James D. Bynum
Writer, Producer, Director
'North of Hollywood' Founder
 
From an early age, James Bynum was fascinated with all things Theatrical. He sites Walt Disney as his hero and inspiration. As a boy, he and his dad made weekly "father-son outings" to local movie theaters at a time when companies like Disney were releasing so many high quality family films. These movies served only to fuel his love of storytelling and the entertainment industry.
 
James has always enjoyed writing. As he got older, he wrote unusual stories with strange "Twilight Zone"-like endings, and then proudly let his friends read them. He discovered that he found great pleasure in seeing others enjoy the products of his somewhat warped imagination. His interest in movies and writing inevitably combined.
 
By age ten, James was collaborating with his best friend Don to write stories that they imagined together.
 
He bought a Super-8 movie camera with money from his first summer job. His first films starred only his friends and himself, but taught him valuable lessons about filmmaking and storytelling.
 
James worked on his first Halloween 'Haunted House' when he was just 15. The charity-based event was actually considered to be "too scary", and the church group that sponsored the attraction decided not to create another. James has worked professionally on haunted attractions since 1989. His attractions have appeared in cities all over the west, including two attractions he designed and built for the MGM Grand Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.
 
He is skilled in many aspects of the entertainment including writing, directing, artistic design, as well as computer aided design and layout.
 
James with President Clinton (1998)
 
Outside the entertainment industry, his innovative work in the development of industrial technologies lead to a personal meeting with President Bill Clinton during his 1998 visit to Silicon Valley.
 
In his spare time, James is a private pilot and collects Hollywood movie props and costumes. His collection includes rare treasures like Arnold Schwarzenegger's costume from "The Terminator", and prop artifacts from "Raiders of the Lost Ark".
 
James resides in San Jose, California with his wife and longtime friend, Diane.
 
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