Mastering Digital Media with James Bland
Written by Brandon Alexander
James Bland is the creator, showrunner and star of the Emmy Award winning drama series Giants which originally premiered on the Issa Rae YouTube Channel, but made the jump to broadcast television in 2019.
Giants has won Best Drama at the Streamys, the Indies Series Awards and the International Academy of Web and Television Awards. It was the only digital series to be honored with a 2018 Voice Award for its contribution to behavioral health understanding. With over 6 million views on Youtube, the series has earned Bland an Indie Series Award for Best Lead Actor and Best Writing in a Drama as well as multiple Daytime Emmy nominations for acting, writing and producing.
A graduate of Florida A&M University's School of Business and Industry, Bland began his career working under producers and creative executives at Sony Screen Gems. While navigating the studio world, he wrote and directed numerous award winning short films. He then went on to work as a digital producer for TV Land and Nickelodeon.
Currently, Bland serves as the Founder and CEO of James Bland Productions, a full service production company focused on creating premium content for film, television and digital platforms.
WHERE ARE YOU FROM?
James: I’m from Titusville, Florida. As a 6’5” or 6’6”, somewhere around there, black kid growing up in the south, I was pushed toward sports by everyone in my family; basketball especially. I was a creative kid who was always writing poetry and loved the arts. So when I received an academic scholarship from Florida A&M University to study business, I traded basketball for a camera and started making films.
WHAT DID YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GREW UP?
James: I think I fell into the stereotype of wanting to be a basketball player. I wanted to be an athlete because I didn’t know what else was possible. At the time, filmmaking wasn’t an option because I hadn’t been exposed to it. Unlike a lot of white guys whose parents brought them super 8 cameras to practice filmmaking on, us black kids didn’t have those opportunities. The best our parents had was a camcorder in which we were not allowed to touch or play with.
“I knew this was it; I realized that filmmaking was my purpose and wanted to spend the rest of my life doing it. ”
WHEN DID YOU DECIDE TO EXPLORE FILMMAKING?
James: I auditioned for a student film at Florida State and that ultimately opened my mind up to filmmaking. I wanted to do a little bit of everything related to film, such as directing, writing, and acting. Around the time I pledged Alpha Phi Alpha at FAMU, Will Packer was working on a new movie called Stomp the Yard. He reached out to a few of the current chapter brothers to step in the film.
I met Will Packer when he came back to FAMU to premiere the movie. I told him I wanted to be a filmmaker. He asked me if I have ever made a film and when I responded no, he told me to make a film and then come talk to him. I ambitiously accepted his challenge. Will and Rob Hardy made their first film, Chocolate City, while they were students at FAMU so I knew I could make a film while in college as well.
The challenge was set and in 2007 during my senior year, I wrote and directed my very first film, Dreaming in Color, without any training. I met a talented filmmaker, Lamont Carsewell, who agreed to work with me on the film.
Dreaming in Color premiered in the Lee Hall Auditorium at FAMU. I sent the film to Will Packer, excited to have completed the challenge. I asked him for an internship. Although I didn’t hear back from him on this for months, the experience solidified my desire to become a filmmaker. I knew this was it; I realized that filmmaking was my purpose and wanted to spend the rest of my life doing it.
AT WHAT POINT DID FILMMAKING BECOME YOUR PURPOSE?
James: I was an intern for Will Packer on a movie called Takers starring Idris Elba and Chris Brown. It was my film school and first time experiencing call sheets, deal memos, schedules and seeing AD’s work. I learned about gaffers, grips and other terminologies relative to the film business. However, when that internship ended, Will packed up and went back to Atlanta. I stayed in LA without a job.
Luckily, I was able to reach out to a few folks at the studio who decided to bring me back as a production assistant on a movie called Death at a Funeral starring Chris Rock, Martin Lawrence, and Tracy Morgan. Although I was only a production assistant, I knew I wanted to get to set. I eventually got promoted and became an assistant to a creative executive on the movie Burlesque starring Christina Aguilera and Cher. That gave me the onset experience I desperately wanted. The experience at that position was valuable. However, it soon became an office job which is not what I wanted to do. Thus, I took another leap of faith and left Screen Gems.
WHAT WAS WORKING WITH WILL PACKER LIKE?
James: I was an intern for Will Packer on a movie called Takers starring Idris Elba and Chris Brown. It was my film school and first time experiencing call sheets, deal memos, schedules and seeing AD’s work. I learned about gaffers, grips and other terminologies relative to the film business. However, when that internship ended, Will packed up and went back to Atlanta. I stayed in LA without a job.
Luckily, I was able to reach out to a few folks at the studio who decided to bring me back as a production assistant on a movie called Death at a Funeral starring Chris Rock, Martin Lawrence, and Tracy Morgan. Although I was only a production assistant, I knew I wanted to get to set. I eventually got promoted and became an assistant to a creative executive on the movie Burlesque starring Christina Aguilera and Cher. That gave me the onset experience I desperately wanted. The experience at that position was valuable. However, it soon became an office job which is not what I wanted to do. Thus, I took another leap of faith and left Screen Gems.
WHAT WAS THE FIRST FILM YOU BIRTHED?
James: After leaving Screen Gems, the first project I created was a web series called Fail. Fail was a comedy about five college students who formed a study group to pass a class they never ended up studying for. We shot two episodes for $3000- money funded by our parents. To get a return on this investment, we had a meeting with BET. We pitched the show with the hopes of it becoming a BET digital series. After the meeting, BET told us if we created a whole series then they would consider acquiring it.
I created the show with Vanessa Baden Kelly, who plays Journee in Giants. Vanessa and I decided we needed more viewership on our episodes that were already up on YouTube. Hence, we planned a make-shift college tour to promote the series. In 2011, we flew down to Florida, and started our tour in Miami. We hit every college and university across the state.
WHAT WAS YOUR BIG BREAK?
James: In 2011, while in Florida, my computer crashed so we went to a Best Buy to get it fixed. “Play”, or Christopher Martin, from the group ‘Kid ‘n’ Play’ happened to be in line. “Play” saw this short film I wrote and directed called Cocoa Love and recognized me from it. He asked what I was doing at the moment and I told him about the college tour and handed him a flier. He called me the next day and said he wanted to meet. He had decided to sign on as an executive producer of the show and allowed us to shoot our second season.
BET ultimately passed on the show. We even went to Steven Hill’s office in New York, but the show was too clean. He was looking for something similar to House Party. Although we received a ton of no’s for distribution, creating Fail is the reason I met Issa Rae.
My friend in LA, Jameela Web, was looking to start her own web series with her roommates. She asked if I could come over to pick my brain. Jameela mentioned she was also going to invite this girl that she went to Stanford with. Issa had just launched the Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl. We shared our experiences and agreed to cross promote on each other’s facebook pages. About 5 to 6 years later, I ended up putting Giants on her channel.
“We shared our experiences and agreed to cross promote on each other’s page.”
NAME 2 OR 3 PEOPLE ON YOUR MOUNT RUSHMORE OF INSPIRATION?
James: Issa Rae for sure. Issa was such a model in terms of going from web to HBO and turning a digital series into a brand. Awkward Black Girl was more than just a digital series, it became a brand that created numerous streams of income, such as college tours, a book and branded merchandise.
I would also say Spike Lee because he was my first example of a filmmaker who wore many hats. He was a writer and director, but also an actor. Spike was in every single one of his films in the beginning of his career and I saw Spike do it. He did it well and did it for the culture.
For the 3rd person, I’d say Ryan Coogler. I’m a big Ryan Coogler fan. I would say Nate Parker as well because Nate was always so specific in the roles that he played and they were always roles that uplifted the black community. I have also adopted that same work ethic and discernment with the roles I audition for. I’m very specific about not wanting to be an actor just for the sake of entertainment. Everything that I do, from writing, directing to acting has to have a greater purpose. My work has to uplift us. It has to tell our stories and speak to a greater cause.
WHAT WAS THE INSPIRATION BEHIND GIANTS?
James: Giants is a coming of adulthood drama series that follows three millennials of color as they navigate through life. The characters are living in LA, chasing more than dreams while dealing with issues of sexual identity, mental health and finding their purposes. How do you pay the rent when you’re chasing a dream that isn’t paying off? The inspiration for the show arose when I realized everything I created prior to Giants was made for Hollywood’s approval. I was trying to find a project that was going to take off and be successful according to Hollywood’s standard. I was thinking about what was already in the market and was trying duplicate things that I thought were going to be successful. When I created Giants, authenticity meant more to me than approval.
HOW CAN WE CREATE AND MASTER THE ART OF STORYTELLING?
James: First and foremost, if you want to be a content creator, your story has to be tight. I’d put a lot of time, attention and focus on your story. It should be authentic, relatable and universal.
Focus on the story and know your structure. All good stories have an arc of how characters develop. You have to know where you’re starting and where you’re ending. Secondly, build a production team. Oftentimes we’re trying to go for the top and hit up folks in our industry that we feel are going to put us on. Let’s link arms and create something so undeniable that the folks at the top have no choice but to notice you.
Last, but not least, be very intentional about your WHY. Get very centered in the purpose and intention of your work because when things aren’t taking off right away, you can reset and stand solid on your WHY. Ask yourself, “Why did I start this?” That will center you when you feel like you’re veering off course.
Interested in learning more or connecting with James?
Instagram: @jrbland
Website: James Bland - IMDb