Dundalk man Tommy helps to make pop video and films band Royseven

Tommy McArdle is one of 12 aspiring photojournalists whose work will be released as a pop video which will be distributed over the internet

The critically acclaimed Irish band played an intimate, invitation only gig in Dublin on Wednesday, May 16. Tommy and 11 other aspiring photojournalists were selected to record the event on HTC One series phones as part of a partnership with Hot Press magazine.

The other finalists in the competition are Sean Conroy, Sophia Harding, Rachel Hegarty, Adrian Heffernan, Eoin Kirwan, Emilia Krysztofiak, Robert Manning, Beatrix Matthews, Martina McDonald, and Ronan Melia.

The footage from the Royseven gig will be released as a pop video, which will be distributed over the Internet, in the coming weeks.

Tommy developed an interest in photography after a teacher asked him to take photographs of a school play. He was selected as a finalist in the HTC One Hot Press photojournalist competition after entering three photographs of two artists and a band he met by going to gigs.

Hot Press editor Niall Stokes said: “For everyone who was involved in the judging process, this is one of the toughest competitions we’ve ever run.”

For more details check out www.facebook.com/htcie.