James McLean started his film career in 1997 in front of the camera, acting on television shows such as Clueless, Cracker and Power Rangers. But he soon became more fascinated with what goes on behind the camera. Striving for more knowledge, James attended the prestigious film school Brooks Institute of Photography, where he polished his skills by learning every aspect of filmmaking. During his matriculation at Brooks he produced many award-winning short films and was selected to produce the 2005 Kodak 35mm project. A project set up by Kodak to give student filmmakers the opportunity to use cutting-edge tools. The project involved a 150-person film crew, over 30 vendors and more than $1 million in rental equipment.
James made his professional producing debut while still in school, with the music video Maria Jose for the Latin Grammy award-winning band Kinky. Directly following graduation he was asked to produce Brooks Institute’s 60th anniversary awards show in 2005. The gala included three events spread over two days; a V.I.P. cocktail mixer sponsored by Samy’s Camera, a series of workshops led by industry leaders and sponsored by Eastman Kodak, which included the West Coast premier of Canon’s new XLHD Camera; and an award show with nearly 1,000 guests set in the 1940s and featuring performances by Les Brown and the Band of Renown, a Charlie Chaplin impersonator, and a South Pacific dance troop.
In 2006 James was the unit production manager on Fox Sports Soccer Channel’s new ad campaign What’s on your Mind? The project included four international commercials that premiered during the 2006 World Cup. In 2006 James also produced the feature films "Choose Connor" & "Mr. Blue Sky". "Choose Connor" is a political thriller starring Steven Weber, Alex Linz, Erick Avari and Christopher Marquette, which won Best American Independent at the Philadelphia Film Festival, as well as sold-out screenings on a worldwide film festival circuit. Choose Connor is due for theatrical release in late summer 2008. "Mr. Blue Sky," now available on DVD is a touching and inspirational drama about a woman with Down syndrome starring Chaney Kley, Richard Karn and Mary Kate Shellhardt.
James co-founded Black Bay Entertainment in 2006, with his producing partner Karuna Eberl. Currently Black Bay Entertainment is in various stages of development and production on more than 35 feature films. Prior to founding the company, James worked as an independent producer and built his career in various positions including line producer, unit production manager and 2nd assistant director on a multitude of projects, including commercials, music videos, television, features, and print.
