Tom Jay Smith
Well-known member
The past 4 years has been a hell of a journey for me, here is my story!
A DEDICATED Croydon son and film director has been chosen to carry the Olympic Torch through Hastings this summer off the back of his fundraising efforts for the Kent Air Ambulance Service.
Tom Smith, of Normanton Road in South Croydon, undertook a series of projects to help raise funds for the service that in the summer of 2009 saved his father Stephen Smith from a near-tragic fire accident.
Chief among the 24-year-old's efforts was a documentary charting Cranbrook Town Football Club and as a result of it he landed a job with broadcast hire company Video Europe.
But Tom's fortunes haven't stopped there as a nomination to carry the Olympic Torch, through Lloyds TSB's nationwide search for inspirational people, has been accepted.
Tom will be one of just 8,000 people to carry the London 2012 Torch courtesy of Lloyds TSB – his leg coming on July 18 through Hastings – but he insists he owes it all to the people who helped keep his father alive.
“If people didn’t raise money for Kent Air Ambulance, then they wouldn’t be able to save lives,” he said. “And making the documentary was the best thing I’ve ever done but also the hardest.
“We were taking a team that had never won anything in 100 years to a cup final and we got 1,000 people paying to watch the game.
“I’ve always wanted to be a director and now I’m living my dream"
“My brother (Sam) called me and he was laughing, saying ‘you’re going to kill me but I nominated you for something a while back and now you’ve got to carry the Olympic Torch’.
“It was a real shock – I didn’t have a clue about it at all but it’s going to be a great occasion and I can’t wait to do it.”
As well as carrying the Olympic Torch this summer, Tom will be making Lemonade, a poignant piece about a fictional music festival in Kent with state-of-the-art Red Epic cameras.
Peter Jackson used similar equipment, to film The Hobbit but Video Europe agreed to lend Tom the cameras as a reward for all his fundraising efforts.
”Off the back of the documentary they have seen my talent and allowed me to go and use their best cameras – they trust me with it now,” he added. “I was always going to do the documentary anyway but I didn’t expect it to become so successful.
“Without that documentary there is no way Video Europe would let me do this. Technically there is now no reason why this film shouldn’t make millions, I have the tools to finish a 'Hollywood-esque" feature, now i just need to build a crew to help me there.”
Is anyone out there interested in helping me with the next step of my journey? I have all the kit from Shooting to Post Production, now i just need to crew it!
I'll be running a a fundraising campaign once i have the crew and cast sorted, i'm aware favours can only get you so far... so that would be to feed and pay the crew!
If you have any idea's or questions please get in touch
Tom x
A DEDICATED Croydon son and film director has been chosen to carry the Olympic Torch through Hastings this summer off the back of his fundraising efforts for the Kent Air Ambulance Service.
Tom Smith, of Normanton Road in South Croydon, undertook a series of projects to help raise funds for the service that in the summer of 2009 saved his father Stephen Smith from a near-tragic fire accident.
Chief among the 24-year-old's efforts was a documentary charting Cranbrook Town Football Club and as a result of it he landed a job with broadcast hire company Video Europe.
But Tom's fortunes haven't stopped there as a nomination to carry the Olympic Torch, through Lloyds TSB's nationwide search for inspirational people, has been accepted.
Tom will be one of just 8,000 people to carry the London 2012 Torch courtesy of Lloyds TSB – his leg coming on July 18 through Hastings – but he insists he owes it all to the people who helped keep his father alive.
“If people didn’t raise money for Kent Air Ambulance, then they wouldn’t be able to save lives,” he said. “And making the documentary was the best thing I’ve ever done but also the hardest.
“We were taking a team that had never won anything in 100 years to a cup final and we got 1,000 people paying to watch the game.
“I’ve always wanted to be a director and now I’m living my dream"
“My brother (Sam) called me and he was laughing, saying ‘you’re going to kill me but I nominated you for something a while back and now you’ve got to carry the Olympic Torch’.
“It was a real shock – I didn’t have a clue about it at all but it’s going to be a great occasion and I can’t wait to do it.”
As well as carrying the Olympic Torch this summer, Tom will be making Lemonade, a poignant piece about a fictional music festival in Kent with state-of-the-art Red Epic cameras.
Peter Jackson used similar equipment, to film The Hobbit but Video Europe agreed to lend Tom the cameras as a reward for all his fundraising efforts.
”Off the back of the documentary they have seen my talent and allowed me to go and use their best cameras – they trust me with it now,” he added. “I was always going to do the documentary anyway but I didn’t expect it to become so successful.
“Without that documentary there is no way Video Europe would let me do this. Technically there is now no reason why this film shouldn’t make millions, I have the tools to finish a 'Hollywood-esque" feature, now i just need to build a crew to help me there.”
Is anyone out there interested in helping me with the next step of my journey? I have all the kit from Shooting to Post Production, now i just need to crew it!
I'll be running a a fundraising campaign once i have the crew and cast sorted, i'm aware favours can only get you so far... so that would be to feed and pay the crew!
If you have any idea's or questions please get in touch
Tom x
