WRITER + DIRECTOR
FILM + VIDEO ARTIST.
WRITER + DIRECTOR
FILM + VIDEO ARTIST.
SPEAK UP. NURTURE. CREATE.
Words to live by. And the catchphrase that Tommy Harrington uses to define his process. The words that shape him: as a storyteller and creative… as a partner and father.
A multi-medium artist, Tommy studied creative writing at UCLA before finding a wide range of underground success in both music and film: touring the country extensively as the one-man indie rock band The Wanteds, having an award-winning documentary made about his life and music, and then winning some awards of his own as a writer, director, producer, and actor. He makes provocative things… like the award-winning Discipline at Work PSA, with its resonant message about spanking becoming part of a Congressional campaign to end hitting in schools. Or, the short form series Dick Strange: American Made, set in the adult industry, that shines a light on toxic male behavior you can see on almost any night, in any bar… or maybe even in American politics. Tommy doesn’t claim to have the answers but he believes growth requires honesty and asking the right questions…
He’s also active on social media. In 2017, he built his Instagram following doing daily photo blogs about life, fear, and his creative process, and in 2019 he started the #IndieTales hashtags on Twitter… which are near-daily stories about surviving in the indie world of film, music, and life. Having grown up in a troubled family that moved frequently between the rural Midwest and Los Angeles, his work is born of a unique voice that explores difficult subjects on the darker side of the American family.
Tommy currently writes and resides in Portland, Oregon, and Los Angeles, California.
"Tommy Harrington has a perspective and a voice that could prove to be an important one...so real and on the mark." — James Haygood, Editor (Fight Club, The Game, Where the Wild Things Are)
THE WANTEDS
THE ONE-MAN ROCK & ROLL ODYSSEY.
THE WANTEDS
THE ONE-MAN ROCK & ROLL ODYSSEY.
Let go aftergloW
The Wanteds became an indie sensation shortly after the 2004 release of the album Let Go Afterglow, which peaked at #103 on the CMJ college radio charts in January 2005, thanks to dedicated fans and constant national touring. Tommy played every instrument on the album and toured 200+ shows per year in support of Let Go Afterglow while national reviewers praised the record for its honest lyrics and intimate production values.
A film crew chased him for two years of his touring life, making a documentary about his life and music. Released in 2011, The Wanteds: The Part of Rock and Roll They Never Tell You About won critical acclaim on the festival circuit, winning three Best Documentary Awards (Bare Bones Film Festival, Action on Film Festival, Blue Whiskey Film Festival) and two Audience Awards (Columbia Gorge Int’l Film Festival and Portland Film Festival).
Failure Looks SO Good
In 2008, Tommy recorded Failure Looks So Good with a power-trio version of The Wanteds. Tracked live to 2” tape over a seven day span at the famed Supernatural Sound studio in Portland, Oregon, the album received national press attention and was called “blisteringly addictive” for its combination of raw lyrics and bold rock anthems. The record still receives international radio play to this day.
LISTEN to The Wanteds on: Apple Music | Spotify
Watch the documentary:
FILM + Video
MAKING THINGS THAT IMPACT.
FILM + Video
MAKING THINGS THAT IMPACT.
DICK STRANGE: American MAde
NOW STREAMING only on AMAZON PRIME VIDEO… the controversial short-form TV show about toxic masculinity in today’s America, as seen through the world of Dick Strange: an adult film director from Portland, Oregon, who discovers how badly he needs to change when the nine-year-old daughter he never knew he had enters his life. The farcical and provocative comedy was shot as “scripted reality,” often relying on a single camera that chases the action documentary-style. Originally released on Facebook, the pilot episode was removed for (supposedly) "violating community standards" after receiving over 60,000 plays in its first few days… DSAM seeks to show us a path back from the dark ages and posits that changing toxic masculinity first requires acknowledging the true depths of it.
WATCH NOW only on Amazon Prime Video!
Father's Day
The harrowing short film about a day in the life of an alcoholic family. Father’s Day rings true to the director’s own childhood, as well as the emotional life his son might have faced had Tommy not gotten sober in 2007. The soundtrack features music from top NW artists: Chastity Belt, Richmond Fontaine, and The Standard. Starring: Kyle Vahan, Brice Harrington, Nahanni Arntzen, Jenny Newbry, and Art Alexakis from Everclear • DP: Matthew Semchee
Fossil Radio
Fossil Radio, by Sean Flynn and the Royal We, is a lovingly handcrafted music video. A vintage mind-trip through the singer's life, that fuses digital video with 8mm and 16mm film in long, choreographed takes. The video was featured at the Hollywood Theatre in the PDX Airport.
The pre-production for this video was a work of art in itself: original storyboards
WE ARE a million voices
A :60 spot for the U.S. Alliance to End the Hitting of Children and The New York Foundling, to build awareness of the dangers of hitting children and the links between spanking and domestic violence later in life. Find out more at: endhitting.org
Discipline at Work
The social-message :60 spot in support of the Hastings Bill: legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives aiming to end corporal punishment in schools. Winner of two Silver Telly Awards for Non-Broadcast Production and Directing.
TALk
(is cheap, but) WHAT ARE THEY SAYING?
TALk
(is cheap, but) WHAT ARE THEY SAYING?
"…wow. I just watched your film [Father’s Day]. I am in tears right now. Wow. Really. That was so raw, so beautifully shot, and so well acted." — a Chicago writer/director (she’s very talented and has been to Cannes)
“This. Is. Incredible." — a gushing fan of Dick Strange (she emailed this after watching it on Amazon)
“Harrington himself is a great film subject, a charming if exhausting figure with an unreserved belief in the emotional power and broad appeal of his music… but the most compelling journey of “The Wanteds” is Harrington’s sweet but troubled life. From an abuse-filled childhood, through serious drug abuse, uneasy sobriety and the prospect of facing adult responsibility just when a long coveted music career appears possible, Harrington’s story sucks you in like a good pop tune.” — the Oregonian (about the documentary)
“Hilarious!!! Omg. This show [Dick Strange] is so funny." — a Portland artist (she is also my kid’s art teacher, and an incredible painter)
“By the way, since we’re being honest with each other, your web series is absolute trash." — a Portland filmmaker (in a private Facebook message, after an online disagreement and right before he blocked me)
"[Father’s Day] is absolutely heartbreaking, deep, beautiful and sad. The story feels and looks almost exactly like my childhood with MY dad. What an incredible short. Beautiful storytelling…The acting is superb and the cinematography is haunting." — a Los Angeles actress (she’s been on The West Wing, Jane the Virgin, Portlandia, Grimm, and E.R., among others)
“Let Go Afterglow is luscious, quirky, sizzling, and fabuloso." — 2Louies Magazine (also, this quote kinda describes me as a person and should probably be my epitaph)
“[Dick Strange is] way too broad for me. Way too obvious and one note." — a Hollywood TV Executive Producer (he’s had a number of Emmy and Golden Globe-winning drama shows and we still keep in touch regularly)
“Tommy Harrington first absolves, then annihilates, the contemporary rock and roll mold on The Wanted's latest album, Failure Looks So Good—which is to say, the sassy edge he employs serves less to catapult the Wanteds' sound into retro-rock rehash, and more into a sonically superior modern rock epic.”— the Portland Mercury
“The level of mistreatment, objectification and misogyny are more than intolerable. Rise up to a higher level of respect for all humanity, women in particular. You have talent. Please put it to use on better content.” — a Portland actress (who auditioned for Dick Strange but was not cast, she emailed this after watching the show she auditioned for)
“There's something inspirational about a 35-year-old artist who, after years of trying to make it as a part of various bands, walks out onto the tightrope and bares his soul with more youthful exuberance than emo and angst-rockers half his age.” — the Cincinnati City Beat
“This video violates our Community Standards." — Facebook, about Dick Strange (right before they deleted the video, later claiming it contained nudity which is verifiably false)
“[Father’s Day is] a rough slice of life! It really doesn't hold back. Super well acted and nicely shot, the story is a hard one to swallow but I was right there with it at the end.” — a Portland/Los Angeles cinematographer (he’s shot Mr. Mercedes, Grimm, The Innkeepers, and House of the Devil, among others)
“The Wanteds are perhaps the most controversial band in Portland right now...people find frontman Tommy’s high-strung antics either hysterical or totally grating. At the least, he’s a man who speaks his mind.” — the Portland Tribune (from a front-page story about me at the height of The Wanteds’ race up the CMJ charts)
SPEAK UP
SPEAK UP
NURTURE
NURTURE
CREATE
CREATE
DON’T FORGET TO
FOLLOW TOMMY
ON SOCIAL MEDIA:
