Fuzzysurf’s “Don't Go Overboard”

Tommy Simms is an interdisciplinary artist and award-winning filmmaker, specializing in stop-motion animation. While pursuing his Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Tommy discovered that filmmaking combines his passions for a variety of art forms. Animation is his main focus, but his work also ventures 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 earned 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 even at the Houston Museum of Natural Science. Tommy’s work on the candy-coated animated short, "She Was Crying Sugar" granted him a Best Director award from Milwaukee's International Short Film Fest, and won Best Mixed Media at the Los Angeles Animation Festival, among other notable accolades. In addition to filmmaking, Tommy shares his creative knowledge with aspiring artists. For years, he taught puppetry and stop-motion courses online and at art camps across the United States alongside public television's Emmy Award-winning cartoonist, Mark Kistler. Now, a frequent collaborator with the indie rock band, Fuzzysurf, and one half of the storytelling duo at Simwig Studios, Tommy’s animated adventures continue with the production of independent films and music videos.