We’re looking forward to introducing you to Thomas Bellezza. Check out our conversation below.
Hi Thomas, thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day to share your story, experiences and insights with our readers. Let’s jump right in with an interesting one: What do you think is misunderstood about your business?
If we’re talking about being an author, that success is more than writing a book, watching it hit maybe 100 sales in a year, then writing another book, thinking it’ll all change: rinse and repeat.
When in reality, being an author, comedian, actor, or donut shop owner is all the same: you have to run it like a business. Doors don’t open because I made something, something that’ll change with each new creation.
How many books has an author written where it’s identical to the last one? It’s always different, even if it’s part of a series or saga. A book’s brand, style, tone, and substance are going to change with each new written version.
What makes a business successful are the 3 Needs of Success: network, market, and practice. And all three of these things have to do with relationships. Who you know, who knows you, and how well you know yourself.
Relationships are fundamental for creating opportunities, opening doors, having people fight for you and root for you, and, of course, introducing you to more people for potential new relationships.
Remember, the five people you hang out with the most become the world you live in. So if you’re hanging out with people doing nothing but their creative endeavors, focusing on writing the next great book… what’s really happening?
I call it the Circle of Influence, not to influence your career but to help influence better, stronger habits that’ll lead to changing old routines and developing more proactive choices.
The misunderstanding is that books sell themselves, open doors, and build careers. But in reality, it’s people. The people around you, the people who remember you, and yourself and how you add value to the tables you join.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Without sounding like a list of accomplishments, I’m simply a creative soul who has continued to live the dream of getting to do what I love doing: write and develop stories.
And my long career is in part due to the business I developed, the chances I took, and the clients I’ve worked with over the last twenty years. And sure, I’ve been a musician and comedian, touring, and an actor, writer, and producer.
But more importantly, I’m a developmental editor and writing teacher, helping writers and authors develop their manuscripts, screenplays, or memoirs. There’s a kindness in seeing people complete ideas.
Each venture has always been driven by my missions, whether it’s BBR Production, Team Rise Together, or The Write Mindset. I do what I do for the greater gathering of like-minded souls and community.
That’s why I started Team Rise Together, my nonprofit that elevates those guided by group mentality. The mission is simple: work, grow, and rise together. It’s not about the “me” mentality. It’s about the “we” mentality.
For three years now, I’ve had the privilege of teaching people on YouTube, giving insight and direction for writers over at The Write Mindset. It’s been growing ever since I started. I do lives on Saturdays & Sundays at 2pm EST.
https://www.youtube.com/@thewritemindset
I’ve recently released the first of five books in a self-help series. I wrote it to help people understand the difference between the Artist Brain and the Business Brain, reframing the brain for success in the entertainment industry.
“The Foundation for Longevity” is book 1 in the Breaking Down Success series.
https://amzn.to/4mbh97n
Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. What breaks the bonds between people—and what restores them?
Selfishness, lies, hate, jealousy. Anything that comes with it is a negative drive of the “me” mentality. The things that drive people to be their ugliest selves. The things that’ll make people sick to their stomach as they become aware.
It’s the selfishness of mankind that drives people to take advantage of people, to push them to use others, and to drain them of their resources: their time, money, and the relationships around them.
Selfishness breeds lies, hate, and jealousy. It consumes a person in the heart of needing to be right, to win, to blow the people off of the stage, to want to see an author’s book fail, and to hope that even in their own loss, others lose too.
But the path to restore it all, the path of potential, life, and regaining a sense of connection with the world around you… Now that’s a hard path to find. It’ll take effort, hope, and strength. For it’s easy to be selfish, but to give…
Selflessness, truth, love, admiration. Anything that comes with it is a positive drive of the “we” mentality. The things that drive people to be their best selves. The things that make people feel alive, in the moment, and a part of it all.
These things bring people together. These things solve problems on the micro and macro levels of life itself. It’s how we get to the moon, cure sickness, or feed those starving.
Selflessness inspires truth, love, and admiration. It elevates the people around us, fueling purpose and missions. The power of rising as one, held in the arms of many, creates a path to endless possibilities.
We cannot climb out of a hole alone when thirty people are trying to do it themselves. We need to get on each other’s backs, supporting people, and then at the top, lean down to lift others up.
Is there something you miss that no one else knows about?
My theater. I really miss the community of it. I had a place built where people could try things, art could be explored, and creative people could unite to have a lot of fun without feeling the pressure of needing to be perfect.
I miss walking out into the theater space from the office area to see people sitting on the stage at three in the afternoon, reading or writing. That my door was always open to the people of the community.
I didn’t build it to make money. I had my production company and consulting to do that. I built it to give people a chance. One I didn’t have when I was younger.
I want it to be a place where I could say yes to those who heard no all too often or people who weren’t given a chance. The light and positive energy of the space gave people hope that their idea wasn’t a wasted one.
The Rose Theater was a lovely, few-thousand-foot location that had a strong run and brought me to a lot of the people I’m still friends with today. Some of whom are considered family now.
Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. What do you believe is true but cannot prove?
Financial IQ should be a greater part of the educational system, not because we’re a capitalist country, but to put power back in the hands of the young and generate better, stronger habits for the future.
I believe that we need to know how money works, that if a kid was taught the value of money and learned to save it and when and where to put it, by the time they’re in their twenties, money won’t be an issue for them.
That money is the thing that holds us back. We either don’t have enough of it, or we don’t know what to do with it and live off of it until it’s gone. Always trying to find ways to work to replenish it, instead of letting it work for us.
If I had the money and the resources myself, I would support the people around me with a trust. But my family didn’t know better; they didn’t teach me anything about money beyond getting a job and earning cash.
I learned in my twenties it was more about opening a business, not working a job. A business gives you power and growth and elevates potential. Every job I had was a “maybe tomorrow I’ll have it.” The business…
The business gave me a sense of purpose. I knew that all my effort would be rewarded if I put it in. If I just went in to make money, the business would fail. If I tried, pushed myself, and developed it, it would grow, and it did.
We’re not taught about compound interest, how to save money, or what to invest in. We’re taught to earn money, pay your bills, and buy things. When in reality, there’s a system to be discovered that can help people build futures.
I can’t prove this because it’s hard to change the minds of what has been cemented into our souls growing up. Even as a consultant, clients have a hard time understanding the value of startup capital.
Trying to explain to someone that they need startup capital to build a career in entertainment is difficult. The idea is scary. That it would take five years to save up 60k to live off of so they can dedicate their lives to getting involved.
But five years vanish. And you can’t take chances or get involved if you’re broke and need to work 40 hours a week at a job that has nothing to do with the field you’re interested in.
I could go on… But I do hope one day we start coming together as a community and rebuild the foundation of how to elevate future generations. Until then, I’ll keep doing my small part to break those misconceptions.
Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. What will you regret not doing?
Saying no more. Taking a chance while leaving people behind. I believed in people far too much when I was younger and thought that if the opportunities that came my way would only take me, then I wasn’t interested.
Nowadays, it’s important to remember that if someone comes to you and says that they want to give you a chance, but not your friends, you say yes. Why? I’ll tell you: because you can build your influence within and then do what?
Pull your friends up. The doors of success are held closed by gatekeepers, shakers and movers, and people that have specific intentions that might not align with… oh, I don’t know, caring about people.
The only way to change that system is to replace those gatekeepers with new ideals and people that want to see change and make an effort to change it. People like you, me, and those who wish someone would have taken a chance on them.
I had to make my own way, create opportunities, and work around the doors. And even then, it was hard until I built relationships. Those relationships led me to positions of power where I could help others.
When I was in a band, I was offered contracts twice. Twice. And each time they said they wanted to sign me and that I should get rid of my band members and find others.
I said no. Twice. We’re a brotherhood, and it’s all of us or nothing. A fool I was, and still I thought I was doing the right thing. To be fair, the band was happy I turned it down. They didn’t want to be left behind.
But here’s the thing: if I did take it, I could have built my influence, power, and position in that field. And it would happen. One day I would be able to say, “Hey, come on up!” Not only that, but I’d be able to help others.
Eminem did it with D12, 50 Cent, and other artists that he signed to his label, Shady Records. Yep, if you didn’t know, Eminem was part of D12. But when Eminem was signed, it was for him. So he did the work, grew, and lifted them.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://makearightlefthere.com/
- Instagram: http://instagram.com/thomasjbellezza
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bbrproductions/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/ThomasJBellezza
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheWriteMindsetTJB
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheWriteMindset
- Other: https://amzn.to/4mbh97n
Image Credits
David Genik
Thomas J. Bellezza
Beatrice Sniper
