Before forming his production company - The Department of Special Projects - at the age of 25, James cut his teeth on producing marketing content for studios such as Sony Pictures, Paramount and Netflix. James’s work on the 2016 documentary ROOTS: A NEW VISION helped garner the film an Emmy nomination and NAACP Image Award. He has since focused on producing auteur-driven genre films with the Shudder Original, FRIED BARRY. FRIED BARRY dominated the 2020 genre festival circuit, winning 22 awards and playing at Fantasia International Film Festival, Sitges Film Festival, L'Etrange Film Festival, Torino Film Festival and Kyiv Molodist among others. FRIED BARRY has been a hit with fans and critics alike, earning a “Certified Fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes and finding distribution in over 50 countries. He is currently based in Cape Town, South Africa and is developing several genre feature film projects.
Projects
- Fried Barry (2020)FRIED BARRY is the South African cult smash hit horror/comedy that has enamoured fans and critics alike. Winning 21 awards at festivals around the world - including 5 "Best Film" awards and 4 "Best Lead Actor" awards - FRIED BARRY is one of the most talked about genre movies of the year. Earning a “Certified Fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes and rated as one of the top horror films of the year by 7 leading genre film publications, FRIED BARRY has been a hit with critics and fans alike. The FRIED
Work history
ProducerThe Department of Special Projects
Cape Town, South AfricaFull Time
Founder and lead producer at The Department of Special Projects; an award-winning film production company that produces auteur-driven genre features – most recently the SHUDDER ORIGINAL film FRIED BARRY.
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Producer/DirectorAlto Media
Cape Town, South AfricaFull Time
Co-founder and lead producer at Alto Media; we make advertising content for local and international brands as well as local short and feature films.
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Education
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Master of Arts in Transmedia FilmmakingRaindance
- United Kingdom
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Master of Arts in Transmedia FilmmakingStaffordshire University
- United Kingdom
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Awards
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Certified FreshRotten Tomatoes
Fried Barry (2020)J
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1st Place (South Africa)Junior Entertainment Talent Slate - WEP Films
The Trek (in development)+ Show more