Kit Thomas (born May 25, 1947) is an American

film maker Filmmaking (film production) is the process by which a Film, motion picture is #Production, produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, starting with an initial story, idea, or commission. It then continues through scr ...

and

record producer A record producer is a recording project's creative and technical leader, commanding studio time and coaching artists, and in popular genres typically creates the song's very sound and structure.Virgil Moorefield"Introduction" ''The Producer as ...

best known for his involvement with films that "make a difference".

Life and career

As a filmmaker, Kit Thomas' projects have won numerous awards including two

Emmy The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

s, and his film '' Burning Down Tomorrow'', commissioned by rock musician

Sting Sting may refer to: * Stinger or sting, a structure of an animal to inject venom, or the injury produced by a stinger * Irritating hairs or prickles of a stinging plant, or the plant itself Fictional characters and entities * Sting (Middle-eart ...

to raise awareness about the global

rainforest Rainforests are characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforest can be classified as tropical rainforest or temperate rainfores ...

crisis, was nominated for an

Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People * Oscar (given name), an Irish- and English-language name also used in other languages; the article includes the names Oskar, Oskari, Oszkár, Óscar, and other forms. * Oscar (Irish mythology), ...

(Best Documentary) in 1991. He co-produced the award-winning ECO (Earth Communication Office) PSA campaign which was adopted by the

United Nations Environment Program The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is responsible for coordinating responses to environmental issues within the United Nations system. It was established by Maurice Strong, its first director, after the United Nations Conference on th ...

and, according to a

Pepperdine University Pepperdine University () is a private research university affiliated with the Churches of Christ with its main campus in Los Angeles County, California. Pepperdine's main campus consists of 830 acres (340 ha) overlooking the Pacific Ocean and t ...

study, has been seen by over one billion people worldwide, a world record for public service announcements. He was selected by the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

to co-produce their official 50th Anniversary film, entitled ''A Place To Stand,'' which has since been translated into many languages and remains one of the U.N.'s most requested films. As a record producer, Thomas has produced over sixty albums of

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

, pop, and world music for artists such as

Peter Kater Peter Kater (born 1958) is a German-born American pianist, composer and Grammy Award winner. When he was four, he moved with his family from Germany to New Jersey. He studied classical piano at an early age. In 1977 when he was eighteen, Peter mo ...

. He has been an active member of the

National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences The Recording Academy (formally the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences; abbreviated NARAS) is an American Learned society, learned academy of musicians, producers, recording engineers, and other musical professionals. It is famous f ...

since 1985, serving eight years on the Board of Governors, and twenty-five years as Chairman of a National Screening Committee for the

Grammy Awards The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

. As a

social activist Activism (or Advocacy) consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society toward a perceived greater good. Forms of activism range fro ...

and

philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the Public good (economics), public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private goo ...

, Thomas supports numerous charities, environmental initiatives and grassroots community organizations, including the Women's Earth Alliance,

Global Green Global Green is the American affiliate of Green Cross International, an international non-governmental organization founded by former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in 1993 to "foster a global value shift toward a sustainable and secure future. ...

, the

Jane Goodall Institute The Jane Goodall Institute (JGI) is a global wildlife and environment conservation organization headquartered in Washington, DC. It was founded in 1977 by English primatologist Jane Goodall. The institute has offices in more than twenty-five coun ...

Free the Slaves Free the Slaves is an international non-governmental organization and lobby group, established to campaign against the modern practice of slavery around the world. It was formed as the sister organization of Anti-Slavery International but has si ...

and

MusiCares MusiCares Foundation is a non-profit organization established in 1989 and incorporated in 1993 by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Meant for musicians to have a place to turn in times of financial, personal, or medical crisis, ...

. In 2002 he founded the Common Ground Interfaith Forum in Philadelphia, to "support personal and social transformation, and build bridges of goodwill and understanding between people of different cultures and faith traditions." As Executive Director of Common Ground (2002–2008), Thomas established the Common Ground Choir, a performing ensemble of singers and musicians of diverse faiths and cultural backgrounds who celebrate a shared belief in the possibility of a less divided world. Now living in Santa Barbara, Thomas serves as Director of Programming and Industry Relations for the Illuminate Film Festival and as Executive Director of The Circle of Wisdom (www.circleofwisdom.org), a non-profit digital library of video interviews with contemporary wisdom keepers and thought leaders representing diverse cultural and generational perspectives (www.circleofwisdom.org). He has continued to direct and produce messaging campaigns calling for the protection of the Amazon Rainforest featuring actors and musicians Morgan Freeman, Barbra Streisand, Jeff Bridges, Ivan Lins, Dave Matthews, Bill Pullman, Sting, and many others.

References

Common Ground Fellowship article in Main Line Times (5/04)
*

Discography Discography is the study and cataloging of published sound recordings, often by specified artists or within identified music genres. The exact information included varies depending on the type and scope of the discography, but a discography entry ...

External links

* * , posted by the United Nations
Circle of Wisdom
1947 births Living people American filmmakers American record producers Place of birth missing (living people) {{US-film-bio-stub