2024 Judge: Timothy J. Lonsdale

Growing up in Wisconsin, Tim was a Cub Scout, Boy Scout and Explorer. He helped organize a train trip to the National Scout Ranch in Philmont, New Mexico. The next logical step was Special Forces. In 1968, he joined the Army, went to Jump School, became a Green Beret and spent a year in Vietnam as a sergeant with the 173rd Airborne Brigade.

Upon his discharge, he attended the University of Wisconsin in Madison for a BA in English and Theatre, and a BS in Secondary Ed. While there, he landed his first paid acting gig—he was cast in six radio dramas at WHA, the campus PBS station. He also acted in a play with classmate Jane (“Malcolm in the Middle”) Kaczmarek.

He decided to pursue an MFA in Acting. He chose to go to Southern Methodist University, where they offered him a full scholarship and a T.A. position. Besides, he always wanted to be a “Methodist” actor. While in Dallas, he performed with the Dallas Shakespeare Festival, got his Actors’ Equity card doing a dinner theater tour, and his SAG-AFTRA card when he was cast as a guest star in several episodes of “Dallas,” including three of the most watched TV episodes in history.

In 1981, he moved to New York where he acted Off-off-Broadway and in bit parts in multiple TV shows and films. He was accepted by acting guru Sanford Meisner for his private two-year program at the Neighborhood Playhouse.

The same week he was notified of good news from Mr. Meisner, he got a letter from the Directors Guild of America regarding an application and testing process he had begun six months earlier. The DGA was inviting him to join their two-year Training Program, which would ultimately lead to membership as an Assistant Director. He accepted the offer from the DGA. He knew he made the right choice when, on his first day on the job as a DGA Trainee, he was assigned to a movie starring Katherine Hepburn and Nick Nolte, directed by Tony Harvey.

Over the course of 34 years in production—7 in NY, 23 in LA and 4 in Atlanta—he has worked with about one hundred directors, including Marty Scorsese, Night Shyamalan, Martha Coolidge, Barnet Kellman, Harold Ramis, Shawn Levy and Carl Reiner. The scores of actors he has enjoyed working with include Meryl Streep (twice), Robert DeNiro, Gene Hackman (twice), Christopher Lloyd (twice), Bruce Willis, Jason Momoa, Samuel L. Jackson, Marlee Matlin and Jeff Bridges. He will not list the actors he did not enjoy working with.

Tim got the opportunity to direct prime time when he worked on “Charmed” (Aaron Spelling/WB Network) for five seasons as an AD. He successfully ended his “below-the-line” career when he worked as the Unit Production Manager on the first two seasons of “Stranger Things” (Netflix). Matt and Ross Duffer were nominated both years for DGA Best Directing Awards, and as such, the DGA also recognized Tim as the UPM and the Assistant Directors for their contributions as part of the directorial team. Due to the success of the show, he was invited to join the Producers Guild of America.

Now back in Wisconsin, Tim is focusing on “above-the-line” opportunities in writing, producing and directing. “Cricket” is the first film produced by his new company, Spring Lake International, llc.