RT!

RT!
Born Randall Thorne
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Occupation Music video director
Years active 2004 - present

Randall Thorne, better known by his pseudonym RT!, is a Canadian filmmaker of Trinidadian and Barbadian heritage. Thorne is noted for "manufacturing deeply immersive visual worlds" and is the most awarded music video director in Canada,[1] having received seventeen international awards over ten years in the field of music video. He is the co-owner and Executive Director of the NE Creative Group, in addition to holding a position on its roster of directors. He is also a director with the non-profit cultural organization, The Remix Project.

Career

Music video

Over the course of ten years and with more than 150 music videos to his credit, RT! has been awarded 17 International video awards, including Director of the Year, two years consecutively at the MuchMusic Video Awards. He has shot videos for international music artists Snoop Dogg, Sean Paul, Mariana’s Trench, Shawn Desman & Simple Plan to name a few.

Television

RT! has worked extensively in television starting his career working for MUCH as an assistant story producer. He has recently returned to television as an episodic director. In 2014 he directed several episodes of DEGRASSI (MTV / TeenNick – Epitome Productions.) He has also directed for the dance reality series The Next Step (Family Channel – Temple Street Productions.) In 2012 he developed, co-produced, co –wrote and directed an original TV Movie special called ALIVE, with partners (MUCH / BELL MEDIA - Universal Records) Alive was nominated for Best Youth Program at the 2013 Canadian Screen Awards, and scored a Best Director Nomination for RT! as well.

Commercial Advertisements

Thorne has directed commercials for NIKE, SONY, Research In Motion (RIM)'s Blackberry Torch launch and Nickelodeon's short musical campaign for the 10th season of Degrassi.

The Remix Project

As of May 2012, Thorne serves on the board of directors of The Remix Project,[1] a non-profit cultural incubator that aims to increase access to the "creative industries" for underprivileged and marginalized youth. In the Fall of 2009, the Remix Project partnered with Team Seven Productions and Temple Street Productions to create CITYLIFE, a new educational initiative that aimed to create short films from the voices of inner city youth. RT! is the Director of Programs for CITYLIFE which included running workshops as well as serving as a directing mentor to the participants.

Trademark branding

Early in his career RT! noticed that many video outlets and stations weren't crediting the directors of videos. To try to ensure that the audience would know that he directed a video, RT! tagged the beginning of each of his videos with a trademark film strip. This became a branding tool for him that helped increase awareness of his work.

Awards

Over the course of ten years, RT! has received 17 international music video awards, including "Director of the Year" for two consecutive years at the MuchMusic Video Awards. Since the beginning of his career, RT! has been nominated every year at the MuchMusic awards, including six consecutive years in the Director of the Year category.

Including the MMVAs, RT! has been nominated for more than forty film and television industry awards.

Much Music Video Awards

Other awards

References

  1. ↑ Staff (2012). "The Remix Project Staff.". The Remix Project. The Remix Project. Retrieved 19 May 2012.

External links