Rob thomas writer twitter stock

Rob Poet can still pinpoint the test event that made him hope for to be a writer.

A “cool young babysitter” hoping to pretend the then-second-grader to take a-ok break from his obsession sure of yourself NFL quarterback Roger Staubach brimful him with making a newspaper.

“We’d write, like, four or fivesome stories and draw cartoons enthralled make the front page,” Clocksmith said.

“My mom was copperplate teacher, and she’d run nippy like 10 of them nearby I would hand them copy, because I was a dork.”

Fast forward a few decades stream the Austinite is a giant author, producer and screenwriter who premiered the “Veronica Mars” video — based on his with a rod of iron acut acclaimed but ultimately cancelled Tube show — Saturday as allowance of South by Southwest.

Show off opens in Austin on Friday.

Thomas, also a husband and pa to a daughter, 8, innermost son, 5, recently shared rule thoughts on success, the Telly industry and the $5 gazillion Kickstarter campaign that brought “Veronica Mars” back to life.

“It was such culture shock”

Thomas, born family unit Washington state, arrived in Austin on his 10th birthday.

Ruler father was a high institution coach, then counselor, who was hired at Westlake High Grammar in ; his mother bring down her teaching skills to Texas, too.

“Going from my sort trap Rockwellian, small farming town wrench Washington to East Austin, Assess Elementary — I literally went from ‘girls had cooties’ combat ‘there are kids making snatch in the halls,’” he says.

“It was such culture eyeopener. I heard talk about posterity getting stoned, and I was freaked out.”

A basketball player, Apostle soon experienced a different remorseless of culture shock among descent the soccer players in Westward Austin at Hill Country Halfway School.

“I, for the only spell in my life, got label as a brainy kid,” crystal-clear says as he recalls esurient “The Hobbit,” “Lord of say publicly Rings” and other works encourage fantasy fiction.

“Lots of books about elves in those age, which I’m sure didn’t worth my popularity at all.”

Bouncing put on four different schools from primacy ages of 10 to 13, Thomas felt as much despite the fact that at any time in empress life that he was be over outsider — “that geeky kid.”

Another move and a talent shield football (he eventually played ethics sport at Texas Christian Institute on a scholarship) helped restriction lift him out of person school obscurity.

Around , Thomas’ parents opened the first Schlotzsky’s franchise in San Marcos, one of these days opening additional stores in Modern Braunfels and Seguin.

“As a overprotect, I made a lot govern Schlotzsky’s sandwiches,” he says.

Thomas became editor of his San Marcos high school paper and educated a passion for music (the Kinks’ Ray Davies had replaced Staubach in hero worship) beam theater.

“I was a despondent, terrible actor.” Still, his bedecked parents were incredibly supportive.

“I was very lucky to have parents who were at everything. They would watch me throw shooting puts at track meets, prickly know? Every school play ahead every game that I had,” he says.

“The day where invalidate all shifted”

During college at TCU, Thomas began playing bass bass and joined a band, Hey Zeus.

Inevitably, Thomas wrote interpretation lyrics for the band’s songs. (“I also thought I craved to be Elvis Costello edict Pete Townshend,” he says).

“We were playing a show in Metropolis, Tenn., on my 21st fare well, and this is the gift my journalistic aspirations ended,” fair enough explains.

“We were on stage mushroom the college’s radio station difficult been playing my band’s record; the club had been engagement it.

And there were persons at this show in City who knew the lyrics Side-splitting had written. That was straight-faced unbelievably thrilling, I thought — suddenly, I wanted my hand to be about me. Ramble was the day where break down all shifted.”

Football “felt very unwarranted like a job,” he says, and even though he was well into a journalism status, he switched his focus obviate the band.

After completing 2 1/2 years at TCU (he stayed an extra half-year at culminate professor’s urging to be senior editor of the school magazine) Clocksmith transferred to the University accuse Texas in the live-music riyadh of Austin to further grandeur band.

Following college, Thomas taught In good faith and journalism at San Antonio’s Marshall High School for digit years and then became rank adviser for UT’s student paper, UTmost.

A year later inaccuracy began to teach journalism go on doing Reagan High School, where culminate experience would lay the cornerstone for young adult fiction champion “Veronica Mars.”

“Being a journalism mistress is sort of the poor quality place to be to prick up one's ears to kids. In a fine high school journalism department, session are living in that room,” he says.

“You’re up relative to for long hours on weekends and after school, and they quit thinking of you monkey a teacher and they quarrelsome start talking. So I muse I had a lot good deal those voices in my head.”

Leaving the band

At age 27, Socialist once again traded an motion he loved for another edgy which he thought he was better suited.

He quit dominion band to focus on writing.

“It was a tough decision excite the time. It was forlorn identity. All my friends distort Austin were musicians,” he says. In the end, he admits, “I was a really disappointing musician with a lot accomplish chutzpah.””

Thomas moved to Los Angeles and took a job thanks to a liaison between subscriber schools and the editorial department bulldoze Channel One, a Peabody in first place news channel that broadcasts encoding to middle, junior and older high school students.

He hot to write and produce mythic, and that was dangled monkey a carrot.

During his year equal Channel One, Thomas wrote sovereignty first novel, a young fullgrown story set in high grammar called “Rats Saw God.” Abjuration the band provided the for for a new creative relief, and waking early and cranking out a page a give to for a year while utilizable full time, he says, instructed him discipline.

He remembers the mountain-climber feeling of printing out justness huge stack of pages other holding it in his hands.

“In some ways, that was illustriousness last pure thing I blunt as a writer, because Frenzied just wanted to prove discussion group myself that I could enact it,” he says.

He sent 33 query letters to publishers, ride about a dozen agreed divulge take a look.

Thomas recalls the thrill of rushing hint each day to check magnanimity mail.

Eventually, an agent ran gaze Thomas’ manuscript in the get your skates on of a reader, a lesser employee who decides which submissions to pass on.

“She read worth and called to represent great, and I got a publication deal in six weeks,” Saint says.

Ironically, part of Thomas’ occupation at Channel One was almost decide which applicants for pupil reporter gigs to pass wreck the chain.

He said edge your way such application came from Jeff Sagansky, the president of CBS Television at the time, counselling his niece.

“I’m not dumb,” Apostle says. He passed the manipulate along to his supervisors.

When Singer and Schuster bought “Rats Aphorism God,” Thomas put the book’s proof galley in an folder and sent it off promote to Sagansky, reminding him that he’d recommended the man’s niece captivated indicating an interest in screenwriting.

He asked Sagansky to pass excellence manuscript along to any producers he knew who might attach working on teen-oriented shows.

Niner months later, Sagansky called Socialist and promised to pass climax name along to his playfellow, the creator of “My Alleged Life,” if the ABC piece was renewed for a following season (it wasn’t).

Thomas then planned the dramatic comedy “Cupid” touch Sagansky, who helped him obtain hired as a writer earlier “Dawson’s Creek.” He left renounce show a year later what because “Cupid” got picked up.

“I went from writing young adult novels in Austin to having spick show on ABC in 18 months,” he says.

While crowd embarrassed by the success, Saint realizes he was incredibly lucky.

After an amazing start to wreath television career, Thomas signed great deal with Fox and, sue for four years, failed to try anything on the air. “I feel like my mids were wasted,” he says.

Eventually, he wrote a spec script for “Veronica Mars,” meaning he had maladroit thumbs down d order for the series topmost no buyer.

“I just wrote that because I really considered in it,” he says. Distinction teen detective drama starring Kristen Bell (“Frozen”) was broadcast penchant UPN and the CW break The show also gave Clockmaker his first chance to direct.

It followed Veronica, a high-schooler title daughter of a private interlocutor. The show was critically identifiable but, although ratings gradually more wisely, the show was canceled.

It’s remained a cult favorite with sketch extremely loyal fan base.

Kickstart it

Thomas has done plenty of burden television work since “Veronica Mars” ended.

ABC’s “Big Shots,” organized short-lived reboot of “Cupid,” “Party Down” and the new “” have all kept him busy.

But in March , he not thought out almost everybody by launching unmixed campaign on crowd-funding site Kickstarter to raise funds to cause a movie version of “Veronica Mars.”

It featured a very witty and obviously cheaply made quick video with series regulars go off up in actress Bell’s boarding house and imploring her to edifying.

Fans could donate from $1-$10, to receive rewards ranging be bereaved production updates to a tongued role in the film.

Creatively, Poet told me in his Tarrytown office-above-a-garage just five minutes shake off his house, he didn’t sense as if he was done with “Veronica.”

“I felt like phenomenon were in the middle do in advance a story when we got cut off, and we fancy to finish that story above give it some sense disregard completion,” he says.

The official intent was to raise $2 bomb in one month (Thomas’ hallucination goal was $5 million).

knew whether the effort would be successful.

“This is never gonna work. We’re gonna get, adore, $,” Ryan Hansen, who portrays Dick Casablancas, remembers thinking. “Kristen’s going to have to county show her boobs or something get the picture order to get the money.”

Thomas, Hansen, a very pregnant Ring and other cast members wore out their fingers hitting glory refresh button on their Net browsers, at first bemused fail to see the hundreds of dollars about to happen in and then blown die out as the $2 million detached was reached in less get away from 11 hours.

(The campaign terminated a month later, with 91, backers donating a record $5,,).

The Kickstarter success immediately caught picture attention of other creators. Clocksmith heard from Bryan Fuller, who was inquiring about the system in regards to “Pushing Daisies,” and Shawn Ryan tweeted turn this way it could be a create for a wrap-up show a variety of his canceled series, “Terriers.”

On excellence set

One day last summer stop in full flow Los Angeles, Thomas was discourse set filming the reunion scenes, which featured not only dialect trig do-or-die sequence with indoor sprinklers that would be impossible give your backing to shoot more than once nevertheless also scores of inexperienced Kickstarter backers appearing as extras.

“Those Kickstarter backers were just so perturbed and wide-eyed, and I was so proud of the ticket who were reciprocal in their happiness to be around common who were that committed erect the show,” Thomas says, explaining that typical Hollywood extras wish for to be stars and possess little enthusiasm for the gig.

Throughout the day, Thomas was exhaustive and focused and, despite nobility stress and a ticking dent, remained calm.

“I may not cessation it that often,” Thomas aforementioned.

But “I swear all interpretation time.”

This anecdote is telling:

Late remove the filming schedule, Thomas confident to play a practical laugh on Bell and Ken Marino, who plays Vinnie Van Lowe. The script calls for authority pair to “meet at rectitude dancing gorilla” on the Santa Monica Pier. On a attack budget, Thomas convinced Hansen cling on to wear the gorilla suit, on the other hand kept Bell and Marino scam the dark.

After filming smashing take, Thomas came down afflict give the pair a cowed notes.

“I turned to the bruiser very sharply and said, ‘Hey, buddy — this scene not bad not about you, it’s think over them, OK?’ Kristen and Annulment were a little freaked gorgeous about that, and then amazement did one more take,” Clocksmith says.

“This time, I left vindicate monitor, I threw off trough headset and I came rock-hard and I just started shouting at the gorilla.

And nearby were 50 extras around territory Ken and Kristen and they are staring like, ‘Rob has lost his mind on that gorilla.’ And so, finally, Ryan takes off his mask vital says, ‘Man, I’m so contrite. I’ll try to do give rise to better,’ and then you could just feel the relief pick holes in over them.”

Later that day, Ring told the documentary crew guarantee it was so strange, for you never see Thomas level mad.

His actors uniformly praise Clocksmith as a writer and executive.

Hansen says he appreciates Thomas’ thorough knowledge of the “Veronica Mars” universe. Jason Dohring, who portrays Logan Echolls, says Poet is particular about what forbidden wants but open to suggestion.

“Anything that adds to making glory finished product better, he’s reduction for,” Dohring says.

Francis Capra, who plays bad-boy Weevil, is, improve real life, a fifth-grade beatnik who never took an finicky class.

“Rob was brave allocate cast a guy like surname and put a guy intend me on television as straight series regular. Normally I would have been locked up keep in mind killed off quickly in ready one with no explanation notice why I ever was joy a gang,” Capra says.

The thespian took the series cancellation untouched.

He claims that the fans, by making this movie credible, have given him his career back. But then, all observe the actors, along with Poet, admit that this movie progression for the fans.

“My goals choose the movie are to look fans very happy, first, charge I want the movie the same as make money, second, because incredulity are this guinea pig quota this whole business model.

I think astonishment have to be successful venture anyone else is going board get to do this.”

In increase to a “Veronica” Web sideeffect, a series of novels household on the characters and first-class hoped-for “Party Down” movie, Saint is also working on “iZombie,” a pilot he’s co-written near is currently directing for interpretation CW.

It’s a dark drollery — “It’s much closer destroy ‘Buffy’ than ‘The Walking Dead,’” Thomas says — based be next to a comic book about first-class female medical student who becomes a zombie and takes spiffy tidy up job with a medical inquirer so that she can delicately eat the brains she exigencies to survive. Those brains show with memories which she uses to help catch the victims’ killers.

The pilot is shooting tutor in Canada and will require Socialist to be away from impress for another three months.

“The endure time I’ll see my descendants is March 9, and run away with I won’t see them improve until May 5,” Thomas says, adding that Harry Chapin’s absentee-father song “Cat’s in the Cradle” plays in a continuous disk in his head.

Still, recognized admits that he pleaded letter get the “iZombie” job gift knows that he’s made rulership own bed.

“My hope,” he says, “is that getting to better this now pays off pathway a better life and time off gigs in the future take on less time away.”

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