James Bartolomeo

EP Jim Huie Promoted to Director of Production

New York & Philadelphia – (May 11, 2015) – Alkemy X has welcomed Director/DP James Bartolomeo to the company’s expanding roster of Directors. Bartolomeo joins a diverse Directorial roster that includes: Robert Adamo, Glenn Holsten, Kris Magyarits, Rob Markopoulos, John Romeo, Bex Schwartz and Scott Whitham. Additionally, Alkemy X Executive Producer Jim Huie, has been promoted to EP/Director of Production.

To view Dir/DP James Bartolomeo’s reel: http://www.alkemy-x.com/james-bartolomeo

“James’ comedy is a great addition to our very diverse roster, and his experience in commercial work and episodic television is a perfect fit for our integrated production model,” says Ray Carballada, Alkemy X President & CEO.

A product of the New York film scene, Director/DP James Bartolomeo credits much of his varied storytelling acumen to long hours spent on sets with the likes of David Chase, Darren Aronofsky, James L. Brooks and Barry Levinson while working in the camera department on feature films and high-level episodics. He has been crafting visual stories in the commercial space for the past 15 years with a focus on comedy and character-driven performance. His work has developed an appreciation not only for aesthetics, but for offbeat moments that reveal human nature. One of his favorite projects to date was directing a PSA featuring Michelle Obama, the Sprout Channel’s “Sportacus,” and the puppet character known as Chica, which he shot in the East Room of the White House. In the commercial realm, he has worked with a multitude of national clients including Fox Network, Under Armour, Walmart, Chevy, Southwest Airlines and Comcast. One day, he hopes to cast himself in a bio pic about a filmmaker-turned-winemaker who gets to drive a tractor to work.

“I’m excited to join the Alkemy X roster as their Comedy Director because they are a 360º company with well-established talents in original programming, VFX, editorial, promos, as well as commercials,” explains Bartolomeo. “But just as importantly, they have strong EPs with a great deal of experience in multiple disciplines and platforms. After years of producing work as an independent through my own production company, it became clear to me that I wanted access to more parts of the content development process and greater support as I continue to evolve as a Director. Offering more than a traditional commercial production company can, Alkemy X provides me with the support I’d hoped for and encourages me to grow creatively and reach beyond my comfort zone as a Filmmaker.”

Bartolomeo’s current projects include a comedic web series shooting in late spring, a collaboration with members of the Upright Citizens Brigade in New York. The series is currently in the script revision stage. James is also finishing a short documentary film about the "Baltimore OrchKids,” an after-school music program for disadvantaged kids in Baltimore City that was created by the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and inspired by Venezuela’s El Sistema program. The film will hopefully tour the festival circuit and in doing so raise awareness of the social change a program like this can facilitate.

“I’m thrilled to be welcoming James onto our Directorial roster,” concludes Alkemy X’s Jim Huie. “His passion is to explore visual storytelling in all genres with a focus on Comedy. Jim has a keen eye for casting and has developed a reputation throughout the industry as a strong performance Director, specializing in character-driven humor. There are a number of long-time Alkemy clients who are fans of Jim’s and have worked with him for many years. We’re thrilled to be working with Jim to offer a complete creative package to those clients and others throughout the industry.”

James notes that his next steps as a Director are taking him into long-form narrative work. “My goal is to make the leap into Directing TV and features,” he details. “I have a number of comedy projects in various stages of development and see longer-form work as an inevitable progression from years of directing Commercials, which enabled me to find my voice as a storyteller. Now, with Alkemy X in my corner, I feel inspired and optimistic about the future.”

www.alkemy-x.com