Are you sick of negative comments about your ambitions? Geoff Thompson went from floor sweeper to film maker. We reveal how.
Are you stuck, crippled by negative comments like “stop dreaming, you can’t making a living from your passion”? That’s exactly what Geoff was told. He was once a floor sweeper with ambitions above his station. However, he didn’t let their dismissive comments deter him. He wrote his first book on the toilet with no money or resources!
Read on to learn how you can move forward with your goals if you’re willing to pay the price and use your 24 hours wisely.
Geoff after winning his BAFTA with wife Sharon
So who is Geoff to give you advice on success? Well he went from sweeping floors in a factory to the brawling nightclub doors, to standing on stage winning a BAFTA in front of the worlds glitterati. And more importantly he did it with fewer resources than you have at your fingertips RIGHT NOW! As well as award winning script’s, he’s the author of over thirty popular books and was polled the number one self-defense instructor in the world.
Geoff, thank you for inviting me to your lovely house. Lets jump right in. What inspired you to become a writer?
I had lots of depression when I was younger. I had this particular bad depression and it kept visiting me. I think it was because I was root bound. I had all this creative energy and I wasn’t placing it anywhere. Every time I tried doing something with it people would say “Who do you think you are! That’s not for the likes of us. Just be grateful for what you’ve got”.
I had a lot of fear and I didn’t know why. I read a lot to figure it out and none of the books told me what I wanted to know. They were written by people who seemed to be frightened to actually say why they were scared. I thought if I ever discover what this is, I’m going write it down and tell people.
The spot light is on Geoff
So you didn’t find the answer in the books, how did you combat your fears?
I thought I’m sick of this I’m going do something about it. I decided if I can overcome all my fears I won’t be frightened anymore. So I wrote all my fears down on a pyramid and systematically confronted them one by one. My final challenge was to face my fear of violent confrontation. I became a nightclub doorman and that’s where everything started.
“Bouncer” artwork by Julian Kimmings
Before we go into your experience on the doors, lets back track a little. You say you had a lot of depression when you were younger. Tell me about the things you used to do as a child, what were you interested in?
I was one of those strange kids who would go off on my own and dare myself to do challenges. What I was really into as a kid was climbing trees. I had to climb every tree on the estate and they were huge oak trees. I would climb right to the top. I didn’t want to hammer nails in and give myself foot holes. I wanted to find my own way up, a different way, so it’s always been in me to do that.
I used to go scrumping on my own, climbing over garden walls and pinching peoples apples. Sometimes I would be terrified that I’d get caught. I’d be overwhelmed and panic, but I would still go and do it all over again.
“Scrumping” artwork by Julian Kimmings
Was this in your own neighborhood?
No I never stayed on my own estate. I was one of these people that enjoyed going off and breaking the boundaries. Hanging around miles and miles from where I lived. I was never comfortable just staying where I was. I always thought there was more. I wanted to break out of that cast and experience all sorts of different things and meet different people. I was overwhelmed at times and I was completely out of my depth, but that excited me.
What did you want to be when you grew up?
I wanted to be a world class goal keeper. When I got to senior school I changed my mind and got into martial arts and put all my energy into that.
Geoff is a black belt in several different martial arts
What initially sparked your interest in martial arts?
Bruce Lee, I watched him and that changed my life. I’m still grateful for that now. He liberated me. It gave me an outlet for my energy and I heavily immersed myself in it. In fact it was like an obsession. It ended up becoming my career. It even took me to the world stage and I arranged to give up my day job, just so I could train and tour.
What job did you have at the time?
Oh god, loads, everything from selling carpets to laying roads and making pizzas. I also worked at a chemical factory, hod carrying, brick laying and floor cleaner at a factory. And then working on the doors.
A scene from Geoff’s film “Clubbed”. Actor Mel Raido who plays the lead character Danny
You mentioned earlier that things really started when you worked on the nightclub doors. Why was that?
Doing it changed my whole life. That lovely saying by Nietzsche, “You have to be careful that when you hunt the dragon you don’t become the dragon”. I went from being a scared kid and hating bullies to becoming hugely violent and using violence as a problem solving tool. I had become the dragon and I was justifying that. And it was only when I started to write about it that I realized I was in the wrong place. Well, I was in the right place originally, but I’d stayed there too long.
A scene from “Clubbed” actor Mel Raido learning fighting techniques
It was very perceptive of you to realize what was happening. What was your next move?
I left the doors and that’s when I started teaching. But it was that experience of mastering myself, facing my fears straight on, that’s what completely changed my life. That experience has been my reference point ever since. I remember occasions when guys were attacking me and trying to kill me. I then think, “doing an interview on national TV might be scary, but it’s not as bad as someone trying to kill me. What’s the worst thing that can happen? I’m not going to get stabbed, my life isn’t at risk” and it puts everything into perspective.
Geoff teaching fighting techniques to actor Mel Raido
Talk me through the process of writing your first book?
When I was working the doors, I was still sweeping floors and would sit in the canteen and tell the lads what happened the night before. It was either very funny or extremely violent or shocking. One of my friends said, “This is great stuff, these stories are amazing, you should write them down”. Of course I’d wanted to be a writer since I was a kid.
“Inspire” artwork by Julian Kimmings
I would get my work done and then go into the factory toilet and just sit there and write. Interestingly my other friend, who also worked at the club, was going to write a book about the doors too. He had masses of experience and was going to call it “Watch my back”. I said, “that’s a great title”. So I used it as a temporary title. Then when I went to get the book published, I had to ring him and ask for his permission. He said “Yeah, I don’t think I’ll ever write mine” and he never did!
A scene from Geoffs film “Clubbed”
It’s a shame that people have dreams and never take any action on them. What was your next step after writing the book?
I had it typed and it must have sat on the shelf for a long time. I then met a friend of mine called Ian Mclaina, he was one of those guys who can spin twenty plates; he believed you could do anything. He said “We’ll get it out” and although he didn’t get it published he got my momentum going again. I sent it out to quite a few big publishers and didn’t get anything back.
Geoff hanging out with the actors from his film “Clubbed”
I then took it to The Telegraph where Sue Lawry said “Before I read it, I want to tell you. There are fifteen reporters upstairs ALL of them want to write books. They don’t want to be journalists. But they haven’t taken any action. You’ve already gone and done it”.
After reading it she told me “There’s some really nice stuff here. You have an original voice, but it needs expanding, more description”. I went away and followed her advice. I then sent it to a small publisher. It turned out they were actually two lads working from their dads living room. They had just left University. But I was given the impression they were some big conglomerate. At that time they had only published one book. Now, they’re a multi-million pound business.
A scene from Geoff’s film “Clubbed” actor Scot Williams who plays Sparky
They had obviously marketed themselves well to give you that impression of professionalism. How did things move forward from there?
They told me “We don’t think it will make you lots of money and we’re only a small publisher. You’ll get royalties but we can’t give you an advance”. I didn’t care I was just excited about being published.
They published it and suddenly my whole belief system changed. I was thinking, “right so people like me can write and get published”. Everyone had told me I couldn’t do it. Then the floodgates opened. I wrote five books in a year. I’ve written over thirty since. I thought ”I can do anything”. That’s when I went into writing plays and journalism, everything I fancied doing I would go for it. It was really exciting.
A scene from “Clubbed”
How long did it take to publish your first book and how successful was it?
They had it for about 18 months and it sold quite well. They ended up with five hundred left, which they were just going to sell over time. But I said “Look I think I can do more with this, will you let me buy the copyright back?”. And they did which I think they’ve regretted ever since because it’s sold over a hundred thousand.
I reprinted it in hard back. I put it out and started doing courses and teaching and I started printing other books as well. I’d decided to self publish my other books. I looked at what they were doing, and the unit cost of printing a book. I thought, “well I could do this myself”. If I printed it myself and sell it, I can make much more money. I’ve self-published ever since.
Click here for Part 2 Of This Interview where Geoff tells what it actually takes to be successful and the questions you need to ask yourself. Plus how to combat stress and what he does to ensure both his mind and body are in top shape. Also don’t miss what this martial arts expert has to say about food and how he maintains a healthy diet whilst still eating cake and curry.
