Thomas Edward Seymour (born January 20, 1977, in

New Britain, Connecticut New Britain is a city in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. It is located approximately southwest of Hartford. According to 2020 Census, the population of the city is 74,135. Among the southernmost of the communities encompassed wit ...

) is an American

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

and

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

. Tom Seymour is considered one of the "Top Twenty Contemporary Underground Filmmakers in the U.S.", according to the book ''

The History of Independent Cinema ''The History of Independent Cinema'' is a 2009 book by film historian Phil Hall. Summary It traces the development of the United States independent film sector from silent films to digital media. The book also focuses on independent film genr ...

'', He is most known for the award-winning documentaries ''VHS Massacre,'' ''VHS Massacre Too'', and ''MacLeod'', distributed by

FilmRise FilmRise is a New York City–based film and television studio and streaming network, which has become one of the largest independent providers of content to ad-supported streaming (AVOD) platforms, in addition to providing the largest free direc ...

, NBC/Universal

Peacock TV Peacock is an American over-the-top video streaming service owned and operated by the Television and Streaming division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. Named after the NBC logo, the service launched on July 15, 2020. The service pri ...

, MUBI, Shudder's Mid May Massacre and

Troma Entertainment Troma Entertainment is an American independent film production and distribution company founded by Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz in 1974. The company produces low-budget independent films, primarily of the horror comedy genre. Many of them pla ...

(2016–2021). The documentaries feature

Joe Bob Briggs John Irving Bloom (born January 27, 1953), known by the stage name Joe Bob Briggs, is an American syndicated film critic, writer, actor, and comic performer. He is known for having hosted ''Joe Bob's Drive-in Theater'' on The Movie Channel fro ...

James Rolfe James D. Rolfe (born July 10, 1980) is an American YouTuber, online personality, filmmaker, and actor. He is best known for creating and starring in the comedic retrogaming web series ''The Angry Video Game Nerd'' (2004–present). His spin-off ...

Greg Sestero Gregory Sestero (born July 15, 1978) is an American actor, filmmaker, model and author, best known for his role as Mark in the 2003 cult film ''The Room'', as well as for his well-received memoir ''The Disaster Artist'', detailing his experiences ...

Debbie Rochon Debbie Ann Rochon (born November 3, 1968) is a Canadian actress and former stage performer, best known for her work in independent horror films and counterculture films. Early life When Rochon was ten years old, her parents were deemed unfi ...

Lloyd Kaufman Stanley Lloyd Kaufman Jr. (born December 30, 1945) is an American film director, screenwriter, producer and actor. Alongside producer Michael Herz, he is the co-founder of Troma Entertainment film studio, and the director of many of their featur ...

Juliette Danielle Juliette Danielle Worden (born December 8, 1980) is an American actress best known for portraying Lisa, the love interest of Johnny in the 2003 film '' The Room''. Career ''The Room'' Danielle was the female lead in Tommy Wiseau's cult film ''Th ...

and

Kevin MacLeod Kevin MacLeod ( ; born September 28, 1972) is an American composer and music producer. MacLeod has composed over 2,000 pieces of royalty-free library music and made them available under a Creative Commons copyright license. This licensing al ...

. They concentrate on the video store era and how media consolidation has destroyed the American exploitation film industry.

Career

''VHS Massacre'' was screened at Yale University in May 2016 as part of the NH docs Film Festival. It was called "A Fantastic Documentary" by Ain't it Cool News. Seymour joined the 26th annual

Webby Awards The Webby Awards are awards for excellence on the Internet presented annually by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, a judging body composed of over two thousand industry experts and technology innovators. Categories include ...

to judge, becoming an Associate Member of the

International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences or IADAS is an international organization founded in 1998 in New York City to help drive the creative, technical, and professional progress of the Internet and evolving forms of interactive and ...

in October 2021. In addition he is known for his work on the 2018 National Board of Review-nominated (through Hunter College) ''Toy Shop'' and the Emmy-nominated and YouTube Award-nominated series '' net_work'' (2007–2009), featured on Hulu. In 2014 Seymour won the Platinum Remi (World-fest Houston's Highest honor) for his feature film ''Rudyard Kipling's Mark of the Beast''. He has accrued over forty film festival wins in his career to date, including at San Francisco IndieFest, Cannes World, Chicago Horror, Vancouver Horror Show, Miami Sci-Fi, Requiem FearFest,and the Telly Awards. His films have been covered by media including ''Variety'', NPR, and the ''New York Times''. Seymour has directed video content for CBS, NBC, IGN, Troma, college and Black20 Studios over the course of his career. He is the creator of the popular internet web series ''Black20: Trailer Park'' (seen on G4 TV, IGN, YouTube). Black20.com boasts 150,000,000 unique views of their video content and features talent including

Aubrey Plaza Aubrey Christina Plaza (born June 26, 1984) is an American actress, comedian, and producer. She began her career performing improv and sketch comedy at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater. She starred as April Ludgate on the NBC sitcom '' Par ...

Amy Schumer Amy Beth Schumer (born June 1, 1981) is an American stand-up comedian and actress. She ventured into comedy in the early 2000s before appearing as a contestant on the fifth season of the NBC reality competition series ''Last Comic Standing'' ...

, and

Eric Andre The given name Eric, Erich, Erikk, Erik, Erick, or Eirik is derived from the Old Norse name ''Eiríkr'' (or ''Eríkr'' in Old East Norse due to monophthongization). The first element, ''ei-'' may be derived from the older Proto-Norse ''* ain ...

. In 2008 Seymour and the rest of the Black20 comedy troop were voted the first "The Kings of Dot Comedy" by ''Attack of the Show'' on G4TV. With Jon Gorman of Bloodbath Pictures, Seymour directed the feature film ''Rudyard Kipling's Mark of the Beast'' starring Ellen Muth (''Dead Like Me'' Showtime series) in 2012; it was given a positive review by Ain't it Cool News and was featured in Issue #318 of ''Fangoria Magazine'' in the article "Bugged out on Beast". At Hale Manor Productions, he starred in and directed such films as ''London Betty'' (released on Maverick Entertainment's Platinum label in 2010), starring Daniel Von Bargen from ''

Seinfeld ''Seinfeld'' ( ) is an American television sitcom created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld. It aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, over nine seasons and List of Seinfeld episodes, 180 episodes. It stars Seinfeld as Jerry Seinfeld ( ...

'' and ''

Malcolm in the Middle ''Malcolm in the Middle'' is an American family television sitcom created by Linwood Boomer for Fox. The series premiered on January 9, 2000, and ended on May 14, 2006, after seven seasons and 151 episodes. The series follows a dysfunctional ...

'' and narrated by

Clint Howard Clinton Engle Howard (born April 20, 1959) is an American actor. He is the second son born to American actors Rance and Jean Howard, and younger brother of actor and director Ron Howard. His 200-plus acting credits include feature films such as ...

. ''London Betty'' made the list of "Top Films of the Year" on Moviesmademe.com in 2009, and in May 2011 it hit the #3 spot for British comedy on Amazon on Demand. Seymour also directed the York Entertainment DVD release bestseller ''

Land of College Prophets ''Land of College Prophets'' is a 2005 independent comedy film produced by Thomas Edward Seymour, Mike Aransky and Phil Guerette. Originally distributed on Netflix in 2005, ''Prophets'' was one of the first of the "backyard superhero" subgenres of ...

'' and ''

Everything Moves Alone ''Everything Moves Alone'' is a 2001 independent comedy film produced by Connecticut filmmakers Mike Aransky, Phil Guerrette and Thomas Edward Seymour. ''Everything Moves Alone'' (shot in 1999 on 16mm) is a largely forgotten film from the 90's inde ...

'', which had a New York theatrical run in 2001. Some of his higher profile acting performances include '' A New Wave'' (starring

John Krasinski John Burke Krasinski (; born October 20, 1979) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is known for his role as Jim Halpert on the NBC sitcom ''The Office''. He also served as a producer and occasional director of the series throughout its nine ...

), ''

Being Michael Madsen ''Being Michael Madsen'' is a 2007 comedy film directed by Michael Mongillo and produced by Daniel A. Sherkow. The film takes a mockumentary approach in re-imagining actor Michael Madsen as a paparazzi-hounded movie star who hatches a revenge sc ...

'' (starring

Michael Madsen Michael Søren Madsen (born September 25, 1957) is an American actor. He has starred in many films and television series, frequently collaborating with director Quentin Tarantino, most famously in the latter's debut film ''Reservoir Dogs'' (19 ...

Virginia Madsen Virginia Gayle Madsen (born September 11, 1961) is an American actress and film producer. She made her film debut in ''Class'' (1983), which was filmed in her native Chicago. After she moved to Los Angeles, director David Lynch cast her as Pri ...

and

David Carradine David Carradine ( ; born John Arthur Carradine Jr.; December 8, 1936 – June 3, 2009) was an American actor best known for playing martial arts roles. He is perhaps best known as the star of the 1970s television series ''Kung Fu'', playi ...

), the Emmy-nominated Hulu series ''net_Work'' as the character "Tom: The Coolest Guy in The Office" and ''The Tonight Show'' with Jay Leno in the "Easter Bunny Hates You" digital video. He also composed the scores for the independent films such as ''

'', '' Thrill Kill Jack in Hale Manor'', and ''

''. While he acts, directs and writes scripts, he is also a solo musical artist. His first album, ''U.S. Export'' was released by Sling Slang Records in 2004 to positive reviews.

Filmography

* ''VHS Massacre'' (Troma Entertainment) *''VHS Massacre Too'' (Troma Entertainment) *''Monster Kill Series'' (Troma Entertainment) *'' Rudyard Kipling's Mark of the Beast'' *'' A New Wave'' *''

'' *''

London Betty ''London Betty'' is a 2009 American comedy/adventure film directed and written by Thomas Edward Seymour. The film includes performances by Nicole Lewis, Daniel von Bargen (in his final performance), Russ Russo, and director Seymour, as well as ...

'' *''

Raise Your Voice ''Raise Your Voice'' is a 2004 American teen musical drama film directed by Sean McNamara and starring Hilary Duff. Canadian rock band Three Days Grace made a cameo appearance in the film, performing the songs "Are You Ready" and "Home". Pl ...

'' *''

The 1 Second Film ''The 1 Second Film'' is an American non-profit collaborative art project. The 1 Second Film began as a student project by Nirvan Mullick in 2001. Receiving contributions from thousands of people around the world, including many celebrities. The p ...

'' *''

'' *''Attack of the Show''

Discography

*''U.S. Export'' 2003 (Sling Slang Records) *''Sky from the Mine'' 2011 ( Hale Manor Productions)

Awards

*2022

Cult Critic Movie Awards Cult Critic Movie Awards is an IMDb Award listing live screening award event that takes place in Kolkata and features art-house cult films from across the world. The Cult Critic Films Magazine started this award event in 2017 in Kolkata. The JEAN L ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Seymour, Thomas Edward 1977 births Living people American rock musicians American male film actors American film score composers American male film score composers People from New Britain, Connecticut