On November 11, the Asian American Committee (AAC) meeting featured the panel discussion, Wrangling the Forces of Nature: The Role of the UPM, a conversation with UPM Thomas Hayslip.
During a conversation moderated by Director Wenda Fong, Hayslip — whose UPM credits include features such as Lee Isaac Chung’s Twisters, Michael Mann’s Ferrari, James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and Christopher Nolan’s Tenet and his DGA Award-winning feature, Oppenheimer — shared insights from his career, discussed the challenges of managing large-scale productions and offered a behind-the-scenes look at the art of keeping a film set running smoothly.
Recalling his entry into the industry as a 19-year-old production assistant on Oliver Stone’s feature The Doors, Hayslip said, “given an opportunity, all I could do is put everything into it and if someone believes in me enough to do something then obviously it should be achievable.”
Hayslip followed Stone and Producer A. Kitman Ho onto their next project JFK as a Research Assistant, sifting through archival footage, microfiche, and redacted documents for the film’s research needs. Regularly tasked with the elusive job of “figuring it out,” he learned early on to steer his work towards his interests and expand his skillset whenever possible.
“A. Kitman Ho said, ‘I really need help in the office, can you just do this stuff?’ And I said, ‘No problem, I’ll do it.’ I started and then I looked around and I saw agents calling, actor’s deals coming across, crew deals happening, studio conversations, marketing for the last movie and all these things that were far more interesting than what he wanted me to do. So, I thought maybe if I had some help, maybe that would help me. So, I hired a couple interns from UCLA who wanted to get into the industry. They started doing some of that work, and then I was able to refocus my attention on what I was really interested in. Talking to agents about actor’s deals, talking to crew members, learning more about equipment. I didn’t know a lot, and I only knew as much as I did until I made the effort to learn more.”
Hayslip has been a DGA member since 2011.
About the Asian American Committee:
The Asian American Committee (AAC) was created as a networking group to provide a forum for interests and issues that concern Asian-American Guild members. Through outreach efforts in the entertainment industry that emphasize career development and skills enhancement, the committee provides a variety of networking opportunities as well as screenings, seminars and discussions with industry professionals.
