Tommy SimmsTommy Simms is an interdisciplinary artist and award-winning filmmaker, specializing in stop-motion animation. Earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Tommy discovered filmmaking combines his passions for a variety of art forms. His body of work focuses mostly on animation, but also delves into puppetry and live-action. No matter the artistic style, the narratives of Tommy's films are executed with an animated approach. Capping off his time at UWM, Tommy single-handedly animated his senior stop-motion, “The Legend of Leatherface Larry,” which had the honor of being showcased at the 67th Festival de Cannes. His subsequent works have been featured in film festivals around the world, on PBS, in theatre productions, and at the Houston Museum of Natural Science. Tommy's work on the candy-coated short film, "She Was Crying Sugar" received quite a bit of recognition during its time in the festival circuit, winning Best Mixed Media at the Los Angeles Animation Festival, and granting him a Best Director award at the Milwaukee International Short Film Fest, among other accolades. In addition to filmmaking, Tommy shares his talents with future generations, inspiring creativity. For years, he taught puppetry and stop-motion courses online and at art camps across the United States alongside the Emmy Award-winning artist, Mark Kistler. A frequent collaborator with the surf-pop rock band, Fuzzysurf, and one half of the storytelling duo at Simwig Studios, Tommy’s animated adventures now continue with the production of independent films and music videos.
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