THOMAS LENNON, ACTOR AND ENTREPRENEUR
Although comedy may look like all fun and games, making movies in Hollywood is serious business. Few people understand this as well as Thomas Lennon. Although best known for his starring role in the Comedy Central series Reno 911, Lennon does his most lucrative work off-screen. He and his writing partner, Robert Ben Garant, have penned the screenplays to a number of blockbuster movies, including the Night at the Museum series. Staying successful in the writing business is a tough task.
There's lots of competition, and few writers ever sell enough work to make a living. Some movie and TV writers work on teams for big studios. For instance, late night talk show hosts like Jimmy Fallon have writing staffs to pen jokes and sketches for each episode. While these writers receive a steady paycheck, there are also limitations to their work. After all, if one writer comes up with something especially brilliant, she doesn't receive anything more than her standard salary.
The most successful players in entertainment take control of their work so that they can reap the most benefit from their efforts. Lennon set off on this particular path at a young age. While a student at New York University, he joined a comedy troupe that quickly gathered a dedicated following. Within a few years the team had struck a deal with MTV to create their own show. Called The State, this short-lived but critically acclaimed series taught Lennon the value of creating his own projects. This entrepreneurial outlook allows Lennon almost total freedom in his work, but it presents a number of risks as well. He launched a few failed TV projects before he managed to find the right formula with Reno 911. Moviemaking presents even more challenges than TV. In fact, Lennon had to shut down production on a film for nearly two years due to the writers' union strike of 2007-2008.
As a result, that movie has never been released. Being an entrepreneur means not only taking risks, but enduring setbacks as well. For those who work in Hollywood, creators must also be able to respond to changing tastes, technological advances, and drastic budget cuts. They must also know how to appeal to global audiences. Writers like Lennon have to be mindful not to focus jokes or characters on very limited cultural ideas. Instead, making characters broad and themes universal makes their film accessible to a wider audience. And that makes it more profitable to a studio. Lennon proved he could do that.
In fact, the original Night at the Museum played in over 70 countries, earning huge box office numbers from the Americas to Australia, from Europe to Southeast Asia. The film was so successful that it spawned a sequel, Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian, which did even more business. The two films combined brought in nearly $1 billion at the box office, to say nothing of DVD sales and merchandising revenue. In fact, a third film is likely to push Tom's career box office haul to more than $2 billion, making him only the sixth writer to achieve that feat. With his relentlessly creative mind and entrepreneurial drive, Lennon stands to be a major force in the entertainment industry for some time to come.
1. What are the risks and benefits of becoming an entrepreneur as opposed to working for others?
2. Why is the writing profession especially risky for entrepreneurs like Tom Lennon?
3. Does the entertainment industry seem like a stable option for aspiring entrepreneurs to pursue?