Meet Tom Farnan | Actor, Comedian. Singer.

We had the good fortune of connecting with Tom Farnan and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Tom, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking.
Risk is the singular theme to my LA Story. As in literally risking my life. Anytime you move to a bigger city, a larger market, you’re taking a risk. Not realizing just what I was putting myself through when I moved to LA, a mere three years into my journey, I lost an apartment, a job and a car, simultaneously. Leaving LA was not an option. I bought a cheap bike, couch surfed and I took any work that came my way, while peddling to multiple auditions and gigs. Riding a bike in the city, sometimes coupled with LA’s growing mass transit system, got me where I needed to go. Even after breaking both hands (on separate occasions), being ‘checked’ by multiple cars, and going through about three bicycles, it all seemed worth it. A quick PSA, biking in any busy urban environment is extremely unsafe, despite taking all necessary precautions. I don’t recommend it for everyone but you do you! I did this for almost a decade. Biking all over LA became part of my identity. For a minute, I billed myself as Actor, Comedian, Commuter. I learned to repair my bikes. I would repair other people’s bikes. I didn’t think that I would learn this new skill but here we are. My deep gratitude goes out to the people who supported me during that low, albeit exciting time. Friends admired the hustle and helped in any way they could and I will never forget them for that. Not long ago, a commercial session director asked me if I was still on the bike. It’s been a while, but those times certainly made an impression on the people in my universe. Assessing what I had at that time, which was practically nothing, I had nothing to lose by keeping going. As they say, ‘Sometimes the only way out, is through’.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I star in commercials. So many very fun spots over the years. When I work, it’s always a unique experience. You arrive to set memorized and prepared (as you should) but you never know what surprises are just around the corner until you get on set. In my experience it’s important to be humble, nimble, and adaptable to change ‘on the fly’. In multiple spots, I’ve worked with animal actors. Commercials have taken me on location to places I never thought I would go, like the beaches of Costa Rica and the ‘suburbs’ of Cape Town, South Africa. It’s been an exciting ride. Not everybody can say they that get to work in Hollywood, with the best and brightest, in ‘The Biz’. This town is never short of opportunities to be in front of the camera, or get on stage. Starring in a friend’s passion project, is an honor. Booking a short, and shooting it in a parking lot in Silverlake, sign me up. Voice acting has taken me in many directions, for example, audio books; voicing, producing and editing a mix of different books. I’m also proud to give back to other actors, helping being a reader for auditions. I have been working with one actor for a few years where English isn’t their first language, to help reduce their accent, to some great success. This relationship in particular happened because we were in a Hollywood Fringe show. A strong message for actors to network outside of your comfort zone and be an asset to other performers, especially during slow times.

My early memories of performing comedy begin with the nationally known improv comedy competition show, ComedySportz in Kansas City and again in Chicago, where I moved to attend Columbia College. Even after receiving my BA in theater, my education was incomplete. I arrived in Chicago during a golden era of improvisation and sketch and took advantage of learning from the best performers and teachers of the time. The Second City, IO, and The Annoyance Theater, all had training programs where folks from all over the world flocked to study different forms of improvisation beyond the structure of games that had made ComedySportz a success. When I arrived in LA in 2006, having Chicago improv on my resume was helpful in many ways, like securing representation. It opened a lot of doors. from having the coolest job at Universal Studios theme park, to producing musical improv shows in Hollywood, to teaching improvisation. It wasn’t until I got to LA that I tried stand-up. Like, tried, tried it. Meaning, going out night after night, hitting regular open mics. In the past I’m sure I winged it on a couple of occasions. ComedySportz made me comfortable with being an emcee, but writing jokes is way different. It’s solitary work, delivered solitarily. They’re not all Rock Star moments. You keep showing up, work the material good enough, sometimes you can strike gold. Chances are you’ll end up hosting one of those random open mics, because I did, for months. Being willing, engaging and nice goes a long way, when it comes to booking in venues you never thought you’d do comedy. Going up at The Comedy Store, Flappers, and The Hollywood Improv has been surreal, but so is working alternative venues, like someones backyard, or a strip mall. Comedy is everywhere in LA.

Singing is the more daunting pursuit. All those times my dad forced me to sing Danny Boy in front of relatives, paid off. I was one of those high school theater kids that was in the plays, musicals and Show Choir. My junior/senior years The North Kansas City Harmonaires was quite a spectacle for the midwest in the 80’s. Lots and lots of blue sequins! Highlights from that experience include singing the National Anthem at a Royals game and traveling to Europe to ultimately perform at Luxembourg’s Bicentennial for the Archduke and Duchess of the country. Talk about feeling like a rockstar! I was a teenager that had never been on an airplane before and here I was landing in Paris, at one point singing chamber music in Notre Dame Cathedral, touring country after country, visiting hallowed ground that had a complicated past. It was a once in lifetime experience! Admittedly, there was this ‘cheese factor’ that I really leaned into. Because of my earlier TV influences I was really taken with the Lounge Singer; (i.e Tony Clifton, Nick The Lounge Singer from SNL, Sonny Mann from “It’s A Living”) both a maligned and celebrated archetype. I was determined to create my own lounge act. I don’t know why exactly. It just felt right. Theater training helped me shape this character. Improv gave me a generous platform to workshop this character, but it wasn’t until I took literal pen to paper and wrote a show for that character, Velvet Tom was born. “Velvet Tom’s Red Shoe Diaries” a fictional musical comedy origin story of Velvet Tom, told with recognizable hit music from many decades and genres, had a brief and successful run in Chicago with the help of four ComedySportz alumni. Shout out to Steph, Stephanie, Lori and Alida. At about the same time, a movie producer reached out and asked me to submit an original song for a movie called “The Killer Next Door” starring Billy Dee Williams and Danica McKeller. So I wrote “She Got Gittin’ While The Gittin’ Got Good”, a boozy ballad about lost love, inspired by Sinatra’s “One For My Baby…” I recorded it in a day, with musician Jeff Shivar, and the song actually appeared in the opening scene of that very movie. I just happened to catch it one night on cable a long time ago and I’ve never seen it since. Apparently, there’s a Region 2 DVD of the movie floating around on Amazon. In LA, Velvet Tom hosted ‘The Velvet Tom Cabaret Hour’ at Three Clubs, produced by Lili VonSchtupp of Monday Night Tease. It was an unhinged cabaret show I created with Aryiel Hartman. It featured comedians, musicians and burlesque artists. Each month, we would premiere a new broadly themed mashup or medley, in between our characters breaking up then making up by the end of the show. Unsure where to take the act next, I made my way to The Dresden to sing with Marty and Elayne, who were a big influence for me after seeing their appearance in the movie, Swingers. On Tuesday nights, they invited people up to the mic to sing a song, and if they liked you, they invited you to sing another. Getting to know them for those years was a dream come true. I was in the presence of lounge greatness. I cherish the friendships I have with the other singers at The Dresden. It truly has been a blessing. As we all remember, Lock Down halted live performance. Like a lot of creatives, I tried my hand at podcasting. ‘Bad Timing With Velvet Tom’ released its first episode in the early days of Lock Down. It’s an artists interview podcast that released about 18 episodes total. I had conversations with my artistic friends about their careers. Surprisingly enough, people are still ‘tuning in’ and listening to that tiny archive of shows. Going forward, I’d love nothing more than to get back out there and perform live at other jazz venues in LA, and I am headed back to the studio this spring to record some tracks for an upcoming EP.

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?
There is always something to experience in this town and hosting friends is a good excuse to hit up some of the old haunts.
Let’s begin by driving around the city and getting a lay of the land. Make a stop in Santa Monica for lunch at Blue Plate Taco on Ocean Ave. Cut through Westwood into UCLA campus and connect with Sunset Blvd, and pop into the Beverly Hills hotel and take a quick walking tour of the property. You are sure to have a couple of great celebrity sightings as they breeze past you to the valet. That is exactly how my sister ran into Warren Beatty! Continue on to West Hollywood on the Sunset Strip and point out some of the remaining rock venues like the Whiskey and Rainbow Room. Other daylight events include hiking up to Griffith Observatory, going to Universal Studios Hollywood or make it a day at Disneyland. For certain Sundays, it’s off to Pasadena for the Rose Bowl Flea Market. Once you’ve seen your first sunset over the beach, it’s time to hit the streets and take in some of LA’s more interesting nightlife. Jumbo’s Clown Room is an LA institution! All I can say is, bring a lot of $1 bills! Make a stop at The Dresden for their unique decor, excellent drinks from a topnotch bar staff, and eclectic entertainment. If you want to see your favorite musical act, look no further than our amphitheaters, The Greek and The Hollywood Bowl. If comedy is what you want, back to Sunset to The Comedy Store, or Flapper’s in Burbank! Always keep a lookout for the elusive pink corvette in Hollywood for a possible Anglyne sighting! Something is always happening! Become part of a live studio audience to numerous sit-coms, game shows, or Kimmel! LA is a place to create lasting memories! Join us, won’t you?

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I have so many people to thank who are a part of this LA Story. My wife, Thaphne. My family in Kansas City. ComedySportz Worldwide, The Chicago Theater and Improv communities. Laura Soo Hoo, Francene Selkirk, Steph DeWaegeneer, Aryiel Hartman, Corbin Bronson, Kerry and Deana, Monica, Kristen and Kaity, Quincy, Patrick Simon, Whitney Melton, Tomoko Karina, Lili VonSchtupp, Marty and Elayne Roberts and the friends I made over at The Dresden. The LA Comedy community. The LA Jazz community. Los Lobos de Los Feliz. The New York Windows Cast from Universal. You all have rescued me in some way, and given me the purpose, energy and strength to keep going.

Website: https://velvettom.com

Instagram: @velvettom

Image Credits
Brezinski Photography
Clarence Alford Photography
Willy Laszlo, DP
Tom’s IPhone