In the Press
Meet Tammy Thompson
An article interview by Canvas Rebel Magazine.
https://canvasrebel.com/meet-tammy-thompson-2
We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Tammy Thompson a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Tammy, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear the story of how you went from this being just an idea to making it into something real.
I was wrapping up the video podcast, Love and Encouragement to Live By, and was searching for the next direction to go in. I had just won my first award as a filmmaker for the music video I filmed, “Hold me Father” for vocalist Lynnmarie Hinerman. It was at that awards ceremony that I got this immediate download from God. I knew instantaneously without question what I was called to do, what all the years of preparation were for, and what my next step was. God had called me to become a filmmaker and, through my films, I was to make a difference in the world. It was the best combination of my photography and film skills, coupled with my storytelling strength in writing.
Shortly after I arrived home from the trip, I had my first film idea inspired by true-life events. I was so excited that I scripted it out in one day. I had so many people interested in the story that actors signed up, locations fell into place, and we filmed the movie, The Beauty of Forgiveness. It went on to win several film awards, as well as the theme song music video I filmed.
After that project, I was planning on filming a Christian comedy, but God had other plans. Through many painful events dealing with the church and Christians, God placed a story on my heart I just had to tell. The Christian comedy was put on hold. I began writing the concept in December of 2024 for a faith-based drama series, and by spring of 2025, the script for the pilot was completed for the show, Word and Deed. The story radiated with so many people. I started casting in late spring of 2025, and filming began in the summer of 2025. The teaser just came out in January of 2026 and is on YouTube and embedded on my website. The show Word and Deed will run for three season and my goal is to have the pilot episode out by the summer of 2026.
Tammy, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I have been a professional photographer since 2004, winning many awards for my fine art, including being a three-time recipient of Maryland Photographer of the Year. In 2018, I published my first book and now have 12 published books, with several having won book awards. I started creating videos for clients about 10 years ago, and won my first film award for a music video in 2022.
I offer film services for clients, including music videos and recently Concept Clips. Concept Clips are mini scripts I create for actors geared toward the type of acting roles they desire to land. The finished video is used for actors in their actor reels.
I have also created my own streaming platform site where the films and shows I create are aired through a subscription. https://ThompsonProductions.stream
There is a free level subscription to test out the site that gives access to music videos and movie trailers. However, it requires a paid subscription to watch the films. This is how the provision comes to produce the films I create.
Thompson Productions is the brand I am building that I want to instill trust in from the viewers. The purpose behind Thompson Productions is to provide family-friendly content that everyone can enjoy. There is no sex, nudity, or cursing in the films or shows. However, Christian content does not have to be boring. I create rich character-driven stories, and many are packed with action, tension, and suspense.
Another provision for filming is that Word and Deed has a fundraiser page for those who want to help by sowing into the show. This has been a huge blessing in the ability to get production started and is still needed for the show Word and Deed to offset the filming costs.
https://www.givesendgo.com/WordAndDeed
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
Absolutely. Purpose is at the core of our existence. Knowing my Kingdom purpose, what God uniquely created me to do, guides how I live and helps me walk fully in the life I was meant for.
So many days are hard, especially with the financial struggles, location availability, and actors’ schedules. I often feel I am trying to make the impossible come to life. What keeps me going is that drive inside telling me I was created for this. That God is for me in a world full of opposition, setbacks, and challenges.
I want more than anything to create amazing stories that impact the viewers’ lives and inspire change in the world.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
The most rewarding part is watching people view my film. It is a feeling like no other, observing them laugh, cry, and be moved by a story I brought to life. At the premiere of my first movie, The Beauty of Forgiveness, I stood in the back of the theater watching the film and the audience. It is a moment I will treasure forever. I look forward to many more premiere nights of all the films and shows of the stories I plan to create.
Contact Info:
https://ThompsonProductions.film
https://www.facebook.com/ThompsonProductions.film
https://www.youtube.com/@thompson_productions
https://ThompsonProductions.stream
https://www.givesendgo.com/WordAndDeed
An Eye for Art: Photographer finds success in film
Tammy Thompson is pictured with a poster she designed for the movie she wrote and produced titled “The Beauty of Forgiveness.” (Lyndi McNulty photo)
By LYNDI MCNUTY
PUBLISHED: January 18, 2025 at 7:00 AM EST
Tammy Thompson is a local filmmaker. Thompson was always drawing when she was a child. She started painting when she was in middle school. Thompson liked to paint people and flowers.
“I was fascinated with people’s features,” she said.
Thompson did not get interested in photography until digital cameras came out when she was in her 30s. She remembers her brother setting up a photography developing lab in the bathroom and she found that to be a hindrance in photography.
Then Thompson started doing wedding photography. She joined the Maryland Professional Photography Association. “That helped me perfect my photography skills,” Thompson said.
She started entering its print competitions for master photographers. Thompson said, “I am a three-time recipient of the Maryland Photographer of the Year.”
Tammy Thompson is pictured with a poster she designed for the movie she wrote and produced titled “The Beauty of Forgiveness.” (Lyndi McNulty photo)
Her categories were portraits, illustrative (landscapes and scenic pictures) and electronic imaging (the hardest category).
Thompson has been a photographer since 2004.
Now she has gone into film. Speakers come to the Maryland Photography Association meeting once a month. “A few years ago, a filmmaker/photographer showed us how to use the video settings in our DLSRL cameras. He had a ‘gimbal’ which is a stabilizer for the camera. That was the moment my interest in film began,” Thompson said.
She started offering videos to her photography clients. For example, Thompson took one-minute clips of couples with their car, children, or dog. She set videos to music.
In 2022, Thompson filmed her first music video. It was titled “Hold Me Father” by Lynnmarie Hinerman. That film won multiple awards such as Best Music Video Christian Film Festival 2022.
At one of the film festivals Thompson attended, she was inspired to make films full-time. As a result, she decided to film “The Beauty of Forgiveness.” She wrote the script in one day. It is based on true life events. When Thompson had her first son, her father was an atheist.
“I let my father know I was going to raise him in the Christian faith,” Thompson said. “He disowned me and never spoke to me again. It was heartbreaking and it has been over 20 years without contact. He does not even know I had a second son.”
The film is a similar story but fictional. The theme is “What if the biggest mistake of a lifetime could be forgiven in one night? This is the only question on Henry’s mind as he lies in the hospice care center,” Thompson said. “The movie was filmed in Carroll County in Finksburg, Sykesville, and Westminster. Everybody donated their time and locations for free because they believed in the message of forgiveness.”
The story revolves around why Henry is an atheist and wants forgiveness for not speaking to his daughter.
The theme song, “The Beauty of Forgiveness,” has won The Christian Film Festival Award 2024, Best Song, and Best Music Video 2024 from the Christian Film Festival (CFF) in Virginia. The music video was nominated for the International Christian Film and Music Festival (ICFF) in Florida.
The movie trailer won Best Movie Trailer at CFF.
Thompson’s film, “The Beauty of Forgiveness” was a 2024 Christian Film Festival Award Winner for Best Feature Film (Tammy Thompson), Best Director (Tammy Thompson), Best Actor (Bill Knill), Best Actress (Lynnmarie Hinerman), Best Actor Supporting (Tommy Hinerman), and Best Actress Supporting (Lynn Eglseder).
The movie premiere for “The Beauty of Forgiveness” was in October of 2024 and the film is being shown at select churches listed on Thompson’s website.
Thompson will start filming her next movie, a Christian comedy called “Promise Keeper,” this year.
Going forward, her movies will not just be Christian-themed, but they will be family-friendly.
Thomson Productions can be reached at ThompsonProductions.film.
Lyndi McNulty is the owner of Gizmo’s Art in Westminster. Her column, An Eye for Art, appears regularly in Life & Times.