The District of Columbia Office of Motion Picture and Television Development is pleased to honor Tommy Taylor Jr., award-winning actor, comedian and filmmaker, as its May 2012 Filmmaker of the Month.
Combining his love for technology and entertainment, Tommy Taylor Jr. formed The Taylor Creative, a production company where he has produced critically acclaimed and award-winning commercials, short films, music videos, viral videos, syndicated content, and his original sketch comedy series the Tommy Taylor Show (TTS). The TTS brings Tommy’s brand of “good, clean, comedy” to television and the Internet. The show has become a partner station of Brightcove.com, and Veoh.com, and in its peak, averaged more than 100,000 online views per month. The show also recently was featured internationally as part of the Tommy Taylor Takeover on CanadaWatch.TV and has achieved the attention of major national networks.
Growing up in Southeast DC, Tommy held a passion for entertaining and technology from an early age. As a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University with degrees in engineering and drama, he went on to receive his MBA from Howard University, during which he simultaneously began his career as an actor, comedian, and filmmaker. He has injected his brand of humor and visual storytelling style in the production of major commercials, music videos, and films. From the writing and directing, cinematography and editing, to costuming and location scouting, Tommy performs all of these tasks himself. His productions, particularly the TTS, also provide an opportunity for local actors and comedians to showcase and develop their own talents in a manner that they would not have had otherwise.
Tommy has recently produced five commercials for Comcast and DCTV’s Anytime. Anywhere. campaign, and is currently producing and directing a national PSA promoting the CAP Act, which will support funding of public television channels around the country. In 2006, Tommy began gaining roles in movies such as Die Hard 4; appeared in national commercials; became the face of the Washington Post ad-campaign; garnered roles in television series such as HBO’s How to Make It In America and The Wire; and even appeared on Late Night with Conan O’Brien.
Tommy received the first ever Producer of the Year award from DCTV (2011-2012), along with multiple awards from other TV stations, and has been profiled in Fortune Small Business Magazine. His latest short film A Family Affair, about a family who has a unique way of testing relationships, is making its rounds as an official selection in film festivals around the country. He is also working on a host of other short films and a reality show that he hopes to release later this year. He currently resides in ward seven of the District of Columbia.
The DC Film Office launched the Filmmaker of the Month initiative to feature a District-based filmmaker who exemplifies the vast amount of talent and creativity based here in the nation’s capital. The Filmmaker of the Month initiative is part of its mission to elevate the national and international profile of the city’s most talented filmmakers. Previous filmmakers honored include award-winning filmmaker and screenwriter of Kettle of Fish Claudia Myers, Línea Directa producer and documentary filmmaker Eduardo López, Jezebel Filmworks’ founder Ada Babino, and Emmy award-winning videographer and owner of Metro Teleproductions Dave Lilling.
You can visit the Filmmaker of the Month section to learn more about Tommy and previous Filmmaker of the Month recipients.