Abu Dhabi Former Abu Dhabi resident turned Hollywood producer Joe Thomas has launched an International Showbiz Expo (ISBE) in the capital to harness local talent for the entertainment industry.
Last month, Thomas led a collaboration between UAE-based MCI Group and Xeitgeist Entertainment Group - an Intellectual Property (IP) acquisition and management company - to establish ISBE as a platform for global talent in the entertainment world to come and network with the local talent here.
“We timed launch before the Abu Dhabi Film Festival and the response has been amazing. ISBE is important to me personally and is my way of giving back to the UAE where I grew up and learnt so much,” said Thomas, a former Abu Dhabi Indian School (ADIS) student.
Latest project
Speaking to XPRESS from Los Angeles, Thomas said he is also excited about his latest Hollywood flick, The Man Who Knew Infinity, which he has co-produced with the legendary Edward R. Pressman of Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps fame. Due to be released next year, the Dev Patel and Jeremy Irons starrer is based on the life of famous Indian mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujam and is already listed as one of the top 18 films to look out for.
So how did the boy from Abu Dhabi break into mainstream Hollywood? “I had the persistance and courage to follow my dream. I worked for nine years in Dubai with the Emirates Group and Arabian Adventures. During that time I met my wife Yolanda who lived in Sydney. We reached a point in our relationship where we wanted to live together, but this meant either she relocate to Dubai or I move to Sydney. I chose the latter as Yolanda had a flourishing tourism business in Australia that I did not want to disturb.”
At 28, Thomas quit his steady Dubai job and headed to Sydney.
“Few people would think of doing that but my life was going through a transitional phase. I decided to take a break from work and rekindle my passion for movies so I registered for a four-year course in filmmaking. Shortly I set up a production company with my first ever business partner Nick Piper. It was a very hands-on process, we were writing, filming, editing, and doing all the administration work ourselves,” recalled Thomas.
“We built a reputation and people started noticing us, but soon we parted ways. Nick went on to produce a popular Australian television series called The Code and I went on to to make my first documentary feature called The Aussie Who Baffled The World which was telecast on National Geographic Australia.”
But Thomas was hungry and wanted more. “I wanted something bigger and that is when I met my present business partner Mark Montgomery. We established Xeitgeist and the rest is history as they say,” he said.
Thomas said he always cherishes his memories of the UAE. “The early influences in life, my best friends are all here in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Memories of my first job with the Emirates Group where I started out as a trainee are imprinted clearly in my head. The memorable time in Arabian Adventures where I learnt people and management skills is something I still practise today. I was lucky to have an inspirational boss like Sumaira Isaacs from whom I learnt a lot,” said Thomas.
