Born and raised in Hilo on the Big Island of Hawaii, Thomas Chock’s formal film training began at the Academy for Creative Media at the University of Hawaii, where he produced and directed award-winning short films that have screened at international film festivals. Thomas graduated as a Directing Fellow from the American Film Institute, where he was awarded the Petrie Scholarship Award. In his commercial ventures, Thomas won an award from the Association of Independent Commercial Producers for his Scion Hawaii commercial. Thomas is currently teaching film production, screenwriting, directing, and cinematography at the University of Hawaii. He applies his many years of experience toward the advancement of film production in Hawaii, through both the training of the next generation of local talent, and through the production of his own films that aim to share Hawaii’s beauty with a global audience.