THOMAS CAVANAGH - EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

With 25 years of experience in live production, film and activism, Thomas Cavanagh (he/him)’s career scales the vast terrain of cultural leadership on a global scale. As a negotiator and social facilitator in civil actions and public art, Thomas has attained a reputation for his unique cultural sensitivity and critical intuition.  His firm belief in the value of non-violent direct action culminates in his passion and dedication for the causes of accessible public art, social justice, human rights, and environmental preservation.

Working with BANDALOOP since 1998, Thomas is field-trained in production, management and logistical roles and brings to BANDALOOP operational, technical and fiscal skills combined with his deeply-rooted belief in and appreciation for the power BANDALOOP's work can bring to the audience and communities it reaches and activates. He is a believer in the empowering and affirming collaboration between nature, space, and the human body exemplified in the vision of founder Amelia Rudolph and the art of perspective-changing vertical dance.  Combining this love with his extensive experience in technical production, wilderness medicine urgent response, and site reactive rigging, Thomas nurtures a practical synergy of art and technique, of production and artistry, of expression and purpose.  In his collaboration with BANDALOOP, the company has graced the walls of spaces both natural and human-made, urban and rural, commercial and historic, public and secluded.  Past and current collaborators include: Multiple UNESCO Heritage Sites, Lionsgate Entertainment, The Africa Cup, Walt Disney Entertainment, The American Express Foundation, The US State Department, The European Capital of Culture, The National Park Service, The National Endowment for the Arts, Toyota, IBM, Cisco, CBS, CNN, and MacGillivray Freeman IMAX Films. 

In addition to his work with BANDALOOP, Thomas is the Co-Chair of the Board of Directors of Oil Change International - an organization focused on exposing the true costs of fossil fuels and facilitating the transition toward clean energy, and is a Member of the Board of Trustees and the Executive Committee of Visit Oakland. He is also a former tactical advisor and tenure financial manager for Amazon Watch, a non-profit dedicated to protecting the environment and indigenous people of the Amazon Basin. Thomas resides in Oakland, CA and is a student of geomancy, empowering the harmonious interaction between person and place.