How Ty Gordon Created His Own Hollywood Dream

WEST HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 13: Ty Gordon attends the "Never Forgotten" Los Angeles Premiere at The London West Hollywood at Beverly Hills on November 13, 2021 in West Hollywood, California. (Photo by Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Wooden Finger Studios and Unpaved Rodes Entertainment)

All start-ups come with risk—financial, reputational, emotional. This challenge never deterred Ty Gordon, because all of this risk can be mitigated through passion. With an appetite for original storytelling and a dream to pursue a career in film making, Gordon never hesitated when he had the opportunity to create an independent studio.

Today, Gordon is the President and CEO of Wooden Finger Studios, a multi-faceted media company located in Marina del Rey, California. Among its product portfolio is a short film, two feature films, a mobile app video game and a graphic novel. Under Gordon’s leadership, the company has used a fearless approach to differentiate itself from other studios with a diverse set of products. The strategy is one that only the largest production studios have been able to master, and yet this start-up is already making significant strides in the industry with its innovative and ambitious approach.

Gordon receives operational and creative support from Robert Thomas Preston, the Vice President and COO, along with Andrew John Lee Tevis, an associate producer. But as CEO, Gordon carries a massive weight on his shoulders to advance the business, vision and creative endeavors of the company.

Where the Dream Started

As is the case with most successes, Gordon’s in the film industry began with a seed of passion and a whole lot of hard work. By the time he turned 20, he had already garnered an internship as a production assistant on the TV show Leverage, and then four years later earned the chance to intern for filmmaker T. C. Johnstone. These opportunities served to lay the groundwork for the requisite industry experience.

The success story was already being written for Gordon, only to be jeopardized by personal loss and drug and alcohol abuse in 2015. What helped save him during those difficult times was the sanctuary of writing and creating new stories. Within two years, he hit a turning point. In 2017, he earned yet another internship in the industry, this time with The Bible Project. There, he honed his skills in developing scripts and managing production.

The final piece of the puzzle before starting Wooden Finger Studios came with a film apprenticeship at The Film Connection. While working there, Gordon directed his first film, a short called Harm.

Knowing that his dreams were now within reach and wanting to parlay the success of Harm into the chance to run his own production studio, he brought in Preston and Tevis to help make the dream a reality—and they have hit the ground running with no slowdowns in sight.

A Storyteller at Heart

When passion drives business, business is more successful. As a leader, Gordon helps Wooden Finger Studios remain steadfast in telling captivating narratives. That is undoubtedly because of his personal commitment to storytelling. An actor, screenwriter, director and producer, Gordon’s skill set is as versatile as the company he is currently running.

One major storytelling endeavor that he has undertaken is the creation of a world that exists across media. This is showcased in both the Ethereal mobile video game and the Ethereal graphic novel, and a screenplay for a feature film currently called World War III is also in the works.

The vision to not only create this world but bring it to life for a multi-media existence highlights both Gordon’s ingenuity and originality. It’s enough to make this moment in Gordon’s own story feel very much like the beginning of something special.