TomSainsbury
- Writer
- Actor
- Director
Tom Sainsbury is a chameleon with an eclectic CV; he is a writer, actor, comedian and director. Amongst over 100 screen credits, he co-wrote TV series Super City with Madeleine Sami, directed and starred in horror film Loop Track, and acts in Educators and Wellington Paranormal. Sainsbury gained national fame in 2017 as the ‘Snapchat Dude’, donning wigs and face manipulation to satirise Kiwi politicians. Image: photo by Andi Crown
Screenography
Biography
When Tom Sainsbury was a child, a production of Little Shop of Horrors by the Matamata Operatic Society inspired him so much, he immediately began writing a sequel. The cult musical’s mix of "comedy, music and horror" gripped his imagination, prompting an impressed teacher to ask him to organise a performance at a school assembly.
Awards
2022 New Zealand Television Awards
Best Script - Comedy: For Wellington Paranormal, series four, Episode four
2020 New Zealand Herald's Entertainment Hero of the Year
“I feel like the finite idea of creativity is quite a negative thing. I’ve come to the conclusion that creativity can keep going: there’s an infinite amount of people to inspire you, or scenarios to inspire you.”