The Team

The 20 year friendship between Will McFadden and Eddie Gorton has been the foundation for an evolving, 20 year, cross-cultural conversation about race. Will and Eddie's relationship began as roommates in the Multi-Cultural Residence Hall at Occidental College, and has guided each of these men on their respective paths that now converge in Talking Thomas.

Eddie Gorton is an Assistant Principal in Los Angeles, CA and owns his own consulting firm that provides restorative justice training for colleges and small business. He is a graduate of Occidental College, where he first met Will, and has worked in the field of education for the last 16 years as a Restorative Justice Teacher Adviser, Instructional Coach, Intervention Coordinator, and classroom teacher. He has impacted student achievement through instruction and leadership, building community from the ground up, with school wide positive behavior systems that support all stakeholders. Eddie created the motivational speaker series “One Hand Up” and has partnered with Adelante Youth Services, GearUp, Alliance for Community Empowerment, and GRYD to impact and motivate our youth. He currently is the director of a College Preparatory Program working with students of color in the Pasadena area to ensure college readiness and ignite a passion for higher education.  Eddie served as a consultant on the award winning independent feature film, "Doubting Thomas," and partnered with Will to develop the interactive diversity program, "Talking Thomas." 

Will McFadden is a professional actor and writer in Los Angeles where he has lived and worked for nearly twenty years. He is also a graduate of Occidental College where he met Eddie. He recently toured the country as a lead actor and company member of "The Defamation Experience," a courtroom drama followed by a facilitated discussion on race, prejudice, and the justice system. The interactive experience visited High Schools, Colleges, Universities, and Law Schools across the United States. He is a Member of both Ensemble Studio Theatre LA, and Theatre of NOTE in Los Angeles, and has worked extensively on stage, television, and film.  He is an acting and writing teacher, and he has coached basketball at many levels. He is the writer, director, and lead actor of the award-winning independent feature film "Doubting Thomas," about a white couple that inexplicably gives birth to a black baby.