The workday life of a landman is sure to have its interesting moments. But if you watch Taylor Sheridan’s Landman TV series, you might get the wrong idea about what makes their job interesting. While there could be a rare real-life tale of being greeted at the door by a shotgun-wielding, wary landowner, the day-to-day stories of landmen generally would not make for riveting television.  

But they are making for an interesting, informative and timely class at Texas Christian University. 

Tom Seng, assistant professor of professional practice in energy finance in the Neeley School of Business, is wrapping up an eight-week seminar course leading students through the ins and outs of the landman profession. Special Problems in Business: Land Management and Administration highlights topics such as oil and gas leases, property law and, simply, “What is a landman?” The class includes Certified Professional Landmen — both men and women — as guest speakers. 

“This class covers many aspects of law, including real property, contracts and mineral rights. It has broadened my understanding of oil and gas law,” junior Andrew Gentile said. “The class may present a potential career path. Exposure to these concepts will help me explore a profession that could be highly fulfilling.”  

The political science major and energy business minor has taken previous courses with Seng, and when he found out about the landman class, Gentile was eager to add it to his schedule as another step to prepare him for pursuing law school.  

While the class is a counterpoint to the Landman television series, partially filmed on TCU’s campus, the course has been on Seng’s mind for some time.  

“The idea for the class had been in the back of my mind when exploration and production companies in the Fort Worth area would ask me if we had students who were qualified to be summer land interns,” Seng said. “When the series came out and I saw how outlandish the portrayal was, I thought the students might want to know what the real profession was all about.” 

Seng, a faculty member in TCU’s Ralph Lowe Energy Institute, previously oversaw undergraduate and graduate programs that are accredited by the American Association of Professional Landmen (AAPL), which is headquartered in Fort Worth. The current Energy MBA at TCU is one such program.  

Opportunity in the Energy Industry 
As the land management course concludes, the hope is that students will come away with a grounded, authentic knowledge of the profession and an understanding that there is tremendous opportunity for them in the energy industry.  

“The skills landmen develop — negotiation, critical thinking, communication and relationship management — are highly transferable and applicable across all energy sectors, including traditional oil and gas, minerals, renewables, solar, wind, data centers and even bitcoin mining projects,” said Le’Ann P. Callihan ’90, executive vice president and chief operating officer of AAPL. “This profession offers a dynamic, impactful career path for those who are willing to learn and adapt.”  

Callihan, who earned her degree in strategic communication through TCU’s Bob Schieffer College of Communication, believes Taylor Sheridan got a lot right with his lead landman character, Tommy Norris.  

“He truly hit the nail on the head by portraying the landman as the hero of the story, and Billy Bob Thornton plays that role to perfection,” she said. “Landmen are problem-solvers, keen negotiators and relationship architects — and that combination of grit, intelligence and interpersonal skill is exactly what you see on screen.” 

Fiction vs. Reality 
Gentile is glad to learn more about how Sheridan has dramatized the profession.  

“The challenges Tommy Norris faces are pretty authentic. Being on call and juggling multiple responsibilities are accurate aspects of the profession. The show illustrates daily uncertainties well,” Gentile said. “However, cartel involvement and other external threats are unrealistic. These situations would present serious ethical issues for AAPL.”

Callihan points to the reality. 

“Real land work often involves more patience, documentation and long-term relationship-building than what can be shown in an hourlong episode. That’s where organizations like the American Association of Professional Landmen come in,” Callihan said. “We bring the facts, professional standards and ethics, and real-world education behind the profession and encourage anyone interested in land work to become a member and learn what the career truly entails.” 

Seng knows there are important distinctions for students to understand the career of a landman. 

“First and foremost, we want students to understand the uniqueness of the private ownership of oil and gas minerals in the U.S. Thus, there is a need for someone to go out and negotiate a lease to drill and produce those minerals. Secondly, this is a richly rewarding profession that employs thousands and heretofore was not widely known about. Thirdly, they will learn about the legal aspects of land, both surface and below ground. And last but not least, they will understand that the portrayal of a landman in the series has been a lot more Hollywood than fact.” 

There is also the plain fact, Seng said, that “if the series were called anything else, like ‘Oil Man,’ this class would not have drawn the same interest.” 

The combination of the show’s popularity and the energy of the landman business has undoubtedly spurred interest. Before the class, Gentile said, a career as a landman was never a consideration.  

“It seemed too niche compared to other jobs in my area. After spending some time in class, it became clear that landmen can also be attorneys,” he said. “This means I have the flexibility to pursue a career I did not know about when I started at TCU as a first-year undergraduate. Thanks to Professor Seng and the AAPL, it is now possible.” 

-Scott Anderson