Tom Neff is a renowned documentary filmmaker with over twenty-five years of experience in the film industry. He holds an MFA degree from the University of Southern California School of Cinema/Television.
Throughout his career, Neff has garnered numerous awards and nominations, including an Oscar nomination, an Emmy win, and an Emmy nomination. He founded the Documentary Channel, the nation's first 24/7 channel dedicated to independent documentaries, which was later sold to Participant Media for over $50 million.
Neff has created the DOC brand, original programming schedule, and seven signature ongoing series, including "DocTalk," "Treasures of the Academy," "From the Vault," "Doc-U," "Oscar's Picks," "Soundcheck," and "Black Documentary Cinema."
As CEO and Chief Creative Officer at DOC, Neff oversaw all financing, reporting, budgeting, personnel, and technical operations of the company, involving over $20 million in investment and revenue over a 12-year period. He is a recognized expert in the business of the film industry, with expertise in licensing, production, distribution, programming, development, broadcast, and intellectual property.
Neff's films have been featured in special screenings at prominent institutions, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Smithsonian, the Whitney, and the Academy of Motion Pictures. He has also given master classes and spoken at numerous festivals and schools, including Sundance, Hot Docs, Lincoln Jazz Center, and the University of Southern California.
A pioneer in High Definition production, Neff produced and directed the nation's first HDTV art documentary production with the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Japanese broadcaster NHK, "Frederic Remington: The Truth of Other Days." Many of his films revolve around artists, including "Beatrice Wood: Mama of Dada" and "Music For Your Eyes."
Neff is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Media and Entertainment at Middle Tennessee State University, where he has been teaching media management, programming, communication theory, film production, and other related subjects for over six years. He also created the "First Look" Screenings, a program that invites industry professionals to view the top MTSU student work created during the year.
Neff serves on the Nominating Committees for the Documentary Feature and Documentary Short Oscars and is a member of both the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the Television National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. He has served on numerous panels, including Sundance, University of Southern California, WestDoc, HotDocs, and the Nashville Film Festival.
