{"id":442998,"date":"2025-12-12T20:08:46","date_gmt":"2025-12-12T20:08:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/442998\/"},"modified":"2025-12-12T20:08:46","modified_gmt":"2025-12-12T20:08:46","slug":"what-is-a-landman-this-tcu-course-inspired-by-the-hit-tv-series-will-explain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/442998\/","title":{"rendered":"What is a landman? This TCU course inspired by the hit TV series will explain"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">In the first episode of Taylor Sheridan\u2019s hit TV series <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dallasnews.com\/topic\/landman\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"https:\/\/www.dallasnews.com\/topic\/landman\/\">Landman<\/a>, lead character Tommy Norris, played by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dallasnews.com\/arts-entertainment\/tv\/2025\/11\/15\/billy-bob-thornton-profile-landman-season-2-taylor-sheridan-sarah-hepola-great-american-smoker\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"https:\/\/www.dallasnews.com\/arts-entertainment\/tv\/2025\/11\/15\/billy-bob-thornton-profile-landman-season-2-taylor-sheridan-sarah-hepola-great-american-smoker\/\">Billy Bob Thornton<\/a>, is held prisoner by the Mexican cartel and a massive oil tanker and airplane collide in a fiery explosion. <\/p>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">While Tom Seng, an assistant professor of energy finance at Texas Christian University, admitted those scenes were entertaining, he said they don\u2019t reflect what life is actually like as a landman.<\/p>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">\u201cI have yet to run into a landman who said he was battling cartels in West Texas,\u201d he said with a chuckle. <\/p>\n<p>Related<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"aspect-ratio:190 \/ 127\" class=\"dmnc_features-article-body-embeds-related-story-module__2UraD flex-none object-cover dmnc_images-modern-image-module__QFaG- max-w-full h-auto text-white dmnc_images-modern-image-module__9Zlll bg-gray-light object-contain dmnc_images-modern-image-module__P3kZ4 w-full\" width=\"190\" height=\"127\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/VIVJN4NYXJD7BMPP6QNSIVUOHE.jpg\" alt=\"Billy Bob Thornton as Tommy Norris, the title character of &quot;Landman.&quot;\"\/><\/p>\n<p>News Roundups<\/p>\n<p class=\"dmnc_features-cta-social-article-cta-social-module__3beff secondaryRoman secondaryRoman-20 text-center text-gray-dark\">Catch up on the day&#8217;s news you need to know.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dmnc_features-cta-social-article-cta-social-module__8MgJa flex flex-wrap text-gray-dark secondaryRoman secondaryRoman-10 text-center justify-center\">By signing up, you agree to our\u00a0<a class=\"dmnc_features-cta-social-article-cta-social-module__lU9-l border-b border-gray-dark hover_border-0 focus_border-0 active_border-0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dallasnews.com\/help\/terms-of-service\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Terms of Service<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<a class=\"dmnc_features-cta-social-article-cta-social-module__lU9-l border-b border-gray-dark hover_border-0 focus_border-0 active_border-0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dallasnews.com\/help\/privacy-policy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Privacy Policy.<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">What is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dallasnews.com\/arts-entertainment\/2024\/11\/18\/what-do-real-life-landmen-make-of-taylor-sheridans-landman\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"https:\/\/www.dallasnews.com\/arts-entertainment\/2024\/11\/18\/what-do-real-life-landmen-make-of-taylor-sheridans-landman\/\">a landman<\/a>? Someone who negotiates land rights on behalf of energy companies. <\/p>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">That\u2019s part of what 25 undergraduate students will learn in the spring in a new eight-week seminar at TCU called \u201cLand Management and Land Administration.\u201d The course, while inspired by Landman, is not exclusively about the show. Instead, Seng will teach students what it means to be a landman and prepare them for a certification exam  through the American Association of Professional Landmen (AAPL), which is headquartered in Fort Worth. <\/p>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">Seng said students will hear about the profession from Midland and Fort Worth landmen, including a TCU alum couple who own a mineral management company.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1500 \/ 2100\"   class=\"dmnc_images-modern-image-module__QFaG- max-w-full h-auto text-white dmnc_images-modern-image-module__9Zlll bg-gray-light object-contain\" width=\"1500\" height=\"2100\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/UCCHU7S4VRHLLJ2SXCGQ2FNTSU.jpg\" alt=\"Tom Seng is an assistant professor of energy finance at Texas Christian University. He'll be...\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Tom Seng is an assistant professor of energy finance at Texas Christian University. He&#8217;ll be teaching the course &#8220;Land Management and Land Administration.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Courtesy of TCU<\/p>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">During his 30 years as a trader in the natural gas industry, Seng said, he worked with several landmen. He said there are certain stereotypes about old-school landmen \u2014 like \u201cthe guy with the Cadillac with the longhorns on the hood.\u201d <\/p>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">But he said the face of the modern landman has changed as younger generations join the ranks and the number of women in the profession increases. <\/p>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">Another change Seng notes is that the profession has expanded to include cutting deals to build <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dallasnews.com\/arts-entertainment\/tv\/2025\/11\/10\/landman-actor-billy-bob-thornton-talks-divisive-season-1-monologue-on-joe-rogan-podcast\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"https:\/\/www.dallasnews.com\/arts-entertainment\/tv\/2025\/11\/10\/landman-actor-billy-bob-thornton-talks-divisive-season-1-monologue-on-joe-rogan-podcast\/\">wind and solar farms<\/a>, not just oil and gas pipelines. <\/p>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">\u201cToday\u2019s landman,\u201d he said, \u201cis probably further away from the Billy Bob Thornton character than they were, let\u2019s say 20 years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">Employers and students seem interested in growing a pipeline of landmen, Seng said, and both undergraduates and MBA students at TCU  have expressed interest in the course, though it\u2019s only for undergrads right now. Over the years, oil and gas companies have also reached out to recruit student interns who have studied land management. <\/p>\n<p>Related<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"aspect-ratio:190 \/ 127\" class=\"dmnc_features-article-body-embeds-related-story-module__2UraD flex-none object-cover dmnc_images-modern-image-module__QFaG- max-w-full h-auto text-white dmnc_images-modern-image-module__9Zlll bg-gray-light object-contain dmnc_images-modern-image-module__P3kZ4 w-full\" width=\"190\" height=\"127\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/YD72MDMP3NANPG5IUNJA3G3WMI.jpg\" alt=\"Jerry Padilla, left, and Deanna Padilla take a selfie during a party where real-life landmen...\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">TCU has another connection to Landman as a filming spot for Seasons 1 and 2. New episodes for Season 2 are  dropping Sundays on Paramount+. <\/p>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">Ultimately, Seng wants to give students a deeper knowledge  of the profession. By the end of the course, they won\u2019t have to rely just on Landman to understand landmen. <\/p>\n<p><a class=\"dmnc_features-article-body-embeds-subject-tag-list-with-images-list-with-images-module__P4zn3 inline-block pr-8 shrink-0 w-auto flex flex-col\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dallasnews.com\/arts-entertainment\/tv\/2025\/12\/09\/billy-bob-thornton-says-his-landman-rants-are-pure-taylor-sheridan\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio:190 \/ 127\" class=\"dmnc_features-article-body-embeds-subject-tag-list-with-images-list-with-images-module__6H-hI dmnc_images-modern-image-module__QFaG- max-w-full h-auto text-white dmnc_images-modern-image-module__9Zlll bg-gray-light object-contain\" width=\"190\" height=\"127\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/VIVJN4NYXJD7BMPP6QNSIVUOHE.jpg\" alt=\"Billy Bob Thornton as Tommy Norris, the title character of &quot;Landman.&quot;\"\/><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dallasnews.com\/arts-entertainment\/tv\/2025\/12\/09\/billy-bob-thornton-says-his-landman-rants-are-pure-taylor-sheridan\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Billy Bob Thornton says his \u2018Landman\u2019 rants are pure Taylor Sheridan<\/a><\/p>\n<p>The actor says the series creator uses him to convey his opinions about the world. <\/p>\n<p><a class=\"dmnc_features-article-body-embeds-subject-tag-list-with-images-list-with-images-module__P4zn3 inline-block pr-8 shrink-0 w-auto flex flex-col\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dallasnews.com\/arts-entertainment\/tv\/2025\/12\/08\/landman-season-2-episodes-shows-fort-worth-61-osteria-restaurant-oakwood-cemetery\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio:190 \/ 127\" class=\"dmnc_features-article-body-embeds-subject-tag-list-with-images-list-with-images-module__6H-hI dmnc_images-modern-image-module__QFaG- max-w-full h-auto text-white dmnc_images-modern-image-module__9Zlll bg-gray-light object-contain\" width=\"190\" height=\"127\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/1765570126_324_TICPUZBIURDHFB23FVGLTHMBG4.jpg\" alt=\"Andy Garcia as Gallino and Demi Moore as Cami Miller in 'Landman' season 2, episode 4,...\"\/><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dallasnews.com\/arts-entertainment\/tv\/2025\/12\/08\/landman-season-2-episodes-shows-fort-worth-61-osteria-restaurant-oakwood-cemetery\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Latest \u2018Landman\u2019 episode shows Fort Worth Italian restaurant, Oakwood Cemetery<\/a><\/p>\n<p>The fourth episode of season 2 is out. Here are some of the North Texas references in it.<\/p>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">Arts Access is an arts journalism collaboration powered by The Dallas Morning News and KERA.<\/p>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">This community-funded journalism initiative is funded by the Better Together Fund, Carol &amp; Don Glendenning, City of Dallas OAC, Communities Foundation of Texas, The University of Texas at Dallas, The Dallas Foundation, Eugene McDermott Foundation, James &amp; Gayle Halperin Foundation, Jennifer &amp; Peter Altabef and The Meadows Foundation. The News and KERA retain full editorial control of Arts Access\u2019 journalism.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In the first episode of Taylor Sheridan\u2019s hit TV series Landman, lead character Tommy Norris, played by Billy&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":442999,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5138],"tags":[5229,7711,407,7371,7372,12044,22503,358,173,3187,67,586,132,5230,68,2969],"class_list":{"0":"post-442998","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-fort-worth","8":"tag-america","9":"tag-arts-access","10":"tag-education","11":"tag-fort-worth","12":"tag-fortworth","13":"tag-landman","14":"tag-tcu-horned-frogs","15":"tag-texas","16":"tag-tv","17":"tag-tx","18":"tag-united-states","19":"tag-united-states-of-america","20":"tag-unitedstates","21":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","22":"tag-us","23":"tag-usa"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115708413977925379","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/442998","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=442998"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/442998\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/442999"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=442998"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=442998"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=442998"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}