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Thomas L. Phillips is a two time high school dropout who happened to get his junk together and went on to get his GED (Good Enough Degree). That GED eventually led Thomas to receive his MFA in Film/Television Production from Chapman University. Not too bad for a poor kid from Knoxville Tennessee who once lived in a one room studio above a Seven Eleven with his parents and younger brother. There was no electricity but plenty of potted meat and vienna sausages.
Thomas worked his way through school as a pizza delivery dude, an armed security guard, a dog walker, a janitor and also spent time editing films shot mostly in the Valley of Los Angeles. There was plenty of plasma selling along the way.
Thomas went from zero to, well at least not a zero. He is still working his way up through the ranks of the business.
Now Thomas L. Phillips is a multi-award winning filmmaker who has spent the last decade in Hollywood working as a Director, Editor, Producer, Screenwriter and Acting Coach. He has not stopped working in the industry that he loves, well except in the writers strike that one year, when he was almost forced to take a job at a grocery store.
Directly after film school Thomas and his friends put all the money they had into his first feature film Special dEaD. The horror/comedy became an instant cult classic and has been screened all over the world and released domestically and internationally on DVD.
Special dEaD is being adapted into a feature length animated film by Titmouse and Producer Jeff Katz (Snakes on a Plane, Shoot Em Up, X-Men: Wolverine & Freddy Versus Jason).
For his second feature film Rattle Basket, Thomas went in the complete opposite direction in genre and subject matter. While he enjoyed directing a horror/comedy his first time out, he wanted to make a movie that meant something to him, a movie that was personal, and that is how Rattle Basket came to be. Rattle Basket is a dramedy about characters, situations and subject matter that everyone can relate to. It is the kind of movie Thomas wants to and will continue to make. He loves character driven movies that an audience can relate to, movies that grasp and hold onto what real life is about, and not just make everything pretty and fake. It is an honest film that revels in its simplicity and true to life characters.
Rattle Basket had a phenomenal run on the film festival circuit, which included several awards, including Best Feature Film, Best Ensemble Cast and Best Director.
Besides directing, Thomas has also made a name for himself as an editor. He has edited television programs for ABC, CBS, NBC, CW, FOX, The Discovery Channel and The Travel Channel. His work for the CW Network garnered a Daytime Emmy Award in 2009. Thomas has edited works produced by Brad Pitt, Adrien Brody and Andy Lauer.
There is an emotional connection between relevant films and their audience, and that is what Thomas strives for in his work, a connection with the audience.
Where I Begin, which Thomas Directed and Co-Wrote with Melanie Addington in the summer of 2010, started playing throw film festival circuit in June of 2011. Now with 13 festivals, 7 nominations and 4 awards under its belt, the movie is primed for mass distribution.
Thomas just recently finished post production on his 4th feature film Quite A Conundrum.
