T. J. Martin facts for kids

Quick facts for kids T.J. Martin
Martin in 2017
Born	Thomas McKay Martin Jr. (1979-09-07) September 7, 1979 (age 45) Seattle, Washington, U.S.
Alma mater	Fairhaven College Western Washington University
Occupation	Film director screenwriter film editor cinematographer producer commercial director
Years active	2002–present
Relatives	Tina Bell (mother)

T. J. Martin, born on September 7, 1979, is an American filmmaker. He is known for directing and editing important documentary films. In 2012, Martin won an Academy Award for his film Undefeated. This made him the first African-American director to win an Academy Award for a full-length movie.

Later, in 2017, his film LA 92 won a Primetime Emmy Award. He also co-directed Tina (2021), a documentary about the famous singer Tina Turner.

Early Life and First Films

T. J. Martin was born in Seattle, Washington, on September 7, 1979. His mother, Tina Bell, and father, Tommy Martin, were both musicians in a band called Bam Bam. Martin has a diverse background, including African-American, Native American, Scandinavian, Chinese, and Jewish heritage.

He went to Roosevelt High School in Seattle. After that, he studied at Fairhaven College at Western Washington University. He graduated in 2005. While in college, Martin co-directed his first documentary film. It was called A Day in the Hype of America (2002). This film won an award at the 2002 Rhode Island International Film Festival. Martin also directed other short films, including ...Loves Martha and On the Rocks.

Martin's Filmmaking Career

Making Feature Films

In 2007, Martin met Daniel Lindsay in Los Angeles. They worked together on a documentary called Last Cup: Road to the World Series of Beer Pong. Martin was the editor for this film.

Their next big project as co-directors was the documentary Undefeated. This film tells the story of a high school football team in Memphis, Tennessee. It follows the players and their coach, Bill Courtney, during one football season. Undefeated was shown for the first time at the 2011 SXSW Film Festival. It was very popular and received great reviews.

In 2012, Undefeated won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. This was a huge achievement for Martin and Lindsay. The film is still highly rated by critics today.

In November 2012, Ebony Magazine recognized Martin on their "Power 100" list. He also received an award for "Outstanding Achievement in Directing" from the Seattle International Film Festival.

In 2017, Martin and Lindsay released another documentary called LA 92. This film uses old video clips to show the events that happened in Los Angeles in 1992. LA 92 was shown at the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival. It later won a Primetime Emmy Award for its excellence in documentary filmmaking. Many publications called it one of the best documentaries of 2017.

In 2021, Martin co-directed the HBO documentary Tina. This film explores the life of the legendary singer Tina Turner.

Television Projects

In 2015, Martin co-directed a special documentary for the National Geographic Channel called I Am Dying. This film was produced by actors Joaquin Phoenix and Casey Affleck.

In 2018, Martin co-directed an episode of the TV series Dogs. The episode was called "Territorio de Zaguates" and featured a special dog sanctuary in Costa Rica. This series premiered on Netflix.

Other Creative Work

T. J. Martin and Daniel Lindsay often work together as a directing team called Martin + Lindsay. They have made short films, TV shows, and commercials. Their short film My Favorite Picture of You (2013) was based on an interview with Martin's grandparents. It was shown at many film festivals and was nominated for a Webby Award.

They have also directed commercials for many well-known companies. These include Starbucks, Comcast, Gatorade, Facebook, Toyota, and Google. In 2020, their commercial campaign for The New York Times won several major awards, including two Grand Prix Lions at the Cannes Lions.

Film and Television Work

Films

Television Shows

Awards and Nominations