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

Alright, James thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with 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?

I took a huge risk when I put it upon myself to use my own money to make a feature film but more than that was that I committed to it with only me to make it happen until finally someone offered to help me with casting. I already decorated the sets, filed for the Sag Micro-budget Contract, got all the props needed, planned what scenes to shoot which days, contacting a DP and setting up some free crew from the local community college whose Film classes I had been through decades earlier. People always say use other peoples money to make films – I would never have made any if I waited on others.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I grew up in West Los Angeles, California, and while just out of High School I started my career performing a Comedy-Juggling act around the world, working as an Opening Act for Ray Charles; Marilyn McCoo; I also worked with Penn and Teller, Pee Wee Herman, the late great Bill Hicks, Bob Saget, and others. I performed Stand-Up also and then decided to learn screenwriting. At one point my screenplay “DC DOG” was being considered by a producer who had “first-look” deals with Disney. Also I was almost able to direct my first project with a 2nd Place standing in Kodak’s Short Script Film Awards for my original script “WHERE LIFE BEGINS “- it didn’t lead to production so I went to film school to learn the art myself. This lead to a full career as a Production Sound Mixer, working with my favorite directors: Mark Pellington, Mike Mills, and Victor Salva.I loved that job because it is one of the few positions – besides the director and the DP – which “work” the actual shot as it is being done! I also won an Emmy Certificate for sound mixing. Still screenwriting I had 2 Original TV Pilots in development and 3 Horror screenplays in line for funding- one of which I was to fly to New York to direct, but Covid costs ruined that chance. After 30 years I couldn’t wait any longer and wrote personal micro-budget screenplays to film at my own house. I now have 2 features in post-production and two others I want to make soon. Using my own money I finally am doing what I have always wanted to do!

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

From the very beginning, with my juggling act, I have always enjoyed the fact that I was bringing the audience on a journey. A journey that I create and am in control of and invite them to go along with me. I love bringing the full intention of creating the laughs; the awe-moments; building to the climax and a satisfying ending – yes all within a 30 minute comedy-juggling act! I have carried this onward to the film industry into creating feature films – using the force of my inner intentions to work every day striving toward the completion of every project I do. For my first features films I have done almost everything except for the position of DP and camera operator. And of course music composer and colorist. Knowing I have to depend on myself 100% for my dreams to be realized and to actually be able to make it happen against huge odds is extremely rewarding. I’m allowing myself to “Green-light” myself! (btw: Did I mention I once played “RIFF” in a live production of West Side Story?)

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

When I finally decided that if I didn’t write, direct, edit, cast, feed cast and crew, and produce my own feature films no-one else was gonna. I made this number one on my bucket list, and the thing that made it endurable was that I wrote stories based on my own life. I took my personal experiences to write about and it seemed to take on it’s own mission to force me through the writing, re-writing, pre-production work, casting, rehearsing and finding a DP and one or two others to help with the actual production and then on to post with editing and begging for help in some areas I am not proficient in. The goal to jump start yet another career in the entertainment industry my whole life has been engaged in.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.jamesridgleyfilms.com
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-ridgley-56b1072/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@jamesridgley6922
• Other: https://www.imdb

Image Credits
Michael Bayouth, Synthia Paulin