We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful JAMES MOORER. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with JAMES below.
JAMES, appreciate you joining us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?
The first business I ever created was a mobile disc jockey company, Jamesong Entertainment. I had worked for another company for a few years and left for something more stable in banking. But I kept getting calls from people who wanted to hire me. I worked part-time as a deejay but didn’t think there was enough business to sustain a family.
Then one day I booked five events in the same day. I couldn’t think about anything else the next few days and that following Monday, I put in my two-week notice with the bank to run my own company full-time. It wasn’t easy initially, but I slowly built a reputation that took me from earning $500.00 per event to making $3,000.00 per event. I was also able to expand into producing music for fitness competitors and bodybuilders, a move that took my business across the country performing and producing music. At the time it was the biggest risk I’d ever taken, but it removed any fear I had about following any dream I wanted to attain.
JAMES, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I am a screenwriter and best-selling author who isn’t afraid of creating stories about our struggle against the foreboding passengers in the souls of man. I write character-driven horror & thrillers where the road to hell is paved with good intentions, where the good fight is more than an ideal, in worlds where blood-covered heroes love Pancakes.
I’m also a producer with several shorts to my credit and recently launched a publishing company, Dark Anthem Press for book-to-screen genre projects. This month we expanded our brand to include literary management under my company One Moorer Media & Management.
I spent three years with Roadmap Writers, an educational platform helping screenwriters gain representation. In my role as Director of Outreach and Diversity Initiatives, I helped more than 250 screenwriters attain representation. I’m most proud of the initiatives I launched there including BLACK TO THE FUTURE, a week-long event celebrating working Black Screenwriters in television and film.
What sets me apart is not only my tenacious determination but also my passion for helping emerging, diverse, and underrepresented writers find their path to the career of their dreams. This has helped me forge a solid reputation and the beloved entertainment industry moniker, Uncle James.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
I came into the entertainment industry in my 40s, not the most ideal time to start my writing career but that’s where I began. I was aware of the hurdles writers of a certain age faced as well as the trials writers of color faced in this business but I was determined to succeed. I made a lot of mistakes but I also made a lot of friends. For every door that closed, there was always someone willing to offer their wisdom and advice. The most important lesson I learned was to be of service ahead of being served. Doors were still closed and at times it felt like I would never break in, but I remembered that advice and pushed on. this led me to work as a PA on an indie film that changed everything. One of the producers noted that every time they asked something of me, I was eager to do whatever the job was. This turned a one-day gig into a full-time position on the shoot where I learned more than I ever knew about filmmaking. Those same producers hired me for their next four projects and eventually allowed me to write and produce with them. We still work on projects to this day.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
The universal truth for every creative is that your work isn’t for you, it’s for the world. Your gift is meant to create works that will uplift and inspire every person who finds you, every heart and mind that discovers you along their own path. This is why it is so important for creatives to understand their worth not only to their personal aspirations but what their work means to the world. We inspire greatness. We inspire imagination and the belief that the impossible is possible. No matter who you are or your age or gender, our work is to open a door in the mind’s eye to what could be, and what will move us to a greater state of humanity that uplifts us all.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://onemoorer.com/
- Instagram: @onemoorer
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/james.moorer
- Linkedin: James Moorer
- Twitter: @JamesMoorer
- Other: https://pro.imdb.com/name/nm3150339?ref_=hm_prof_name
