Thom arrived in Hollywood, California after a brief 2 years studying film in Vancouver, British Columbia. During this time in Canada he won a Northern Lights production grant for his camera work on the short film, "Faith in a Box," and went on to produce and shoot "The Layperson's Guide to Modern Living," a feature film.

He's been working in Hollywood and all over the country on commercials, low-budget features and the odd music video, trolling all-the-while for a good film to produce. While inventorying a truckload of merchandise for a Thrifty Payless christmas commercial, Thom met Will Dailyrest -- who introduced him to Bryan Root. The three of them toiled side-by-side on other people's productions for a few years before they got sick and tired and fed up and started Motherlode Pictures.