We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful James Kicklighter. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with James below.

James, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s jump back to the first dollar you earned as a creative? What can you share with us about how it happened?

When I was in high school, I realized there was a market for high school graduation videos, and I could make money through packaging everything together. Equipped with my camcorder, eMac, and a LimeWire version of Final Cut Express, I shot and edited several graduations.

Selling a standard edition DVD, one could get just the graduation for $20. But for $30, you could get the deluxe edition, your name printed on the disc, and a behind-the-scenes photo gallery from before graduation. 80% of buyers chose the deluxe edition, and I purchased a Casio Disc Title Printer to make it happen. I probably made $25 off each disc, which adds up quickly when you’re 18.

Through this experience, I began to understand the power of the pitch at a young age, realizing that you have to make your own opportunities to be a successful creative. By making my own money, I was able to channel that into my very first short films and documentaries, self-financing my passions. I bet on myself, unburdened from paying anyone back, so I was free to make my own mistakes and find my voice.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is James Kicklighter, and I am a film director, producer and editor — in that order. I have been fortunate to create projects across the spectrum, from documentaries like The Sound of Identity (2021) and my upcoming film, The American Question, narrative films like Desires of the Heart (2013) and Angel of Anywhere (2018), advertising for brands, including Caesars Palace and Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign. Throughout my work, you’ll find themes of loss and identity, which continually fascinate me, and always have new aspects to explore.

Growing up in Bellville, Georgia, population 123, I feel lucky to have worked across the United States and around the world, collaborating with some of the biggest names in popular culture. As a young child, I could never have imagined such a trajectory, living today in Los Angeles with my husband, Xintong, and dog, Oscar. But any success I have had was due to my wonderful mentors, including the late Bobby Zarem, John Maatta and Lilly Lee. Without their help and confidence, I don’t think I would have gotten very far out of my city limits.

But in this business, it’s about playing a long game, and each project is its own milestone. For example, I was thrilled to receive my first Producer’s Guild p.g.a. credit on my upcoming film, The American Question, working for the first time with our terrific agent at UTA, Travis Tammero, and his assistant, Juan Santos. Earning that credit and having their support, just like Bobby, John and Lilly, inspires me to work harder.

As a son of the south, I believe in the power of community and genuine relationships, so I am always looking for opportunities to collaborate on new projects. Assuming yours is funded, I will always take time to hear out your pitch, and evaluate if my skills can help bring your vision to life. If my skills and your project don’t align, I’ll try to send you to someone else who can do that job better. There’s enough people out there that like to tear folks down, so I try my best to lift people up, sending them to the right places in our community.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I have always had a fidgety energy, probably because my mind works quicker than my mouth, and I can be a very fast talker. On one of my first trips to Los Angeles, I was meeting with a producer who was in a rush. In fact, I was taking the meeting in his car — between his other meetings.

As I launched into my pitch, only a few sentences in, he stopped me and said, “James, do you realize between every other word, you say, ‘um,’ ‘uh,’ ‘like,’ and other fillers?”

I stammered, trying to find something to say.

“Let me finish, James. It’s clear that you’re intelligent, and you have a lot of potential. But no one is going to take you seriously if you can’t shake off that imposter syndrome. You’re dripping in it.”

I can’t tell you what happened for the rest of the ride, but his words really stuck with me. I wrote down those filler words on a Post-It note, and exorcised them from my general diction, learning to slow down during initial interactions with new collaborators. To this day, I still have to think about it, as my excitement can sometimes overpower my message.
This is my authentic self, and it probably isn’t going to change — that’s totally okay. But you only have one shot at making a first impression, and it is better to convey your confidence with calmness. They can see the rest of you with time, and we’re all a lot more transparent than we like to think.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

For 10 years, I had a client that was a very important part of my life. I believed in their mission, and loved the people in their organization. A change in leadership occurred, and I naively assumed that the new guard reciprocated the same feelings.

After months of planning for a massive product overhaul, they informed me that not only would their order be cancelled, but they also were also no longer in need of my services. The new leadership thought my rate was too expensive. It was an important reminder that we’re all replaceable, but nonetheless, I felt blindsided and personally devastated.

When you plan for a job, especially in film production, it requires dedicated periods of time. In taking one job, you have to turn down other work. I had allocated 3-4 months for this client, as I had for the last 10 years, and so, I couldn’t just find new a new gig. The types of jobs I would be hired for had already been taken. Effectively, I was unemployed, and shit out of luck.

I could have spent that time developing a new script or project. But with economic clouds swirling, I thought it was best to keep working on my existing slate, while doing some personal development.

So, I learned how to Golf.

Now, I am by no means a great golfer, but my husband has told me for years to find hobbies, and I had always wanted to try golfing. Growing up, rich people golfed, and we were not rich, so I never learned.

As an adult, I realized that quite a few of my friends golfed, and some of them were pretty good at it. They got me out of the house, providing an outlet to channel my devastation, giving me not just a new social hobby, but a skill to carry for life. I really have to thank my buddy, Elyes Gabel, who has patiently helped me discover my swing.

Now that I am a much superior, humbler golfer, I can reciprocate the favor.
Sometimes pivoting needs to be personal, not just professional. We focus so much on the work we do, that sometimes, we lose sight of ways to cope with the challenges when they come.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.jameskicklighter.com/
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/jameskick
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/jameskick
• Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/jameskicklighter
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/jameskick
• Other: https://vimeo.com/jameskick