TV Producer,  Writer, Speaker

Tom was born in Hampstead, London but spent his childhood in North East England. 

He was educated at RGS Newcastle upon Tyne and at the University of York. 

He began his career at the BBC, first as a News Trainee, then as a Producer and Director in Current Affairs, and then became Executive Producer, Music & Arts.  As a producer/director of comedy, talk, dance, music, docs and drama series, he won many international awards including an Emmy.

In 1985 he founded Mentorn, which soon became the UK's largest independent production company with shows ranging from "Question Time" to "Robot Wars".

In 2000 Tom sold Mentorn to The Television Corporation plc where he became Group Creative Director.

At the end of 2003 he left to become CEO of FremantleMedia North America Inc, the US production company responsible for "American Idol" and "The Price Is Right".

Tom left FremantleMedia at the end of March 2005.  After a year's sabbatical, during which he gave a number of keynote lectures around the world, he founded Vine Media, based in London and LA,

and its subsidiary Standing Stone Productions, based in Newcastle.

In 2010 Tom was Creative Director of the winning Trinity Mirror/Press Association/TenAlps bid

for the English regional news pilot awarded by the DCMS.

Standing Stone is currently (2010) producing a major new entertainment series, LocoMoto.

In July 2008 Tom was made Visiting Professor of Media at Teesside University.

He is also a Fellow of the Royal Television Society, Chairman of Skillset North

and non-executive director of Northern Film & Media. 

He writes a weekly column for the Newcastle Journal and is in demand as an after-dinner speaker. 

In April 2010 he was the guest speaker at the North East Business Awards in Newcastle.

He is married to Jo, has 5 children and lives in Northumberland.

You can contact Tom at Standing Stone Productions:

+44 (0) 191 265 9090                     www.standingstone.tv              tom@standingstone.tv