ut.edu/TomGarrett/
.edu/TomGarrett/About

EDUCATION
1983 University of New Haven, B.A.
1985 New York University, Tisch School of the Arts, MFA

COURSES TAUGHT
• Narrative Film Production
• Documentary Production
• Screenwriting I and II
• The Creative Triangle (Directing, Cinematography, Production Design and pre-visualization)
• Survey of Independent Cinema
• World Cinema
• Film Directors
• Producing for Motion Pictures and Digital Media
• New Methods of Distribution, Advertising and Transmedia
• Advanced Producing and International Market (Travel Component- to Cannes Film Festival w/ Internships)
• Corporate Use of Media
• Sound, Image and Motion
• Senior Seminar
• Honors Tutorials
• Independent Studies

CAREER SPECIALTIES

Tom Garrett is a producer of independent feature films and a founding partner of Circa Films, a sales and distribution company engaged in production and international distribution of independent feature films.

In the past 20 years Tom has been credited as a producer on 14 feature films. He has intimate knowledge of the legal and financial issues that are involved in feature film production, having produced, directed and delivered films to the international marketplace. He has also served as a consultant on production issues, budgets, financing, casting, guilds and unions, and legal affairs on projects ranging from low budget independents to studio level pictures.

Tom's films have screened at many prestigious film festivals worldwide, including Berlin, Cannes, Florence, Rotterdam and Toronto. For the past two decades he has played an active role with Circa Films at the Cannes Marche du Film at the Cannes Film Festival, MIFED (Milan International Film Fair of Exhibitors and Distributors), AFM-American Film Market and IFFM/IFP (Independent Film Market & Project).
Professional and Community Activities:
With an M.F.A from New York University, where he also has taught film production, Tom has worked as line producer, unit production manager and executive producer for a number of noted directors, including Academy Award winner Jean Charles Tachella (Cousin Cousine, Seven Sundays), and Alex Cox (Sid & Nancy, Repo Man). He has also worked with such well known producers as Daniel Tuscan du Plantier,Ted Hope and Art Linson.

Tom has been a part of numerous international co-production films. He has worked with many of the film industry's noted personalities including many distinguished cinematographers such as Mario Garcia Joya (Strawberry & Chocolate), Carlo Varini (Subway, The Big Blue) and Roger Deakin (Sid & Nancy, O Brother Where art Thou?) Jan Debont ( Die Hard, Hunt for Red October, Black Rain) and respectable actors as Rod Steiger, Gary Oldman and Thierry L’hermitte.

Tom is credited with producing and directing the 1980s movie, Death Collector, aka Tin Star Void. It has been called a "cult classic" by both Variety and The Hollywood Reporter. This movie has also been called "The greatest Sci-Fi / Action Adventure / Western no one has seen, heard or celebrated," by Cult Movie Magazine, Vol. # 40, 2005.

In addition to his feature film career, Tom has worked as a producer for such prominent advertising agencies and public relations firms as Chiat-Day /Mojo, JWT, BBD & O and with such clients as CHANEL, Reebok, Tag Heuer and Calvin Klien. His clients have also included Def Jam and Sony Records where he produced music videos for the likes of Run DMC and U2. His corporate communications background ranges from fashion to finance, music to medical, including national commercials, Video news releases, wraparounds, reenactments, reality programming, corporate identification media, sales and training media.

Tom and his wife, Lee Morse, own Best West Productions, a production service company which has brought many feature films to the west coast of Florida. Among them, such notables as director Steven Soderbergh's most recent 'Magic Mike', Harmony Korine's 'Spring Breakers'( James Franco)Alfonso Cuaron's (Children of Men, Y Tu Mama Tambien) adaptation of Great Expectations ( Ethan Hawke, Gwyneth Paltrow and Robert DeNiro) and Palmetto ( Woody Harrelson, Elisabeth Shue and Gina Gershon) and hundreds of national commercials, print and catalog advertising clients.

HONORS and AWARDS
Florence Film Festival - International Independents Award
Berlin Film Festival - American Independents Award
New York University Tisch School of The Arts- Achievement Award (two times) for Excellence in Production

PROFESSIONAL RECOGNITIONS
Sarasota Film Festival, Van Wezel Performing Arts Center (Secret World of Recovery), 2011
Alliance Française ,French Language & Cultural Center- Washington (Léon Blum: For All Mankind), 2011.
The Lincoln Center, Walter Reade Theatre (Léon Blum: For All Mankind), 2010.
The Library of Congress ,The Mary Pickford Theater (Léon Blum: For All Mankind), 2010.
Jerusalem Cinematheque, (Léon Blum: For All Mankind), 2010.
Israel Film Archives (inducted), (Léon Blum: For All Mankind), 2010.
The New York Jewish Film Festival (Léon Blum: For All Mankind), 2010.
The French Embassy, Washington D.C. (Léon Blum: For All Mankind), 2010.
Center for Holocaust & Genocide Studies (Léon Blum: For All Mankind), 2010.
Paris Musée d'art et d'histoire du Judaïsme (Léon Blum: For All Mankind), 2009.
Cannes Independent Film Festival (Prime of Your Life) 2010.
La Femme International Film Festival (Prime of Your Life) 2010.
Gasparilla International Film Festival (Prime of Your Life) Special Cinema Award, 2010.
SunScreen Film Festival (Prime of Your Life)Best Feature, 2010.
SunScreen Film Festival -Education & Outreach Award, 2010.
Sarasota Film Festival (Prime of Your Life) 2010.
The Education Channel, Independents’ Film Festival, Cinema Educator Award, 2009
RareFlix, Re-release (Tin Star Void) in collectors DVD edition of Cult Classics. 2009
The Library of Congress, The Mary Pickford Theater (Howling with the Angels), 2008.
MediaWave, Gyor, Hungary (Howling with the Angels), 2007.
St. Louis International Film Festival (Howling with the Angels), 2006.
The Chicago International Film Festival (Howling with the Angels) Silver Plaque, 2006.
Avignon/New York Film Festival (Seven Sundays), 1995.
Cannes Film Festival (Seven Sundays),1995
Festival d’Avoriaz (Seven Sundays), 1995.
Sarasota French Film Festival (Seven Sundays), 1994.
Festival Della Satira (Seven Sundays), 1994.
Festival Figuera da Foz (Seven Sundays), 1994.
Festival du Cinéma Mediterranéen (Seven Sundays), 1994.
Bernlinale Film Festival, Berlin(Tin Star Void)American Independents Award,1989
American Film Institute Worldfest Houston (University Score), 1991.
Festival International du Film, Amiens (Tin Star Void), 1989.
Incontri di Firenze Film Festival(Tin Star Void), American Independents Award, 1989.
Annual Minneapolis/St. Paul International Film Festival (Tin Star Void), 1989.
American Film Institute Worldfest Houston (Tin Star Void), 1989.
New York University, Tisch School of The Arts Award, Excellence in Film Production,1985 and 1986