Today we’d like to introduce you to Chuck James.
Chuck, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I grew up on the West Coast of Florida and went to high school and college in Dallas, Texas. I always loved movies, music, and entertainment. I saw a job posting at SMU where I went to school looking for production assistants on a film that was being shot in Louisiana. I thought it would be fun to give it a try. From day one of the shoot, I realized that I didn’t want to be on a set, per se, but that I thought I loved being around and maybe representing actors. From there, I persuaded the producers to bring me to Los Angeles where they were doing post-production on the film which got me to LA which was amazing because my older brother lived there. I ran his photography studio in Hollywood where we shot many famous people from films and fashion.
Later, I got a job in the William Morris mailroom where I delivered scripts to their clients. I have always thought I have a terrible sense of directions and got lost numerous times a day, but luckily it taught me the in’s and out’s of the city. From there, I went over to ICM where I was what was called a “temp” at the time. I floated on virtually everyone’s desk as an assistant and realized that I really wanted a desk in the Motion Picture Department which I was able to get after a few failed attempts. It was really the heyday of agenting where the agents were almost as famous as their star clients, at least internally with egos to match. I was able to survive and got promoted to the department coordinator, then becoming a junior agent and then an agent.
Has it been a smooth road?
Absolutely not ever a smooth road as the movie business has always been one of the most difficult and competitive industries I can think of and I faced many obstacles, egos, and regime changes along the way. I was also beginning my career at a time when LGBTQ+ employees were not out or recognized for fear of being bullied or fired. I always felt uneasy that I would be found out by some of the homophobic industry leaders who were in control of my career fate. Luckily, I was able to align myself with strong and successful women early on who protected me as I moved forward until I later figured out how I could protect myself and actually figure out how to win.
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
I have had incredible career opportunities, mentors, and experiences at ICM Partners. I have been lucky enough to be surrounded by people who are brilliant at what they do. Together we are able as a company to provide excellent representation for our clients as they pursue their dreams. Personally, I have always been known for having an eye for identifying and developing young talent. Many of my clients I have represented close to their entire careers. I still love and thrive on helping find actors their career defining “break” into a quality film or television project. No one, unfortunately, has a crystal ball in our business but I have definitely been right many more times than I have been wrong. I have always felt at ICM Partners what sets us apart is that we provide the “3 letters” large and powerful agency scope and levity of client representation but still strive to maintain a personal approach while doing so. I like to think of us as a powerful mob family who fights to the death for our clients’ successes but never abandons the philosophy of personal service.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
That is a great question because literally everything has changed so dramatically in the last few years as so many new streaming outlets and ways to view content now exist that didn’t before. I tell clients it has never been a better time to be an actor because the number of stories being told has increased tenfold. However, the hard part with all the opportunity is how and if anyone will see it. As creative content traffic channels continue to skyrocket, there are less people able to find a project simply because of the enormity of choice options. The good thing is that this entertainment form has held its core audience as the convenience of watching content on your computer or phone has changed the face of entertainment. I find that new companies, for example, who have identified and bet on the new drastically different attention spans and behaviors of viewers of the next generation, which I think is so smart and how they are figuring out ways to adapt rather than waiting before it’s too late.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: Instagram.com/chuckjames
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