Robert Michael Thomas, known as R. Michael Thomas throughout the music industry, is a force to be reckoned with. Since the tender age of 14, R. Michael has been tapping into his entrepreneurial spirit and using his passion for music to guide him into an outstanding career. During his high school years, he began promoting concerts and working on the renowned music row in Nashville, which eventually opened doors to his career as a music supervisor. Refusing to be confined to a box, like so many others in this business, Thomas is infiltrating the industry in every way he can.
Over the course of seven years he has served as music supervisor and consultant for nearly ten films including, Matthew A. Cherry’s “The Last Fall” and Tyler Perry’s “Why Did I Get Married?”. R. Michael is not only tapped into the film industry but understands the importance of where entertainment is headed and has been affiliated with the hit web series’, “The Choir” and “Twenties,” by producers Issa Rae and Lena Waithe. Being able to appropriately soundtrack a body of work is something few have a knack for, yet Thomas continuously proves that his work is here to stay. His path has led him to working for the powerhouse publishing companies BMG, Universal, and Imagen where he did placements for countless commercials, movies, and independent projects.
The desire to create more opportunities for himself in the realm of music supervision led to R. Michael stepping out in 2015 as a writer and director, with the release of the short film “Life Event,” featured on Issa Rae’s creator initiative #ShortFilmSundays. The short film received laurels from festivals such as the prestigious USC Lambda Don Thompson LGBT Film Festival and has amassed over 100K views on YouTube. In addition to music supervising the short, R. Michael also leaned back on his career in music and released an accompanying soundtrack as well.
An inaugural memory of Lena Waithe’s “Hillman Grad Network,” R. Michael’s focused his energies on breaking through as a writer and creator of content in the television realms, in honor of his late mentor, Emmy-nominated writer Jas Fly (Kidding, This Is Us). As his career continues to evolve and expand, the multi-hyphenate has dedicated his future endeavors to increasing the depth and exposure of creators of color.