NYFA Cinematography instructor Tommy Maddox-Upshaw, ASC grew up in Boston and first became interested in the world of cinematography when his sister Kyla got him a job as a Production Assistant for a Hype Williams music video at 19 years old. “I saw how the Cinematographer worked with everyone and created such beautiful images and I already liked photography,” he shared. “I was like, ‘I want to do what he does’. After this discovery, he set out to learn the art of cinematography even though his college didn’t have a film program. To bridge the gap and begin his studies, Maddox-Upshaw read American Cinematographer Magazine and watched documentaries like Visions of Light – which he cites as a major source of inspiration.
Since then, Tommy Maddox-Upshaw, ASC has worked on ground-breaking shows like Empire, On My Block, worked for commercial clients like Ford, Allstate, HBO and collaborated with visionary giants like Spike Lee and Matthew Libatique, ASC. Most recently, Maddox-Upshaw worked on FX’s Snowfall as Director of Photography.