Those in pursuit of success in entertainment will often give up their last coin to move to a larger metropolis like Los Angeles or New York City. While this route is common, film director and Double T Productions founder Timothy Talbott believes that this is not the only way to go. A native Texan, born and raised, Talbott is determined to bring light to the landscapes and scenery that are often passed up or overlooked. Talbott also wants to put undiscovered talent under the spotlight.
I join Talbott at Ascension Coffee, located in the Design District, which is also home to fellow film director Johnathan Brownlee. We discuss a variety of topics, including how he came to develop an affinity for the film and entertainment industry.
“I don’t know if there was a moment where the inspiration just hit,” Talbott says. “It was really just a matter of things I enjoyed as a kid.”
Talbott then recalls how he was able to give his undivided attention to a television screen at any given moment during his youth.
“I’m an adventurer,” Talbott says. “My mom used to tell people that if you put me in a room, you better keep an eye on me, unless you turn on the TV, then I’d just sit down and start watching.”
As a child, Talbott’s love for the arts was unmatched, compared to that of his friends.
“Even though I love sports, watching TV and film was way more fun to me,” Talbott says. “Movies and television programs are like puzzles; you put this big thing together and it’s different every time. A football game is a football game. You get four quarters, things happen, but rarely is it that exciting. Take the Super Bowl for instance. If your team isn’t in it, how involved are you?”
Although Talbott tends to favor art and entertainment over sports, he is fond of professional wrestling and even had a stint as a wrestler in National Wrestling Alliance’s Southwest Division in the late 90s.
“I wanted to get into wrestling because it’s live-action storytelling,” Talbott said. “I knew that if I could get into wrestling I could get into acting.”
Talbott later moved to Los Angeles, where he would live for ten years before eventually deciding to return home to Texas, where he would produce his first feature film.
“That was really a defining moment,” Talbott says. “After ten years in L.A. just grunting it out and trying to get by, I move back to Texas, and within a year to the day, I’m beginning principal photography on The Demon Inside. We filmed that movie in Denton over the course of two weeks.”
After his work on The Demon Inside, Talbott believes that talent in Dallas’ film scene is just as remarkable of larger art-centered cities.
“When my L.A. friends want to shoot a movie, I tell them, ‘we’re going to shoot the movie in Texas, and we’re gonna use Texas crew and Texas actors,’” Talbott says. “The problem is, I’m a small brand and I definitely want to grow. I question why we don’t have a film industry equal to or better than that of anywhere else.”
Talbott also expresses frustration with filmmakers setting their works in Dallas, yet filming them in other locations.
“You’ve got a movie like Dallas Buyers Club,” Talbott says. “You’ve got Matt McConaughey sitting on his car, and the Dallas skyline is in the background. Filmed in Louisiana. Part of that takes away from Dallas. “As far as Dallas goes, there’s more to it than just Dallas. It’s Texas as a whole. L.A. is L.A. They have six major studios there. They have acres and acres of studio lots. Here in Dallas, you can drive an hour in any direction and you have different landscapes. You have space. We have weather. ”
Having worked on multiple projects in Dallas, including hit Hulu series “11.23.63” and his upcoming thriller film, Trunkfish, Talbott can attest to the fact that Dallas’s art scene is on the rise.
“Texas is growing and there are a lot of areas that are getting rejuvenated,” Talbott says. “Things are changing, and hopefully, part of that is keeping productions here. I’ve seen the old, and maybe it’s time to come into the new. Nobody is going to take down Hollywood. Hollywood is Hollywood. But I don’t see why Texas can’t have its own film industry on par with everyone else.”