About Me

My name is Thomas 'Tommo' McCarthy, and I am a filmmaker and theatre-lover based in Kent (and York). Over the years I have worked on a number of film and theatre projects, and here, in this portfolio, I have documented all of my work starting from January 2019 to the present day. This includes work experience, trailers, theatre productions, as well as short films.

I believe nothing makes for better entertainment than a strong story, and this is what I seek to provide first and foremost through my work. To date I have helped to craft 3 publicly available short films, as well as numerous theatre productions. I'm also a BFI Film Academy alumnus, and have been awarded a Silver Arts Award from Trinity College, London. Currently I study at the University of York, where I am an active member of the Drama Society, and serve as their Internal Vice Chair, in charge of the administration and upkeep of the society's performance venue.

The Cappuccino Crew [2016-2019]

Over the years, I gradually began to pick up certain skills, purely from trial-and-error, and began to experiment more and more with film.  A lot of my experience prior to starting my portfolio came from my time with the Cappuccino Crew - a non-official production company created by myself and my friends. This was very amateurish affair, and I was often the only one really interested in making films, but ultimately it was a lot of fun and good experience. As part of the Cappuccino Crew, I created several short films and sketches, and learnt a lot about how to, and more importantly how not to make films. After just over 3 years of activity, the Cappuccino Crew disbanded in July 2019, as members of the crew moved away or prepared themselves for A-Levels.

The BFI Film Academy [2019-2021]

After the end of the Cappuccino Crew, I endeavoured to continue taking on more projects alone. This led to a number of opportunities, one of the greatest being given the opportunity to work as Assistant Director for my school's adaptation of Macbeth. This show also allowed me to create my own teaser trailer, which marked the first solo video production in several years. I also took this time to do a lot more research into the techniques involved in filmmaking, in the aim of expanding my horizons for future projects.

Following on from the eventual cancellation of The Macbeths (due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic), I turned my attention properly back to film. Using this new experience, I applied to the BFI Kent Film Academy and, in November 2020, was accepted into the course. Over the 10 weekends I spent at the academy (in a digital sense - the entire course had to take place online), I directed one short film, Unfiltered, and produced another.

With the cohort I met at the BFI Kent Film Academy, I then went on to write, direct, produce, and act in the short film Ashley - my first publicly-accessible solo short film. This film, shot in 2021, was released in 2022.

University of York & DramaSoc [2021-2023]

Now studying Computer Science at the University of York, I have become an active member of the University of York Drama Society, DramaSoc. Here, I served as one of two Technical Managers from Spring 2022 to Spring 2023, and I am now the Internal Vice Chair for the society. This puts me in charge of the management and operation of our performance venue, the Drama Barn. 

I have also worked on a variety of projects, mainly as producer or director, but I have also served as videographer, cinematographer, and lighting designer.

Some particular highlights from my time in DramaSoc so far have been my 2022 adaptation of Martin McDonagh's The Pillowman, which I directed, as well as two plays of my own creation, the 2023 productions of The Unspoken and The Last Masquerade.