His company Heyou Media was founded to develop content in Washington State and create a viable film industry in Seattle.

With more than 40 films, 200 television roles, and nearly two decades of The Film School under his belt, Tom Skerritt is devoting himself to a new project: creating a viable film industry in Seattle.

"I'm very serious about what we can do here, and have fun doing it,” he said.

Skerritt launched Heyou Media with a focus on developing and creating content in Washington State.

"We can be something here in Seattle. We just have to believe it,” he said. “And the only way we're going to believe it is to do it."

Upcoming productions include Cooks Out There – culinary segments a with Bainbridge Island chef Jake Angel; an adaptation of the best-selling book East of the Mountains, scheduled to shoot in Walla Walla next year; and an original screenplay Skerritt wrote called Your Move.

"This is about the community - us - being more than we could ever imagine by giving it a whirl, by taking that challenge of risks,” he said.

Heyou Media offers both short and longer form content, with an emphasis on mobile media.

But Skerritt said good storytelling remains the primary focus.

"After all, it's the fabric of society. It's who we all are, we are stories, we have stories to share, we have stories of our own to tell,” he said.

Despite his focus on new projects, Skerritt is still open to revisiting old ones. There are rumors of a Top Gun reboot and he’s open to joining the cast, if it actually happens.

“If they asked me to do it, yeah. I think they'd probably go to the old folks home to talk to me, though,” he said, laughing.