Thomas Patrick Huston
Encyclopedia
Thomas Patrick Huston is a writer, published photographer, musician, and award-winning filmmaker. His first documentary was on a controversial subject (the use of the word "nigger
") and presented in an unconventional way, he managed to beat thirty other documentaries, some by established filmmakers, in a contest sponsored by The Documentary Channel
. Huston finished his second documentary in early 2008.
in his native town of South Bend, Indiana
. He moved to Lafayette
, Indiana
, in 1992 and spent nine years collecting degrees (BA in English Education, a BA in Creative Writing, and a Masters in English) at Purdue University
and three years teaching high school at Jefferson High School
. Lafayette's newspaper Journal and Courier
ran three articles on Huston's Advanced Placement Senior English course, including an editorial praising his teaching style.
Huston left secondary teaching in 1999 after Purdue University
offered a teaching stipend. He taught Composition 101 and 102 at Purdue University
while obtaining his Masters degree. In 2000 he moved to Chicago
and was an editor for Houghton-Mifflin for three years before pursuing art full-time.
Huston moved back to his native state of Indiana in December 2007. He currently (2010) resides in Bloomington and is working on his PhD in Curriculum and Instruction at Indiana University
.
and VMix. A Grassroots Analysis of the N Word had a world premiere on June 23, 2007, on The Documentary Channel
during the channel's prime time hours.
The website Internet Video Magazine listed A Grassroots Analysis of the N Word on their list of "Best Films and Videos of the Week" and said the film was "a very interesting documentary." The website also listed the video in their section titled "Political and Controversial Videos and Websites: A guide to websites who want to change the world through video and multimedia."
On July 11, 2007, the Oak Park, Illinois
newspaper Oak Leaves published an article on Huston and his winning documentary, "A Grassroots Analysis of the N Word." The title of the article was Film gets takes on controversial word.
Huston finished his second documentary, they do more for prisoners than they do for vets in early 2008. He has entered it in multiple contests including the first ever online film festival. "they do more for prisoners than they do for vets" is an edited version of Huston's longest documentary to date, Viet Iraq.
Huston is editing over eight hours of footage of a Vietnam Veteran he developed a friendship with and followed for two years. The themes of the piece will include addiction, cancer, mental illness and homelessness.
Heather stayed together for a little over a year. Huston decided not to give up music entirely and began a solo project called Wind, Trees and BIrds and another project with a friend called Magdalene. Huston began experimenting with Garageband
by creating a unique collage of sounds by mixing talk from Polish radio, distortion, drum beats, and keyboards, and his goal in each instrumental is usually to have the soundscape represent the title of each song. The two songs heard in A Grassroots Analysis of the N Word are written and performed by Huston.
Huston's Current Email: tphuston@indiana.edu
Nigger
Nigger is a noun in the English language, most notable for its usage in a pejorative context to refer to black people , and also as an informal slang term, among other contexts. It is a common ethnic slur...
") and presented in an unconventional way, he managed to beat thirty other documentaries, some by established filmmakers, in a contest sponsored by The Documentary Channel
The Documentary Channel
The Documentary Channel may refer to:*Documentary , a Canadian speciality television channel*Documentary Channel , a New Zealand speciality television channel*DOC: The Documentary Channel, an American speciality television channel...
. Huston finished his second documentary in early 2008.
Early life
Huston graduated from James Whitcomb Riley High SchoolJames Whitcomb Riley High School
-Location:James Whitcomb Riley High School is a secondary school in South Bend, Indiana. Its address is 1902 Fellows St, South Bend, IN 46613. The school is run by the South Bend Community School Corporation.-History:...
in his native town of South Bend, Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
. He moved to Lafayette
Lafayette, Indiana
Lafayette is a city in and the county seat of Tippecanoe County, Indiana, United States, northwest of Indianapolis. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 67,140. West Lafayette, on the other side of the Wabash River, is home to Purdue University, which has a large impact on...
, Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
, in 1992 and spent nine years collecting degrees (BA in English Education, a BA in Creative Writing, and a Masters in English) at Purdue University
Purdue University
Purdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S., is the flagship university of the six-campus Purdue University system. Purdue was founded on May 6, 1869, as a land-grant university when the Indiana General Assembly, taking advantage of the Morrill Act, accepted a donation of land and...
and three years teaching high school at Jefferson High School
Jefferson High School (Indiana)
For schools with a similar name, see Jefferson High School.Jefferson High School is a high school located in Lafayette, Indiana, and administered by the Lafayette School Corporation...
. Lafayette's newspaper Journal and Courier
Journal and Courier
The Lafayette Journal & Courier is a daily newspaper owned by the Gannett Company, Inc., serving Lafayette, Indiana and surrounding communities. It was established in 1920 through the merger of two local papers, the Journal and Free Press The Lafayette Journal & Courier is a daily newspaper owned...
ran three articles on Huston's Advanced Placement Senior English course, including an editorial praising his teaching style.
Huston left secondary teaching in 1999 after Purdue University
Purdue University
Purdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S., is the flagship university of the six-campus Purdue University system. Purdue was founded on May 6, 1869, as a land-grant university when the Indiana General Assembly, taking advantage of the Morrill Act, accepted a donation of land and...
offered a teaching stipend. He taught Composition 101 and 102 at Purdue University
Purdue University
Purdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S., is the flagship university of the six-campus Purdue University system. Purdue was founded on May 6, 1869, as a land-grant university when the Indiana General Assembly, taking advantage of the Morrill Act, accepted a donation of land and...
while obtaining his Masters degree. In 2000 he moved to Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
and was an editor for Houghton-Mifflin for three years before pursuing art full-time.
Huston moved back to his native state of Indiana in December 2007. He currently (2010) resides in Bloomington and is working on his PhD in Curriculum and Instruction at Indiana University
Indiana University
Indiana University is a multi-campus public university system in the state of Indiana, United States. Indiana University has a combined student body of more than 100,000 students, including approximately 42,000 students enrolled at the Indiana University Bloomington campus and approximately 37,000...
.
Photography
Huston's photography has been published in The Potomac Review, After Hours, the premier issue of The Writer's Block, and The Truth about the Fact.Film
In 2007 Huston's documentary A Grassroots Analysis of the N Word was announced as the grand prize winning documentary in a contest sponsored by The Documentary ChannelThe Documentary Channel
The Documentary Channel may refer to:*Documentary , a Canadian speciality television channel*Documentary Channel , a New Zealand speciality television channel*DOC: The Documentary Channel, an American speciality television channel...
and VMix. A Grassroots Analysis of the N Word had a world premiere on June 23, 2007, on The Documentary Channel
The Documentary Channel
The Documentary Channel may refer to:*Documentary , a Canadian speciality television channel*Documentary Channel , a New Zealand speciality television channel*DOC: The Documentary Channel, an American speciality television channel...
during the channel's prime time hours.
The website Internet Video Magazine listed A Grassroots Analysis of the N Word on their list of "Best Films and Videos of the Week" and said the film was "a very interesting documentary." The website also listed the video in their section titled "Political and Controversial Videos and Websites: A guide to websites who want to change the world through video and multimedia."
On July 11, 2007, the Oak Park, Illinois
Oak Park, Illinois
Oak Park, Illinois is a suburb bordering the west side of the city of Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States. It is the twenty-fifth largest municipality in Illinois. Oak Park has easy access to downtown Chicago due to public transportation such as the Chicago 'L' Blue and Green lines,...
newspaper Oak Leaves published an article on Huston and his winning documentary, "A Grassroots Analysis of the N Word." The title of the article was Film gets takes on controversial word.
Huston finished his second documentary, they do more for prisoners than they do for vets in early 2008. He has entered it in multiple contests including the first ever online film festival. "they do more for prisoners than they do for vets" is an edited version of Huston's longest documentary to date, Viet Iraq.
Huston is editing over eight hours of footage of a Vietnam Veteran he developed a friendship with and followed for two years. The themes of the piece will include addiction, cancer, mental illness and homelessness.
Music
In 2003 Huston and three others from Houghton-Mifflin started a band called Heather. Huston started out writing lyrics and other song craft ideas, but was eager to contribute musically, and so he bought a keyboard and self-taught himself how to play. The band only played live once during a battle of the bands concert.Heather stayed together for a little over a year. Huston decided not to give up music entirely and began a solo project called Wind, Trees and BIrds and another project with a friend called Magdalene. Huston began experimenting with Garageband
GarageBand
GarageBand is a software application for Mac OS X and iOS that allows users to create music or podcasts. It is developed by Apple Inc. as a part of the iLife software package on Mac OS X.-Audio recording:...
by creating a unique collage of sounds by mixing talk from Polish radio, distortion, drum beats, and keyboards, and his goal in each instrumental is usually to have the soundscape represent the title of each song. The two songs heard in A Grassroots Analysis of the N Word are written and performed by Huston.
External links
Huston's Current Email: tphuston@indiana.edu