James Suttles

From documentaries to feature films, James Suttles has always been determined to explore & contribute to the art of story telling through motion pictures. Not unlike many artists in his field, James discovered a love of filmmaking at an early age. Spending all of his free time in the forest & fields surrounding his childhood home in North Carolina, making short films based on stories such as Richard Connell's "The Most Dangerous Game" and W. W. Jacobs' "The Monkey's Paw", he never realized then, how influential those early years would become. Growing up in a single father household, due to the passing of his mother at an early age, he found that he was inspired by the stories of the everyday person who through simple means, fought for a better life. This inspiration ultimately led him to producing the award winning documentary "Three Cultures of Appalachia" which told the story of three very different women, (an African American, European immigrant and a Cherokee Indian), who grew up in the Appalachian mountains. Through their lives, the film discovered that even though their differences were great, their values and beliefs were surprisingly similar. In 2000, James co-founded Eljapa Media Group, Inc., a production company that focused primarily on various media campaigns for Tourism and Economic Development of government and private organizations. The challenges of entertaining and educating the public made a strong impression on James. He took the opportunity to spend time listening to what various audience members responded to and began applying those principles to various projects he became involved in later on. With the experience of client based production behind him, James decided in 2005 to part ways with the company and go at it as an "independent" once again. In 2010, he served as Director of Photography on the feature films "Alone Yet Not Alone" (an Academy Award Nominated Film) and the feature film "For the Glory". 2011 saw the nationwide release of the film "Red Dirt Rising", his first feature film serving as Producer, Co-Director, DP and editor. In 2012, production wrapped on "Reunion 108", a film he served as producer, director and cinematographer, set in the world of professional baseball and inspired by the experiences of former Yankees & Texas Rangers player, Billy Sample. Also, he served as Director of Photography on the film "The Senior Prank". 2014 will see the production of his most personal film to date, "Seven Days 'Till Midnight", a survival drama that is the study of one mans journey not only in the wilderness but also a journey inside his mind, his emotions and his past choices. Additionally, he has lensed projects for clients including Harley Davidson, Simon and Schuster, Time Inc, Readers Digest and numerous music videos. James resides in Western North Carolina where he can be close to the mountains and provide a rich and memorable childhood for his children.