James Cheeks

Background

About James Cheeks

James M. Cheeks received his MFA degree in Film and Television Production at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts in Los Angeles. His career started in high school at the age of 16 with an internship at The TV Guide Channel, which later turned into part-time employment. Cheeks was accepted into art school but he decided to study Communication and Film at George Mason University, where he earned his Bachelor’s degree. In college, James worked on various television projects in the DC area including the Ted Turner documentary mini-series, “Avoiding Armageddon,” which aired on PBS. In 2006, Cheeks served as a sound designer for Alex Ko’s documentary, “Pok Dong,” which examined the haunting impact of the LA riots on an immigrant family from Korea. Cheeks’ interest in missions and social justice has led him to serve in Peru, Mozambique, Jamaica and downtown LA’s Skid Row. Cheeks is also a skateboarding enthusiast and supports skateboarding for at-risk youth. In 2010, Cheeks founded a volunteer skateboarding team that travelled around the U.S. supporting a music and extreme sports tour. His film,"On The Grind," had its World Premiere at the 2009 Mammoth Film Festival, where it won the award for "Best Documentary Short.” It also won the "Best Documentary Short" award at the 13th Annual Roxbury International Film Festival. “On The Grind” was also featured during a historical skateboarding exhibit at the California African American Museum and Cheeks is wrapping up the feature-length version of the film."On The Grind" aired nationwide on the Documentary Channel and on PIVOT (AT & T U-verse, Verizon FIOS, DIRECTV, Dish Network). Cheeks was also nominated by The Sheckler Foundation as a finalist in their Be The Change initiative for making a positive impact in the lives of at-risk youth.