Chicago Filmmaker Thomas Z. Seffernick Is Rewriting the Script on Representation
There’s a certain kind of filmmaker who doesn’t wait for permission. Thomas Z. Seffernick is one of them.
As the founder of Z Marc Productions, Seffernick carved out space in an industry that has long treated LGBTQ+ and BIPOC stories as either side plots or afterthoughts. His company was built with a clear mission: put those voices front and center, not as tokens, but as the foundation.
A proud member of the LGBTQIA+ community, Seffernick approaches storytelling with lived perspective, not surface-level optics. He understands the quiet weight of representation and the louder absence of it. That awareness shapes every project he touches, from concept to final cut.
His philosophy is simple but still radical in practice: better stories come from broader perspectives. Diverse crews, layered experiences, different cultural lenses. It’s not just about who’s on screen. It’s about who’s behind the camera, in the writer’s room, and making the calls when it matters.
Since 2014, Seffernick has built a career that blends technical precision with creative intention. He’s worked across genres, formats, and budgets, learning how to navigate the chaos of production while keeping the heart of the story intact. That balance allows him to guide filmmakers through the process without sanding down what makes their work personal.
In this episode, Tom Barnas sits down with Seffernick to talk about the evolution of LGBTQ+ representation in film, the role of independent cinema in challenging Hollywood’s defaults, and why Chicago continues to be fertile ground for bold, community-driven storytelling.
They dig into the realities of building inclusive productions, the risks and rewards of going independent, and the responsibility filmmakers carry when telling stories that haven’t always been told truthfully.
Seffernick is currently casting for his next project, Castaway, an adaptation of an award-winning screenplay he’s producing. It’s another step in a larger mission that’s less about breaking into the industry and more about reshaping it from the inside out.
Learn more: https://www.zmarcproductions.com/films/castaway
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