About

Thom Saunders

THOM SAUNDERS
CEO

I have now been working in the design and multimedia industries for the past seventeen years. During this time I have developed a real understanding of how the requirements, capabilities and constraints of each new and evolving digital platform can work together to deliver a finished product.

I have been running ZONE4 for ten years, during this time I also spent three years as a Co-founder, Technical and Design Director of Hoodlum Active. I was executive producer on: PS Trixi, Emmerdale Online Channel, Spooks Interactive and Find 815 (LOST).

I have worked with large and small technical and production teams to deliver projects that push the boundaries of how users/players/viewers perceive the digital space. From early CD-Rom to a global multiplatform campaign for the TV show LOST. This experience gives me the unique ability to create projects out of new or existing content that aligns client requirements with an achievable project scope and budget.


AWARDS

2009 THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF TELEVISION ARTS AND SCIENCES Emmy Awards Outstanding Website/Internet Entertainment - Lost Find 815 (ABC / Hoodlum)

2008 BAFTA CRAFT AWARDS: Interactive Innovation - Content
WINNER: THOM SAUNDERS ­ Spooks Interactive (BBC/Kudos Film and Television/Hoodlum Active)
NOMINATION: THOM SAUNDERS ­ Emmerdale Online Channel (ITV1/Hoodlum Active)

2008 BAFTA INNOVATION AWARD: Interactivity
WINNER: Spooks Interactive BBC/Kudos Film and Television/Hoodlum Active

2008 INTERNATIONAL EMMY (Nomination): Innovative works
THE EMMERDALE ONLINE CHANNEL (nominees: ITV / Hoodlum Active)
SPOOKS INTERACTIVE (nominees: Kudos Film and Television / Hoodlum Active)

2007 MIPCOM Best Short-form Internet Drama
WINNER: Emmerdale Online Channel (ITV / Hoodlum Active)

2005 World Summit Awards Fifth in the Best e-government online application for The Green Home Project. (ZONE4, BCC and QANTM)

2004 AIMIA AWARDS First in the e-government category for The Green Home Project (ZONE4, BCC and QANTM)

2003 AMIA AWARDS Fat Cow Motel was a finalist in the best new content category

2001 AIMIA AWARDS ZONE4 received a Highly Commended from the 2001 AIMIA (Australian Interactive Multimedia Industry Association) Awards in the Excellence in Art and Culture for the website produced for the Queensland Biennial Festival of Music.

b.Tween Conference UK

ZONE4 was asked to take part in the recent b.tween conference held in the north of England. The conference focussed on the applications of new media in a broadcast environment. Thom saunders gave a session of the "Challenges and Opportunities" that exist. The focus was on the production of Fat Cow Motel,  which is often used as a benchmark for all international projects of this type.

http://www.btween.co.uk

X MEDIA LAB - 2004

ZONE4 was invited to attend the recent xMedia Lab held in Sydney, The lab was made up of industry professionals from a variety of technical backgrounds including film, TV, games, online and hardware manufacturers. A series of local projects were selected for review in one on one sessions with the speakers. ZONE4 was the only representative from Queensland to attend the lab.

QUEENSLAND UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY-LECTURER

Alongside running my own business I found time to be the Lecturer for the Masters of Communication Design for the two semesters of 2004.


QUT CREATIVE INDUSTRIES

My involvement as an official SME with the QUT research group ACID (Australasian Centre for Interaction design) allowed me to work on several creative and technical research projects. ZONE4's collaboration with QUT Creative Industries included our relocation as a tenant of the Creative Industries Precinct: Enterprise Centre from 2004 until 2006.


AIMIA (Australian Interactive Media Industry Association)

I also represented ZONE4 on the Board of AIMIA Queensland between 2005-06.