Meet Tom Thudiyanplackal

We recently connected with Tom Thudiyanplackal and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Tom, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?

My journey toward purpose was deeply influenced by growing up in India, where despite my Catholic upbringing, I was immersed in a vibrant tapestry of faiths, cultures, and languages. This early exposure revealed a profound truth: while we express ourselves differently, we share common human experiences and the universal reality of impermanence. In today’s digital age, where connectivity often masks authentic human experience behind carefully curated facades, I recognized the critical need for genuine self-awareness.

Through meditation and inner work, I discovered my true calling: helping others find their center amidst life’s chaos. My purpose crystalized around using media and entertainment as vehicles for positive transformation. I create content that bridges the gap between ancient wisdom and modern storytelling, offering tools for self-discovery and authentic living. In essence, my mission is to harness the power of contemporary media to serve humanity’s highest good, transforming what could be instruments of distraction into catalysts for meaningful change.

This purpose manifests in my work through stories that encourage self-reflection and foster genuine connection, cutting through the digital noise to touch hearts and inspire conscious living. By combining entertainment with enlightenment, I strive to create content that not only engages but elevates.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

My 25-year journey in filmmaking and storytelling has been anything but conventional. Beginning in Mumbai’s suburbs, my path led from The Times of India’s print division to pioneering digital marketing at Ogilvy & Mather, then to content curation at Reliance Communications. Studies at Prague Film School deepened my technical expertise, leading to a pivotal role at Vinod Chopra Films where I helped create enduring classics like “3 Idiots” and “Carry On Munna Bhai.”

The transition to Hollywood brought both challenges and opportunities. While my initial entry through the Tribeca Film Festival opened doors, establishing myself in the U.S. required starting anew. I strategically leveraged my scientific background alongside creative abilities to navigate an industry that initially resisted diverse perspectives.

Today, at The Storyteller’s Desk, I focus on amplifying marginalized voices and creating human-centered narratives that celebrate family, community, and cultural diversity. My work with USC’s Entertainment Technology Center allows me to harness cutting-edge tools — from virtual production to AI — developing scalable solutions for inclusive, global storytelling.
Throughout my career, I’ve remained committed to transforming the entertainment landscape, using technology as an equalizing force to share stories that resonate across cultures and languages. Each project furthers my mission: creating content that unifies humanity through empathy and compassion.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

The three most essential elements that shaped my journey were adaptability, technical-creative integration, and cultural awareness. First, adaptability proved crucial as I navigated multiple career transitions – from physics to art direction, digital marketing to filmmaking, and eventually rebuilding my career in the U.S. This adaptability wasn’t just about changing roles, but about maintaining core values while finding new ways to express them through different mediums and circumstances.

Second, the ability to bridge technical knowledge with creative expression has been invaluable. My background in physics, combined with artistic inclinations, enabled me to leverage technology for storytelling purposes. This integration became particularly important when navigating industry biases, as technical expertise provided an objective foundation that transcended cultural prejudices.

Third, deep cultural awareness, rooted in my multicultural upbringing in India but expanded through global experiences, has been fundamental to my mission of creating inclusive, human-centered stories. This awareness extends beyond surface-level understanding to encompass the complexities of human nature and the universal experiences that connect us all.

For those early in their journey, I recommend first cultivating adaptability by deliberately seeking diverse experiences and remaining open to unconventional paths. This might mean taking calculated risks or accepting positions that seem tangential but provide valuable perspective. Second, invest in both technical and creative skills – don’t feel pressured to choose between them. The intersection of these domains often yields the most innovative solutions. Finally, develop cultural competence through direct engagement with different communities and traditions, while maintaining awareness of your own biases and assumptions. This combination of skills and qualities will prove increasingly valuable as our world becomes more interconnected and technologically advanced.

Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?

The most impactful gift my parents gave me was their unwavering commitment to core values while navigating life in Mumbai as transplants from rural Kerala. Despite the challenges of establishing themselves in a bustling metropolis so different from their village roots, they never compromised on providing my brother and me with quality education and wholesome nutrition. Their simple yet profound approach to life – anchored in authenticity, faith, gratitude, and resilience – shaped my worldview fundamentally. They taught us to maintain our spiritual center while facing life’s challenges, to prioritize health as our most precious asset, and to value knowledge and truth as the foundation for meaningful relationships. Even now in their mid-eighties, they remain these beautifully uncomplicated, salt-of-the-earth people who demonstrate the same dedication to prayer and doing good that they had in their youth. Their example showed me that success isn’t measured by material achievements but by staying true to one’s principles and maintaining a spirit of service to others.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://thestorytellersdesk.us/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thestorytellersdesk/
• Other: https://tinyurl.com/fathead-wp-complete
  https://getlightlessons.com/research/

Image Credits

All pictures can be tagged as self-portraits where they feature me. The two additional images are about my short film “The Gift of Life,” which is a proof-of-concept to communicate the importance of human-centered stories and that they can be produced with technological advancements in virtual production, real-time technologies, and artificial intelligence. This eradicates one more excuse for why big studios abandoned this much-needed source of validation, inspiration, and hope for society. The film is currently in development, and I am also fundraising for it, so anyone wanting to collaborate, invest, or get behind this project in any capacity can reach out to me via LinkedIn.