How one man went from a 17,000 square foot mansion to a double-wide trailer.

The story of Tom Shadyac.

Tom Shadyac used to be a millionaire. Now he lives in a trailer park. His story begins in Falls Church, Virginia where he was born and raised. Tom was a smart kid who played basketball, joined the Key Club, and made the National Honor Society. He would go on to graduate from the University of Virginia with a degree in pre-law. But his real love was comedy.

Tom moved to Los Angeles after college. It was 1983 and his father got him a job as the youngest joke writer that Bob Hope ever had. It was his first real job and Hollywood rubbed off on him. He went back to school to study film at UCLA. Tom Shadyac wanted to make movies.

Shadyac’s first feature length film was Ace Ventura: Pet Detective. A massive success that he followed with many more, including: The Nutty Professor, Liar Liar, Patch Adams, and Bruce Almighty. With his new success came new money. Tom bought a private jet, extravagant art, and a 17,000 square foot house in Pasadena with 17 bedrooms, 13 bathrooms, and over 10 staff. A life of excess indeed.

But Tom Shadyac’s life changed in September 2007. He crashed his bicycle riding trails in Virginia. The head trauma left him with severe-headaches, memory loss, and light sensitivities. The condition was called post-concussion syndrome and doctors didn’t know if he would recover. Tom Shadyac was now a semi-invalid recluse. And money couldn’t fix that.

So Tom did what people do when they face death: he questioned life. And in that process he found new purpose. Tom gave away most everything he owned. He bought a bicycle and a double-wide trailer. Tom wanted a simple life. And he wanted to tell the world one thing: don’t live for money.

Tom described his life transformation like this: “Simply put, the accident knocked me from my head to my heart.” And it seems cliché. But the best advice is usually stuff you already know. In your head. The trick is learning it in your heart.

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