knowledge of non profit organizations along with my own design/writing background to inspire others to give of themselves in a safe, sane and productive manner.
So that’s the long me. Thanks for listening!