Within Tom De Longe
Why Entertainment Became Part of UFO Disclosure
TTSA treated films, fiction and music as tools for making complex UFO claims accessible to a mass audience.
On this page
- The Sekret Machines storytelling model
- How entertainment expanded the audience
- The credibility risks of mixing advocacy and fiction
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Introduction
To The Stars Academy of Arts & Science (TTSA) did not treat entertainment as a side business or a funding mechanism separate from its UFO advocacy. Instead, Tom DeLonge presented films, novels, documentaries and music as part of the disclosure strategy itself. His argument was that highly controversial ideas about unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP) would be easier for the public to absorb through compelling stories than through technical reports or official statements alone. This approach shaped TTSA’s structure, which combined entertainment production with scientific and aerospace ambitions, but it also created one of the organisation’s greatest credibility challenges: audiences often struggled to distinguish between documented evidence, informed speculation and fictional storytelling.[GQ]gq.comtom delonge ufos interview sekret machines novelTom DeLonge Has Something Very Important to Tell You | GQApril 2, 2016…
The Sekret Machines Storytelling Model
Before TTSA was formally established, DeLonge had already developed the model that would become central to the organisation’s media strategy through the Sekret Machines franchise. Rather than publishing only investigative books, he planned an interconnected series of novels, non-fiction works, documentaries, television projects and music. The intention was to build a long-running narrative universe that could gradually introduce audiences to ideas he believed would otherwise be dismissed as implausible.[GQ]gq.comtom delonge ufos interview sekret machines novelTom DeLonge Has Something Very Important to Tell You | GQApril 2, 2016…
In interviews promoting the project, DeLonge explained that he deliberately chose fiction first because the underlying subject was, in his view, too disruptive to present as a straightforward factual account. He argued that a fictional narrative allowed readers to become familiar with complex themes before encountering accompanying non-fiction material. He compared the process to gradually introducing audiences to the scale of a historical crisis rather than overwhelming them with isolated facts.[GQ]gq.comtom delonge ufos interview sekret machines novelTom DeLonge Has Something Very Important to Tell You | GQApril 2, 2016…
A distinctive feature of Sekret Machines was its deliberate blending of fictional characters with claims that certain historical events, locations and background details reflected genuine information or real-world inspirations. DeLonge repeatedly suggested that readers should treat parts of the fiction as clues pointing towards broader realities rather than as entirely invented stories. That blurred boundary became a defining feature of TTSA’s later communication strategy.[GQ]gq.comtom delonge ufos interview sekret machines novelTom DeLonge Has Something Very Important to Tell You | GQApril 2, 2016…
How Entertainment Expanded the Audience
TTSA’s approach reflected DeLonge’s background in popular music rather than conventional advocacy. Instead of expecting the public to seek out technical UFO literature, the organisation attempted to meet audiences where they already consumed media.
Entertainment offered several practical advantages:
- A broader entry point. Fiction, documentaries and music reached audiences who would never read military reports or specialist UFO research.
- Long-term engagement. A continuing fictional universe encouraged repeated interaction across books, films and other media rather than relying on isolated news events.
- Emotional context. Storytelling could explore uncertainty, secrecy and national security in ways that official documents could not.
- Cross-promotion. Fans attracted by entertainment products could also encounter TTSA’s interviews, public events and scientific ambitions.[GQ]gq.comtom delonge ufos interview sekret machines novelTom DeLonge Has Something Very Important to Tell You | GQApril 2, 2016…
This philosophy also influenced how DeLonge described his conversations with senior military and government figures. He said he pitched Sekret Machines as a communications platform capable of presenting subjects that had historically been difficult to explain publicly. According to his own account, he argued that modern entertainment could carry serious themes more effectively than traditional government communication.[GQ]gq.comtom delonge ufos interview sekret machines novelTom DeLonge Has Something Very Important to Tell You | GQApril 2, 2016…
Why TTSA Was Built as an Arts, Science and Aerospace Company
TTSA’s unusual corporate structure reflected the same philosophy. Rather than creating only a research institute or lobbying organisation, TTSA combined three distinct divisions:
- entertainment;
- science;[youtube.com]youtube.comThe Beginning of To The Stars Academy of Arts & ScienceTom Delonge: Skinwalkers & CIA Spooks | With Jim Semivan…
- aerospace.
The entertainment division was intended to produce books, television, films and related media that would build public awareness. The science and aerospace divisions were presented as pursuing research, technology and investigation alongside those media efforts. TTSA therefore positioned entertainment as one pillar of a larger disclosure ecosystem rather than merely a way to advertise other work. Official fundraising documents described this integrated model while also acknowledging that many of its long-term scientific ambitions depended on successfully raising capital.[GQ]gq.comtom delonge ufos interview sekret machines novelTom DeLonge Has Something Very Important to Tell You | GQApril 2, 2016…
From DeLonge’s perspective, this arrangement solved two problems simultaneously. Entertainment generated public attention, while the participation of former defence and intelligence officials was intended to give the broader enterprise institutional credibility.
The Credibility Risks of Mixing Advocacy and Fiction
The same strategy that expanded TTSA’s audience also produced persistent criticism.
Difficulty separating evidence from narrative
Because DeLonge often suggested that fictional stories contained real underlying truths, critics argued that readers could struggle to distinguish verified information from dramatic invention. Even supporters sometimes debated which elements represented documented evidence and which reflected interpretation or speculation.[GQ]gq.comtom delonge ufos interview sekret machines novelTom DeLonge Has Something Very Important to Tell You | GQApril 2, 2016…
Tension with scientific expectations
Scientific and investigative organisations typically separate confirmed findings from hypotheses and fictional illustration. TTSA instead encouraged audiences to move between novels, documentaries, interviews and official statements as parts of a single conversation. While effective for storytelling, that approach complicated efforts to evaluate individual claims on their evidential merits.[GQ]gq.comtom delonge ufos interview sekret machines novelTom DeLonge Has Something Very Important to Tell You | GQApril 2, 2016…
Public perception
For sceptics, TTSA’s entertainment output reinforced concerns that commercial storytelling and extraordinary claims were becoming intertwined. The organisation therefore faced an ongoing challenge: demonstrating that participation by former government officials and military personnel did not automatically validate every broader narrative presented through its fictional works.
Conversely, supporters argued that popular culture had historically helped normalise discussion of controversial subjects and that entertainment could reduce the stigma surrounding UFO reporting. They viewed TTSA’s media strategy as an attempt to make an often-ridiculed topic accessible to mainstream audiences without requiring readers to begin with technical government material.[GQ]gq.comtom delonge ufos interview sekret machines novelTom DeLonge Has Something Very Important to Tell You | GQApril 2, 2016…
Why the Strategy Mattered
TTSA’s media strategy represented a departure from traditional UFO advocacy. Instead of relying primarily on conferences, investigative reports or activist campaigns, it attempted to combine celebrity visibility, entertainment franchises and former national security officials into a unified communications model.
Whether that model strengthened or weakened TTSA’s overall credibility remains debated. It undeniably broadened public exposure to UAP discussions by reaching audiences through novels, music and planned screen productions. At the same time, the deliberate blending of advocacy with fictional storytelling ensured that questions about evidence, narrative and commercial promotion would remain inseparable from the organisation’s public identity.[GQ]gq.comtom delonge ufos interview sekret machines novelTom DeLonge Has Something Very Important to Tell You | GQApril 2, 2016…
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Endnotes
1.
Source: gq.com
Title: tom delonge ufos interview sekret machines novel
Link:https://www.gq.com/story/tom-delonge-ufos-interview-sekret-machines-novel
Source snippet
Tom DeLonge Has Something Very Important to Tell You | GQApril 2, 2016...
Published: April 2, 2016
2.
Source: wikidisc.org
Title: To The Stars Academy of Arts & Science (TTSA) | Wiki Disc
Link:https://www.wikidisc.org/wiki/To_The_Stars_Academy_of_Arts_%26Science%28TTSA%29
Source snippet
Coast Highway 101 in Encinitas, California, and operated as a subsidiary of To The Stars Inc., the...
3.
Source: gq.com
Title: Meet the crisis publicists, ri
Link:https://www.gq.com/story/how-the-crisis-pr-machine-shapes-what-you-think-about-celebrities
Source snippet
Inside the Secret Machine That Shapes Your Opinion of Celebrities | GQSeptember 30, 2025 — INSIDE THE SECRET MACHINE THAT SHAPES YOUR OPI...
Published: September 30, 2025
4.
Source: decur.org
Title: To The Stars Academy
Link:https://decur.org/programs/ttsa
Additional References
5.
Source: imdb.com
Link:https://www.imdb.com/news/ni64704337/
Source snippet
Tom DeLonge Talks the UFO Phenomenon and ‘Sekret Machines: War’ [Exclusive Interview] - IMDbJuly 16, 2024 — Tom DeLonge Talks the UFO Phe...
Published: July 16, 2024
6.
Source: sec.gov
Title: As part of the dissolution of Cartel Pictures, Ca
Link:https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1710274/000164117225005183/partii.htm
Source snippet
April 17, 2025 — To The Stars and Evoke are currently in the process of formalizing a new agreement with Evoke, which could extend beyond...
Published: April 17, 2025
7.
Source: sec.gov
Title: With the Company’s acce
Link:https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1710274/000149315226019571/partii.htm
Source snippet
April 29, 2026 — We are working to achieve our mission by combining the power and community of entertainment media with the knowledge and...
Published: April 29, 2026
8.
Source: youtube.com
Title: What Happened To Tom Delonge & To The Stars Academy?
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLGRZLjFjSE
Source snippet
To The Stars Academy Arts Science launch announcement Tom DeLonge Observations On Potential UAP/UFO Material In Possession for The ADAM R...
9.
Source: reddit.com
Title: Has anybody read Tom Delonge’s ‘Sekret Machines’ books?
Link:https://www.reddit.com/r/ufo/comments/ve8y1d/has_anybody_read_tom_delonges_sekret_machines/
Source snippet
Has anybody read Tom Delonge's 'Sekret Machines' books?...
10.
Source: youtube.com
Title: Tom Delonge: Skinwalkers & CIA Spooks | With Jim Semivan
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBSdg3nwxoo
Source snippet
Sekret Machines Q & A with Tom DeLonge and AJ Hartley (Episode 1)...
11.
Source: youtube.com
Title: Sekret Machines Q & A with [Tom De Longe]({{ ‘tom-de-longe/’ | relative_url }}) and AJ Hartley (Episode 1)
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ko7GyLo5c2Q
Source snippet
Tom Delonge #1: UFOs & To The Stars Academy...
12.
Source: youtube.com
Title: The Beginning of To The Stars Academy of Arts & Science
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=er1jVsxg3sc
Source snippet
Tom Delonge: Skinwalkers & CIA Spooks | With Jim Semivan...
13.
Source: reddit.com
Link:https://www.reddit.com/r/UFOs/comments/o4fw3l
Source snippet
Full notes on Tom Delonge c2c interview that allegedly got him in two days of interrogation back in early 2016. He speaks about thi...
14.
Source: theguardian.com
Link:https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2020/sep/15/star-of-bethlehem-spaceship-tom-delonges-new-career-ufo-expert-blink-182