Tommy Wallach

Wallach was born in Stamford, CT and raised in Bellevue, WA. His mother, Stephanie Wallach, was the 10th female commercial airline pilot in the United States. Wallach attended NYU Tisch, eventually graduating from the Gallatin School of Individualized Study, and received an MA in Journalism from Stanford University.

Wallach's first published short story, "Breaker," appeared on McSweeney's Internet Tendency when he was only 18. He went on to publish short fiction and non-fiction in the print edition of McSweeney's, Tin House, Zyzzyva, Wired, ReadyMade, and various other places.

Wallach's first novel, We All Looked Up, was published in 2015 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.{{cite magazine |last=Comfort |first=Stacey |date=February 2015 |title=We All Looked Up |url=https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A402739169/AONE?u=wikipedia&sid=bookmark-AONE&xid=8339b1b5 |magazine=Booklist |via=Gale |volume=111 |number=11 |pages=49–50 |id={{EBSCOhost|100783163}} |accessdate=2025-06-16 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20250616043309/https://go.gale.com/ps/i.do?p=AONE&u=wikipedia&id=GALE%7CA402739169&v=2.1&it=r&sid=bookmark-AONE&asid=8339b1b5 |archivedate=2025-06-16 }}{{cite magazine |date=June 2015 |title=We All Looked Up |url=https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A421615542/AONE?u=wikipedia&sid=bookmark-AONE&xid=add51bdd |magazine=Hollins Critic |via=Gale |volume=52 |number=3 |pages=19+ |accessdate=2025-06-16 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20250616045017/https://go.gale.com/ps/i.do?p=AONE&u=wikipedia&id=GALE%7CA421615542&v=2.1&it=r&sid=bookmark-AONE&asid=add51bdd |archivedate=2025-06-16 }}{{cite magazine |date=2015-12-02 |title=We All Looked Up |url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/9781481418775 |magazine=Publishers Weekly |volume=262 |number=49 |page=100 |id={{Gale|A436234298}} |accessdate=2025-06-16 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20250616043837/https://www.publishersweekly.com/9781481418775 |archivedate=2025-06-16 }} Sam Sinclair of School Librarian described "Wallach as "an interesting combination of writer and musician" whose debut novel "feels very different to the current crop of dystopian teen novels" and noted that the film rights had already been optioned by Paramount.{{cite magazine |last=Sinclair |first=Sam |date=2015-09-22 |title=Wallach, Tommy: We All Looked Up |url=https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A431446293/AONE?u=wikipedia&sid=bookmark-AONE&xid=f1a0b3b8 |magazine=School Librarian |via=Gale |volume=63 |number=3 |page=186 |accessdate=2025-06-16 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20250616045145/https://go.gale.com/ps/i.do?p=AONE&u=wikipedia&id=GALE%7CA431446293&v=2.1&it=r&sid=bookmark-AONE&asid=f1a0b3b8 |archivedate=2025-06-16 }} It would spend a total of 26 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list and receive numerous accolades,{{citation needed|date=June 2025}} including starred reviews in VOYA, Kirkus, School Library Journal, and Publishers Weekly and being chosen as a CBC Children's Book Award Finalist.{{citation needed|date=June 2025}} It has since been published in over a dozen languages/territories.

Wallach's second novel, Thanks for the Trouble, was published in 2016.{{Cite book |url=https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Thanks-for-the-Trouble/Tommy-Wallach/9781481418812 |title=Thanks for the Trouble |date=2017-06-06 |isbn=978-1-4814-1881-2 |language=en}} It was reviewed in the New York Times, which called its female protagonist "a sparkling creation, as mysterious as a mermaid," and said "at its best, the novel carries a worthy message: No life is without pain — or promise."{{cite news |last=Giles |first=Jeff |date=2016-04-10 |title=Y.A. Crossover |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/10/books/review/ya-crossover.html |newspaper=The New York Times Book Review |id={{ProQuest|1780543461}} |accessdate=2025-06-16 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170913044618/https://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/10/books/review/ya-crossover.html |archivedate=2017-09-13 }}

Wallach then published The Anchor & Sophia, a trilogy of books comprising Strange Fire,{{cite magazine |last=Cart |first=Michael |date=August 2017 |title=Strange Fire |url=https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A501718961/AONE?u=wikipedia&sid=bookmark-AONE&xid=19a4b26e |magazine=Booklist |via=Gale |volume=113 |number=22 |page=78 |accessdate=2025-06-16 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20250616044305/https://go.gale.com/ps/i.do?p=AONE&u=wikipedia&id=GALE%7CA501718961&v=2.1&it=r&sid=bookmark-AONE&asid=19a4b26e |archivedate=2025-06-16 }} Slow Burn, and Scorched Earth.{{Cite book |url=https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Strange-Fire/Tommy-Wallach/The-Anchor-Sophia/9781481468398 |title=Strange Fire |date=2018-09-04 |isbn=978-1-4814-6839-8 |language=en}}

In 2025, Wallach released Outer Wilds, an eponymous book-length study of the seminal 2019 video game developed by Mobius Digital and published by Annapurna Interactive.{{Cite web |title=Outer Wilds by Tommy Wallach |url=https://bossfightbooks.com/products/outer-wilds-by-tommy-wallach |access-date=2025-05-29 |website=bossfightbooks.com |language=en}} This monograph was an entry in the long-running Boss Fight Books series edited by Gabe Durham.

Wallach is the co-creator of the forthcoming Paramount+ show Unspeakable: The Murder of JonBenet Ramsey alongside Harrison Query and Richard LaGravenese. The show stars Clive Owen and Melissa McCarthy as John and Patsy Ramsey, parents of the tragically murdered JonBenet Ramsey. It co-stars Garrett Hedlund, Alison Pill, Shea Whigham, Owen Teague, Rory Cochrane, and Margo Martindale.{{Cite web |last=Strause |first=Jackie |date=2025-01-06 |title=JonBenét Ramsey Series at Paramount+ to Be Part of Anthology on Unsolved Crimes |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/jonbenet-ramsey-series-paramount-anthology-1236100135/ |access-date=2025-05-30 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |language=en-US}} LaGravenese acted as showrunner, and the pilot was directed by Anne Sewitsky.

Wallach and Query sold the spec script Delilah to Screen Gems in 2021.{{Cite web |last=Fleming |first=Mike Jr. |date=2021-01-16 |title=Screen Gems Acquires Harrison Query & Tommy Wallach Spec 'Delilah' |url=https://deadline.com/2021/01/screen-gems-delilah-harrison-query-tommy-wallach-spec-script-1234675176/ |access-date=2025-05-30 |website=Deadline |language=en-US}} Wallach was also tapped to do a production polish on the feature film Charlie 3D for Mandalay Pictures.{{Cite web |last=Busch |first=Anita |date=2018-06-13 |title=Mandalay Pictures Options 'Charlie 3D' From Writer-Director Scott Speer |url=https://deadline.com/2018/06/charlie-3d-writer-director-scott-speer-1202409259/ |access-date=2025-05-30 |website=Deadline |language=en-US}}

In 2023, the pilot for Wallach's comedy series PV & Franny was recorded as a podcast with Table Read Podcast. The episode starred Kensington Tallman, Ty Burrell, and Fred Armisen.{{Cite web |last=Huston |first=Caitlin |date=2025-01-15 |title=Hoping to Get a Script Noticed? This Podcast Wants to Help |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/digital/table-read-podcast-scripts-1236093023/ |access-date=2025-05-30 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |language=en-US}}

Throughout the aughts, Wallach posted original songs and videos on YouTube and DailyMotion. Combined, his videos have over half a million views. In 2008, Decca Records released Wallach's eponymous debut EP after he won Gather.com's "First Tracks" contest.{{Cite web |last=Liu |first=Marian |date=2008-05-02 |title=Bumbershoot adds Ludacris and more |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/bumbershoot-adds-ludacris-and-more/ |access-date=2025-05-30 |website=The Seattle Times |language=en-US}}

File:Wallach at the Varnish, 2023.png

In 2010, Wallach's original stop-motion video for his song "Whisper" (co-directed by Tallie Maughan) was shortlisted for the YouTube Play festival. As a result, Wallach was invited to perform at the Guggenheim Museum alongside OK Go and Michael Showalter.{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAdHOnQIip0 |title=Tommy Wallach: excerpt from YouTube Play at the Guggenheim |date=2010-10-21 |publisher=YouTube Play (2010) |access-date=2025-05-30 |via=YouTube}} Glen Gamboa described the album for Newsday: "Newcomer Tommy Wallach clearly idolizes the gorgeous, clever piano-pop of Rufus Wainwright. The inspiration runs throughout his debut EP, "Tommy Wallach" (Decca)."{{cite magazine |last=Gamboa |first=Glen |date=2009-01-06 |title=Drops |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/newsday/174606632/ |newspaper=Newsday |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=2025-06-16 |archiveurl=https://archive.today/2025.06.16-045645/https://www.newspapers.com/article/newsday/174606632/ |archivedate=2025-06-16 }}

In 2014, he released the LP I Meant It To Be Sweet, produced by Giulio Carmassi (of the Pat Metheny Unity Group). Additional production was performed by Benjamin Lazar Davis (Okkervil River, Maya Hawke), and two tracks were recorded at Tiny Telephone Studios, where John Vanderslice provided additional keyboards.{{Cite web |title=I Meant It To Be Sweet, by Tommy Wallach |url=https://tommywallach.bandcamp.com/album/i-meant-it-to-be-sweet |access-date=2025-05-30 |website=Tommy Wallach |language=en |via=Bandcamp}}

In 2018, he released the LP We All Looked Up: The Album, a companion record to his debut novel of the same name. The record was produced by Benjamin Lazar Davis, and features additional strings from Joan Wasser (Joan as Police Woman).{{Cite web |title=We All Looked Up: The Album, by Tommy Wallach |url=https://tommywallach.bandcamp.com/album/we-all-looked-up-the-album |access-date=2025-05-30 |website=Tommy Wallach |language=en |via=Bandcamp}}

Wallach was one of the house musicians at the legendary Los Angeles cocktail bar The Varnish from 2019 until its closing in 2024.{{Cite web |last=Kang |first=Matthew |date=2024-06-20 |title=The Varnish, LA's Most Influential Cocktail Bar, Is Closing After 15 Incredible Years |url=https://la.eater.com/2024/6/20/24182612/the-varnish-bar-speakeasy-closing-los-angeles-cocktail-bar |access-date=2025-05-30 |website=Eater LA |language=en}}

In September 2023, Wallach self-produced a reading for his original musical Vicky & Frank at Ripley-Grier Studios in New York City, directed by Rachel Dart and musical directed by Katie Coleman. The reading starred Kuhoo Verma, Michael Thomas Grant, Julie James, Morgan Dudley, Asher Muldoon, Morgan Siobhan Green, and Jeremy Morse.{{Cite web |last=Rabinowitz |first=Chloe |title=Tommy Wallach's New Musical VICKY & FRANK to Debut at 54 Below |url=https://www.broadwayworld.com/cabaret/article/Tommy-Wallachs-New-Musical-VICKY-FRANK-to-Debut-at-54-Below-20230821 |access-date=2025-05-30 |website=BroadwayWorld.com |language=en}}

Vicky & Frank has been optioned for Broadway development by eight-time Tony Award winning producer Joey Parnes (A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder, The Humans, Bright Star). A second reading took place in 2024 at NYC's Open Jar Studios, and a workshop is planned for 2025.

With Terry Pettigrew-Rolapp, Wallach is the co-founder of Hatch Escapes, a Los Angeles-based immersive experience and gaming company.{{cite news |last=Martens |first=Todd |date=2024-04-10 |title=This L.A. escape room explores corporate greed — and shows how corruptible you really are |url=https://www.latimes.com/travel/story/2024-04-10/ladder-escape-room-hatch-escapes-corporate-greed |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |id={{ProQuest|3035278570}} |accessdate=2025-06-16 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20250616042540/https://www.latimes.com/travel/story/2024-04-10/ladder-escape-room-hatch-escapes-corporate-greed |archivedate=2025-06-16 }}

Hatch's first escape room, Lab Rat, opened in 2017.{{Cite web |title=Lab Rat |url=https://www.hatchescapes.com/lab-rat |access-date=2025-05-29 |website=HATCH ESCAPES |language=en-US}} Lab Rat casts players as test subjects in a laboratory run by a giant rat doctoral student, Dr. Ratkenstein, who is doing his dissertation on human intelligence. The game was ranked the 8th best escape room in the world in 2018, and was also named the best escape room in Los Angeles by LA Magazine.{{Cite web |title=Top Escape Rooms Project 2018 |url=https://terpeca.com/2018/ |access-date=2025-05-29 |website=terpeca.com}}{{Cite web |date=2019-07-18 |title=The Best Things to Do in L.A. in 2019 |url=https://lamag.com/featured/best-things-to-do-in-la-2019 |access-date=2025-05-29 |website=LAmag |language=en}}

Hatch's second room, The Ladder, opened in April 2024 after extensive playtesting. The Ladder is a replayable 90-minute immersive experience offering a branching narrative, five playable avatars, and nine possible endings. Players spend 50 years climbing the corporate ladder at Nutricorp, a corrupt pharmaceutical company in Omaha, Nebraska. Each room of The Ladder represents a decade, from the 1950s through the 1990s, and features both traditional escape room puzzles and scored games. The Ladder has won numerous awards, including a THEA (given by the Themed Entertainment Association) and an Immie (the No Proscenium audience award).{{Cite web |work=No Proscenium |date=2025-05-13 |title=The 2025 NoPro Audience Awards |url=https://noproscenium.com/the-2025-nopro-audience-awards-7a7b528be115 |access-date=2025-05-28 |publisher=Medium |language=en}}

With his Hatch co-owner Terry Pettigrew-Rolapp, Wallach also designed the tabletop game Mother of Frankenstein (2023), a 15-hour narrative puzzle game based on the life of Mary Shelley.https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/310267/mother-of-frankenstein Its Kickstarter campaign raised nearly $250,000 and received shout-outs from luminaries such as Neil Gaiman and Margaret Atwood.{{Cite web |title=Track Mother of Frankenstein on BackerTracker |url=https://www.backerkit.com/projects/hatchescapes/mother-of-frankenstein |access-date=2025-05-28 |website=BackerKit |language=en}} The game was eventually published by Arcane Wonders and made available in Barnes & Noble stores across the country.

• Wallach, Tommy (2015). We All Looked Up, Simon & Schuster BFYR, {{ISBN|9781481418782}}
• Wallach, Tommy (2016). Thanks for the Trouble, Simon & Schuster BFYR, {{ISBN|9781481418812}}
• Wallach, Tommy (2017). Strange Fire, Simon & Schuster BFYR, {{ISBN|9781481468398}}
• Wallach, Tommy (2018). Slow Burn, Simon & Schuster BFYR, {{ISBN|9781481468428}}
• Wallach, Tommy (2020). Scorched Earth, Simon & Schuster BFYR, {{ISBN|9781481468466}}
• Wallach, Tommy (2025). Outer Wilds, Boss Fight Books, {{ISBN|978-1-940535-37-1}}

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Category:1982 births

Category:21st-century American novelists

Category:American male novelists

Category:Living people

Category:New York University Gallatin School of Individualized Study alumni

Category:Novelists from Connecticut

Category:Stanford University alumni

Category:Tisch School of the Arts alumni

Category:Writers from Stamford, Connecticut