Tommy Heffron

Assistant Professor

Location: Scripps Howard School of Journalism and Communications, 217
Phone: 757-728-6926
E-mail: thomas.heffron@hamptonu.edu
Expertise: Film, Storytelling, Documentaries and Field and Studio Production

Tommy Heffron is an award-winning film/video artist and performer whose works have screened and exhibited internationally.

In Chicago, he developed and taught filmmaking and media studies curriculum to elementary and high school age youth in numerous schools and community centers. In addition, he brought an annual storytelling and scene building workshop to incarcerated youth at Cook County’s Juvenile Temporary Detention Center. He has taught creative writing at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago and founded LitLAB@1512, a creative writing and design program for teens in Chicago’s North Lawndale Community.

He was a continuing adult education instructor in video production at Chicago Filmmakers and most recently at CAN TV, where he designed and managed the station’s training department which focused on digital editing, field and studio production. He directed a monthly half-hour show for Special Olympics Chicago and co-produced many in-house productions.

He was a visiting artist at Bennington College and at Chicago Public Schools Arts & Music Professional Development Conference.

He was a programmer, organizer, and technical director for the Sundown in K-Town Documentary Film Festival as well as a programmer for the Chicago Underground Film Festival, the longest running underground film festival in the world.

He holds a BA in Film Studies from the University of Utah and an MFA in film/video/new media from The School of The Art Institute of Chicago.