Tom Thudiyanplackal

The Storyteller's Desk
Producer, Cinematographer, Director, Editor and Colorist

Los Angeles, California

Member Since:
October 2012

Last online:
> 2 weeks ago

Invites sent:
0

About Tom

Tom Thudiyanplackal is a film director and producer, and also a creative director for advertising and visual media. An expert at conducting brainstorming sessions and managing creative teams — Tom has over fifteen plus years of experience in various leadership roles: Founder @virtuosohaven, V.P. development & marketing @vinodchopra_films, Senior Creative @ogilvy, Creative Supervisor @reliancecommunications…

Tom holds a B.S. in Physics, a diploma in film, and another diploma in multimedia. Involved from the conception to the final consumption of a concept, he has hands-on expertise with the tools and processes of film and digital media production. He has a superlative command of the English language and an exquisite flair for visual aesthetics, enabling him to produce campaigns with compelling copy and visually captivating design.

An avid reader and researcher, Tom, has continued his education through books, experiments, collaboration, and the Internet, continually expanding his understanding of human progress and its ongoing quests. Ranging from science fiction to metaphysics, current affairs to history, economics to compassion, this constant infusion of new ideas and information has allowed Tom to actively produce fresh and original concepts. He has developed over a few dozen feature films and television shows that are currently being packaged with several production slates.

Tom has, among his several exploits, helped launch Ogilvy Interactive, the digital division of Ogilvy India; he also helped manage the start-up division of Reliance Industries that is today one of India’s leading mobile entertainment service providers. Tom joined Vinod Chopra Films (VCF) in 2006, jumping head-on into two active productions and a few other films in pre-production. In his three years with VCF, Tom restructured the company and strategized the releases. Two of the three films released went on to become India’s highest grossing films. The third was India’s official entry to the Oscars.

Additionally, Tom scouted for locations in New York and New Mexico, as well as researched the story and shortlisted the cast and crew for “Broken Horses”. Managing operations in the United States, he worked closely with the writers, producers, and agents to streamline the development of the screenplay and packaging the film.

Tom shares a special passion for children and education. While studying at the Prague Film School, shooting ten short films, and writing his feature — he volunteered at Global Concepts International School, a Montessori community for children from 6 months to 5 years of age. Here, the children learned at their own pace and received constant one-on-one attention and appreciation. Today this is considered to be a privilege afforded to the children of the very wealthy, but he hopes to make available to every child as a birthright.

Tom met with His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama in May 2009 in a private setting at the latter’s palace in Dharamsala. Tom's personal vision for a non-profit and several other ventures involving entertainment as a source of education and inspiration for young minds found a home in the Dalai Lama’s heart and received his bountiful blessings.

Tom has since founded Virtuoso Haven Global Alliance, a 501(c)3 non-profit aiming to develop several shows and films to encourage and inform the individual to reach for the infinite, turning the “impossible” into “I’m possible”. He calls this the empowerment of “I” the individual.

This apart, Tom continues to work professionally as a film director, producer, and a creative director on projects ranging from small indies to multi-million dollar blockbusters.

Armed with several concepts, projects, and inventions in the area of entertainment, lifestyle, and technology, Tom is constantly on the lookout for likeminded individuals and companies with the heart and resources to make this world a better place for the children of tomorrow.