Speaker

Tom Sainsbury

MC

Tom is an Actor/Director/Comedian/Influencer, Creator, and much more, and this year he is SPADA Conference's Master of Ceremony.

Active in the industry for many years, Tom exploded onto the mainstream media stage in 2017 after using Snapchat and short-form video content to satirise New Zealand politicians during the 2017 election. He continues to work extensively in this area, parodying New Zealanders from all walks of life in short clips released almost daily on Instagram and Facebook.

After years of creating comedic social media content, writing the comedy book New Zealanders: A Field Guide and starring in local TV shows Wellington Paranormal and The Educators, he was named 2020 'Herald Entertainer of the Year'.  He then went on to win the ‘Variety Artists Comedy Award’ in 2023 for his outstanding contribution to New Zealand comedy. 

Tom is also very active in the local film and television space, appearing in many local hits including series 'Shortland Street' & 'Wellington Paranormal', and feature films 'Guns Akimbo', and 'The Breaker Upperers’.

Tom recently released his first feature film ‘Loop Track’ which is a horror set in the New Zealand bush. Tom wrote, directed, and starred in 'Loop Track'.