Meet Tim O’leary | Filmmaker

We had the good fortune of connecting with Tim O’leary and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Tim, what inspires you?
I’m constantly inspired by the many creative people I meet in this business, but particularly my fellow queer writers and filmmakers who don’t shy away from who they are when they’re creating. I’m old enough to remember a time in American history when being gay was controversial… because it was, like, three minutes ago. When I first moved to LA, I founded the Los Angeles LGBTQIA+ TV Writers group, and through that I’ve had the pleasure of meeting a litany of writers across the queer spectrum who are absolutely crushing it and never, ever apologizing for who they are. They inspire me every single day.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I struggled for a long time to realize who I was as a writer/director. Feeling stuck, I enrolled in the Entertainment Business School, run by Kaia Alexander, and that was a game-changer. She is AMAZING. Such a great mentor and coach, and she’s become a close friend of mine. Of the many, many lessons she taught me, one of the most important was branding.

My brand is Murder & Gay Stuff. Shockingly simple, but it took me forever to solidify it. And Kaia, along with my husband Robert Rice and close friend Eric Toms, helped me realize that’s who I was. I write goofy horror stories about queer people engaging in some stabby-stabby silliness. And sometimes it gets a little dark. But there’s always a joke there.

What Kaia made me realize is the importance of individual branding. You need to know EXACTLY who you are as a creator. Saying “I write queer horror comedies with quirky leads” isn’t enough. What makes YOUR work special? It’s not easy to figure out. But when you do, it’s solid gold.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Obviously you have to do the strip in West Hollywood. I also really, really love Akbar in Silverlake. I’d take my more active friends for hikes in Malibu, and then to relax at Wi Spa. A show at the Groundlings is always good for a laugh (and you never know which esteemed alum might pop in for a show,) and we’d have to hit the Laugh Factory and the Comedy Store. If they’re into live music I’d take them to the Whisky. You have to do brunch at La Boheme, and a drag show at Hamburger Mary’s is a must. As in non-negotiable. And if they wanted to go to the beach, I’d wish them luck finding parking and send them on their way.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
The biggest of shoutouts to my husband, actor/producer Robert Rice. He was always pushing the idea of us making our own content. We had worked on a few projects, but it was making our series Demonhuntr that solidified for us the idea that we could form our own production company. After we made a distribution deal for Demonhuntr with HereTV, we were officially in business.

Plus he’s SUPER cute.

Website: https://www.timolearyonline.com

Instagram: @timolearyonline

Linkedin: @timolearyonline

Twitter: @timolearyonline

Facebook: @timolearyonline

Youtube: @timolearyonline

Other: TikTok: @murderandgaystuff

Image Credits
Theik Smith Photography