Tom Neff
Encyclopedia
Thomas Linden Neff, known as Tom Neff, is a film executive, director and producer, born in Chicago, Illinois. Currently, he lives in Nashville
, Tennessee
.
from Lawrence University
with a major in English. In 1981, he completed a Master of Fine Arts
at the School of Cinematic Arts
at the University of Southern California
.
, the first channel in the United States to show documentaries on a full-time basis. The Documentary Channel was created in 1998 and is currently on the DISH Network
, Channel 197 and DirecTV
, Channel 263. Neff is also a documentary film producer and director.
Neff's films have won several national and international awards, including an Academy Award
nomination and an Emmy win. In 1983
he began Tennessee's first feature film production company, Horizon Films, and wrote and directed the feature film Running Mates (1985
) distributed worldwide by New World Pictures.
In the early 1990s, with partner Diandra Douglas, Neff co-founded and ran Wild Wolf Productions, a California-based (Culver City) documentary film production company that produced Beatrice Wood: Mama of Dada
(1993
) and America's Music: The Roots of Country
(1996
).
More recently, Neff produced, wrote, and directed the 30-minute documentary, Herb Alpert: Music for Your Eyes
, on the art and sculpture of musician Herb Alpert
(2003
); Country Music: The Spirit of America
, (2003), an IMAX
film which traces the history of the United States
in the 20th Century through country music; and Chances: The Women of Magdalene
(2006
), his most recent feature-length documentary on the socially conscious organization Magdalene, located in Nashville, that recovers prostitutes off the street.
He has served on the Board of the International Documentary Association
, the Tennessee Governor's Film Advisory Board, the Board of Directors of the Watkins College of Art&Design in Nashville, was Chairman of Finance on the Belcourt Theater board, and was co-chairman of the Nashville Film Festival
. He is a member of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
, where he sat on the Nominating Committee for Best Documentary. Neff has participated on various documentary panels at film festivals around the world.
as an adjunct professor (School of Cinematic Arts at USC). In the 1990s he taught a course on music video production. His students taking the course (USC Cinema 499) shot various music videos for country music artists such as Radney Foster
, and others. Neff obtained financing for the program from various records labels, such as Arista Nashville
.
Neff currently teaches at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
Short documentaries
Feature documentaries
Television documentaries
Nominations
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
.
Education
Neff received his Bachelor of ArtsBachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
from Lawrence University
Lawrence University
Lawrence University is a selective, private liberal arts college with a nationally recognized conservatory of music, in Appleton, Wisconsin. Lawrence University is known for its rigorous academic environment. Founded in 1847, the first classes were held on November 12, 1849...
with a major in English. In 1981, he completed a Master of Fine Arts
Master of Fine Arts
A Master of Fine Arts is a graduate degree typically requiring 2–3 years of postgraduate study beyond the bachelor's degree , although the term of study will vary by country or by university. The MFA is usually awarded in visual arts, creative writing, filmmaking, dance, or theatre/performing arts...
at the School of Cinematic Arts
USC School of Cinematic Arts
The USC School of Cinematic Arts, until 2006 named the School of Cinema-Television , is a film school within the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, California. It is the oldest and largest such school in the United States, established in 1929 as a joint venture with the Academy of...
at the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
.
Career
Neff is the founder and former CEO of DOC: The Documentary ChannelDOC: The Documentary Channel
Documentary Channel is a specialty channel that features documentary programming. It airs independent documentary films from around the world, including those never-before-seen in the United States....
, the first channel in the United States to show documentaries on a full-time basis. The Documentary Channel was created in 1998 and is currently on the DISH Network
Dish Network
Dish Network Corporation is the second largest pay TV provider in the United States, providing direct broadcast satellite service—including satellite television, audio programming, and interactive television services—to 14.337 million commercial and residential customers in the United States. Dish...
, Channel 197 and DirecTV
DirecTV
DirecTV is an American direct broadcast satellite service provider and broadcaster based in El Segundo, California. Its satellite service, launched on June 17, 1994, transmits digital satellite television and audio to households in the United States, Latin America, and the Anglophone Caribbean. ...
, Channel 263. Neff is also a documentary film producer and director.
Neff's films have won several national and international awards, including an Academy Award
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
nomination and an Emmy win. In 1983
1983 in film
-Events:*February 11 - The Rolling Stones concert film Let's Spend the Night Together opens in New York*May 25 - Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, the final film in the original Star Wars trilogy, is released. Like the previous films, it goes on to become the top grossing picture of...
he began Tennessee's first feature film production company, Horizon Films, and wrote and directed the feature film Running Mates (1985
1985 in film
-Events:* 3 December - Roger Moore steps down from the role of James Bond after twelve years and seven films. He is replaced by Timothy Dalton.* The Academy Award for Best Picture was won by Out Of Africa, while the highest grossing film was Back to the Future.* Bliss wins AFI Award for best Movie...
) distributed worldwide by New World Pictures.
In the early 1990s, with partner Diandra Douglas, Neff co-founded and ran Wild Wolf Productions, a California-based (Culver City) documentary film production company that produced Beatrice Wood: Mama of Dada
Beatrice Wood: Mama of Dada
Beatrice Wood: Mama of Dada is a 1993 documentary film written and directed by Tom Neff about the avant-garde artist Beatrice Wood.-Synopsis:...
(1993
1993 in film
The year 1993 in film involved many significant films, including the blockbuster hits Jurassic Park, The Fugitive and The Firm. -Events:...
) and America's Music: The Roots of Country
America's Music: The Roots of Country
America's Music: The Roots of Country is a multi-part documentary about the history of country music directed by Tom Neff and Jerry Aronson and written by Neff and Robert K. Oermann. The film touches on many of the styles of music that make up country music, including: Cajun music, Folk music,...
(1996
1996 in film
Major releases this year included Scream, Independence Day, Fargo, Trainspotting, The English Patient, Twister, Mars Attacks!, Jerry Maguire and a version of Evita starring Madonna.-Events:...
).
More recently, Neff produced, wrote, and directed the 30-minute documentary, Herb Alpert: Music for Your Eyes
Herb Alpert: Music for Your Eyes
Herb Alpert: Music for Your Eyes is an American documentary about the paintings and sculptures of musician and record producer Herb Alpert. It was written, produced and directed by Tom Neff...
, on the art and sculpture of musician Herb Alpert
Herb Alpert
Herbert "Herb" Alpert is an American musician most associated with the group variously known as Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass, Herb Alpert's Tijuana Brass, or TJB. He is also a recording industry executive — he is the "A" of A&M Records...
(2003
2003 in film
The year 2003 in film involved some significant events. Releases of sequels took place with movies like The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, 2 Fast 2 Furious, Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, The Matrix Reloaded, The Matrix Revolutions, Pokémon Heroes, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines,...
); Country Music: The Spirit of America
Country Music: The Spirit of America
Country Music: The Spirit of America is a documentary film, in the IMAX format, written and co-produced by Tom Neff and co-directed by Neff, Steven Goldmann and Keith Melton. Randy Scruggs was also a producer on the film and wrote the music score...
, (2003), an IMAX
IMAX
IMAX is a motion picture film format and a set of proprietary cinema projection standards created by the Canadian company IMAX Corporation. IMAX has the capacity to record and display images of far greater size and resolution than conventional film systems...
film which traces the history of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in the 20th Century through country music; and Chances: The Women of Magdalene
Chances: The Women of Magdalene
Chances: The Women of Magdalene is a documentary film produced and directed by Tom Neff, and written by Neff and Barry Rubinow. The documentary features the socially conscious organization known as "Magdalene," located in Nashville, Tennessee, that recovers prostitutes off the street.-Interviews:*...
(2006
2006 in film
- Highest-grossing films :Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top-grossing films that were first released in the United States in 2006...
), his most recent feature-length documentary on the socially conscious organization Magdalene, located in Nashville, that recovers prostitutes off the street.
He has served on the Board of the International Documentary Association
International Documentary Association
International Documentary Association , founded in 1982, is a non-profit organization promoting documentary film, video and new media, to support the efforts of documentary filmmaking and video production makers around the world and to increase public appreciation and demand for the art of the...
, the Tennessee Governor's Film Advisory Board, the Board of Directors of the Watkins College of Art&Design in Nashville, was Chairman of Finance on the Belcourt Theater board, and was co-chairman of the Nashville Film Festival
Nashville Film Festival
The Nashville Film Festival , held annually in Nashville, Tennessee, is the oldest running film festival in the South and one of the oldest in the United States. In 2009, Nashville Film Festival received close to 2000 submissions from 86 countries, programmed nearly 260 films and had an attendance...
. He is a member of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is a professional honorary organization dedicated to the advancement of the arts and sciences of motion pictures...
, where he sat on the Nominating Committee for Best Documentary. Neff has participated on various documentary panels at film festivals around the world.
Teaching
Neff has taught at his alma materAlma mater
Alma mater , pronounced ), was used in ancient Rome as a title for various mother goddesses, especially Ceres or Cybele, and in Christianity for the Virgin Mary.-General term:...
as an adjunct professor (School of Cinematic Arts at USC). In the 1990s he taught a course on music video production. His students taking the course (USC Cinema 499) shot various music videos for country music artists such as Radney Foster
Radney Foster
Radney Foster is an American Texas Country artist. Initially a songwriter in Nashville, Tennessee, Foster made his debut in 1986 alongside Bill Lloyd in the duo Foster & Lloyd...
, and others. Neff obtained financing for the program from various records labels, such as Arista Nashville
Arista Nashville
Arista Nashville is an American record label that is a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment, operated under the Sony Music Nashville division. Founded in 1989, the label specializes in country music artists, including Alan Jackson, Brooks & Dunn, Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood...
.
Neff currently teaches at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
Filmography (producing and directing)
Feature films- Running Mates (1985)
Short documentaries
- Red Grooms: Sunflower in a HothouseRed Grooms: Sunflower in a HothouseRed Grooms: Sunflower in a Hothouse is a short film biography of the Nashville-born artist Red Grooms. It was written by Tom Neff, co-directed by Neff and Louise LeQuire, and produced by Neff and Madeline Bell...
(1986) - No Magic Bullets (1988)
- A Lady as Game as That (1989)
- Louise Dahl-Wolfe: Painting with LightLouise Dahl-Wolfe: Painting with LightLouise Dahl-Wolfe: Painting with Light is a documentary film about Louise Dahl-Wolfe, an important woman in the history of photography...
(1999) - Pat Kerr: Wrapped in Royalty (2002)
- Herb Alpert: Music for Your EyesHerb Alpert: Music for Your EyesHerb Alpert: Music for Your Eyes is an American documentary about the paintings and sculptures of musician and record producer Herb Alpert. It was written, produced and directed by Tom Neff...
(2003)
Feature documentaries
- Country Music: The Spirit of AmericaCountry Music: The Spirit of AmericaCountry Music: The Spirit of America is a documentary film, in the IMAX format, written and co-produced by Tom Neff and co-directed by Neff, Steven Goldmann and Keith Melton. Randy Scruggs was also a producer on the film and wrote the music score...
(IMAXIMAXIMAX is a motion picture film format and a set of proprietary cinema projection standards created by the Canadian company IMAX Corporation. IMAX has the capacity to record and display images of far greater size and resolution than conventional film systems...
, 2003) aka, Our Country - Chances: The Women of MagdaleneChances: The Women of MagdaleneChances: The Women of Magdalene is a documentary film produced and directed by Tom Neff, and written by Neff and Barry Rubinow. The documentary features the socially conscious organization known as "Magdalene," located in Nashville, Tennessee, that recovers prostitutes off the street.-Interviews:*...
(2006) - Shake Hands with the Devil: The Journey of Roméo DallaireShake Hands With the Devil: The Journey of Roméo DallaireShake Hands With the Devil: The Journey of Roméo Dallaire is a documentary film about the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. It was directed by Peter Raymont and inspired by the book Shake Hands with the Devil: The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda , by now-retired Canadian Lieutenant-General Roméo Dallaire...
(2004) (executive producer, only)
Television documentaries
- Frederic Remington: The Truth of Other DaysFrederic Remington: The Truth of Other DaysFrederic Remington: The Truth of Other Days is a documentary of American Western artist Frederic Remington made for the PBS series American Masters and produced and directed by Tom Neff It was written by Neff and Louise LeQuire...
(PBS, 19911991 in televisionFor the American TV schedule, see: 1991-92 United States network television schedule.The year 1991 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1991.-Events:-Debuts:-1950s:...
) - Beatrice Wood: Mama of DadaBeatrice Wood: Mama of DadaBeatrice Wood: Mama of Dada is a 1993 documentary film written and directed by Tom Neff about the avant-garde artist Beatrice Wood.-Synopsis:...
(PBS, 19941994 in televisionThe year 1994 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1994.For the American TV schedule, see: 1994-95 United States network television schedule.-Events:-Debuts:-Miniseries:...
) - America's Music: The Roots of CountryAmerica's Music: The Roots of CountryAmerica's Music: The Roots of Country is a multi-part documentary about the history of country music directed by Tom Neff and Jerry Aronson and written by Neff and Robert K. Oermann. The film touches on many of the styles of music that make up country music, including: Cajun music, Folk music,...
(TBS 19961996 in televisionThe year 1996 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1996.For the American TV schedule, see: 1996-97 United States network television schedule.-Events:-Debuts:-1950s:...
)
Awards
Wins- CINECINECINE is a consortium formulated to depict American life and thought realistically for a global audience. CINE recognizes and fosters the highest quality of non-theatrical film and video production through its semi-annual film competitions....
: Golden Eagle, for: Red Grooms: Sunflower in a Hothouse; 1986. - CINE: Golden Eagle, for: Frederic Remington: The Truth of Other Days; 1990.
- CINE: Golden Eagle, for: Beatrice Wood: Mama of Dada; 1992.
- Sichuan Television Festival, ChengduChengduChengdu , formerly transliterated Chengtu, is the capital of Sichuan province in Southwest China. It holds sub-provincial administrative status...
China: Golden Panda award, Beatrice Wood: Mama of Dada; 1993. Note: First American documentary to win this award. - National Academy of Television Arts and SciencesNational Academy of Television Arts and SciencesThe National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences or NATAS was created in 1955 to advance the arts and sciences of television. Headquartered in New York, NATAS's membership is national and the organization has local chapters around the country....
: Emmy AwardEmmy AwardAn Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
, Best Documentary, DOC: The Documentary ChannelDOC: The Documentary ChannelDocumentary Channel is a specialty channel that features documentary programming. It airs independent documentary films from around the world, including those never-before-seen in the United States....
, Tom Neff and Jimmy Holcomb, executive producers; for: Shake Hands with the Devil: The Journey of Roméo DallaireShake Hands With the Devil: The Journey of Roméo DallaireShake Hands With the Devil: The Journey of Roméo Dallaire is a documentary film about the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. It was directed by Peter Raymont and inspired by the book Shake Hands with the Devil: The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda , by now-retired Canadian Lieutenant-General Roméo Dallaire...
; 20062006 in television2006 in television may refer to:*2006 in American television*2006 in Australian television*2006 in British television*2006 in Canadian television*2006 in Japanese television...
. - Nashville Film Festival: Audience Award for Best Documentary, Tom Neff, for: Chances: The Women of Magdalene; 2006.
Nominations
- Academy Awards: Oscar, Best Documentary, Short SubjectsAcademy Award for Documentary Short SubjectThis is a list of films by year that have received an Oscar together with the other nominations for best documentary short subject. Following the Academy's practice, the year listed for each film is the year of release: the awards are announced and presented early in the following year.-1940s:*1941...
, for: Red Grooms: Sunflower in a Hothouse; shared with: Madeline Bell; 1987.
External links
- Tom Neff interview at Big Movie Zone re. Country Music: The Spirit of America
- Tom Neff images at Academy of Motion Picture Arts and SciencesAcademy of Motion Picture Arts and SciencesThe Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is a professional honorary organization dedicated to the advancement of the arts and sciences of motion pictures...
event - Tom Neff interview at the Nashville Business Journal