John G. Thomas
| John G. Thomas | |
|---|---|
| Born |
January 19, 1948 United States |
| Occupation | Producer, film director, writer, film editor |
John G. Thomas is an American filmmaker. He has been in the film and television business for over 30 years.
A graduate of the USC Film School in production plus a Masters in screenwriting, he has produced and directed dozens of documentaries, feature films and commercials. Among his feature credits are such films as Tin Man, Arizona Heat, Banzai Runner, Healer and most recently, Hamal 18.
Thomas spent most of his early life on the sea, near his home town of Coral Gables, Florida. At the age of 14, Thomas was proficient enough in boating to be the youngest person to sail from Florida to the Bahamas. By age 15, he was hitch-hiking across the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
Afterwards, he became fascinated with cameras, and began to work in still photography. Soon after, he was selling photos to the local newspaper and regional magazine. By his late teens, Thomas not only produced a local weekly radio show, but also worked as a cameraman for television stations and designed lighting for Miami nightclubs. He even organized a large rock concert starring The Byrds, Steppenwolf, and others. Thomas also became involved in local productions including such projects as Flipper (1964 TV Series) and Gentle Ben (1967 TV series) by Ivan Tors. Too young to legally work, Thomas was often paid under-the-table for doing jobs nobody else wanted to do. This sparked Thomas' passion in film, and soon after graduating high school he moved to Hollywood.
At the USC School of Cinematic Arts, Thomas struggled alongside other to-be-famous film students like George Lucas, Ron Howard, and John Carpenter. After years of facing the constant threat of being kicked out, Thomas was one of five out of four hundred beginning students who graduated.
Thomas, unlike his peers, focused on Documentary film instead of the feature favored by his peers. Over the next decade, he made 37 documentaries, shorts, and television programs on a varied range of subjects such as aviation, genetic engineering, solar energy, and bluegrass music. He also photographed a land speed record attempt by Kitty O'Neil. During this period, he received many national and international awards for his work. His films were also shown at the Whitehouse and the Vatican. However, in 1983, Thomas decided to give feature films a shot.
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