"If at first you don't succeed, try, try again." — a lot of f*cking people
His story goes like this...
Thomas' versatility comes from this mantra. Always looking for the next task, story, and challenge, Thomas has built his vast portfolio over seventeen years through hustle, persistence, and learning from failures.
From working his way up the proverbial ladder in the indie filmmaking scene in Toronto after film school to landing a full-time gig as the Judges' Assistant on Canadian Idol after starting out as a volunteer, Thomas didn't see a project he couldn't contribute to. Beyond his menial roles on the come up, he was also a production manager for a Slamdance film (Son of the Sunshine), co-wrote, starred and produced his own feature film (Buck Wild), was assistant director on several other indie films, all in the while directing infomercials and event videography.
In Hong Kong, Thomas began honing his craft as a Director while continuing to develop as a Writer, Producer, and copy-based Creative Director at renowned production agency, wowwowtank. After his 8 years at the company, Thomas moved on to open his own company, Breaking Rice Studios.
During a tough downswing in business due to a poor economy, Thomas was offered an opportunity to join a social media marketing agency as Creative Director and so he took his talents to Digital Business Lab (DBL) and helped them secure the biggest account for the company at the time.
PROFESSIONAL ROLES HELD: Showrunner, Show Creator, Creative Director, Writer, Director, Producer, Copywriter, Production Manager, Production Coordinator, Assistant Director, Continuity, Production Assistant
"Fear not the direction you lead, Fear the moments of idleness"
After some internal changes due to the pandemic woes everyone was facing, Thomas continued to build on his own company. It was shortly thereafter that he was approached to join Hong Kong's most reputable broadcaster TVB and lead their English content initiative, a first in the company.
At TVB and MyTV Super, Thomas led a revamp of Dolce Vita which produced 50 episodes through the tumultuous year Hong Kong faced its fifth wave. He continued his efforts in creating a new talk show with social media starlet Grace Chan Hoi-Lam, "Love Matters with Grace", to discuss everything about love in different contexts with celebrities. Upon the release of this talk show, Thomas jumped into preproduction for an international collaboration project with YouTube superstars Wong Fu Productions on "Cross My Mind", a drama series that takes place in both LA and Hong Kong. This was later released on US cable (ChimeTV) after its run on MyTV Super.
Thomas continues working as a Show Creator, Showrunner, and Director looking to create more content through Breaking Rice Studios but to also develop it into something more than just a production house. He sees a way to make a bigger impact with his stories but also by creating a platform to promote and produce short content, coordinate international collaborations, and develop talent through opportunities and real work experiences.
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
- Writer and Director for 17 years
- Creative Director for social media agency
- Copy-based Creative and Director for production agency
- Created TV Shows for TVB/MyTV Super
- Showrunner + Director for "Cross My Mind" [Drama]
- Showrunner + Director for "Love Matters with Grace" [Unscripted Talk Show]
- Selected to Fresh Wave Film Competition in Hong Kong
- "Cocktail Definition" [SH] premiered at HKIFF
- Produced "Buck Wild" [Feature] for C$22K; shot on 16mm
- Production Manager for Slamdance film [Feature]
- Revamped "Dolce Vita" [Unscripted]; produced 50 episodes