Growing up in a small New Zealand town with an imagination that never fit its borders, James Crisp found escape through the flicker of a television screen.
The worlds of film and TV weren’t just entertainment, they were lifelines.
Today, he creates those same kinds of worlds for others: cinematic escapes that remind us of the best parts of being human, even when reality forgets them.
His work is defined by flawed characters chasing redemption, often trapped between the absurdity of culture and the gravity of human struggle. Whether it’s a fallen Hollywood fixer, a washed-up actor at a comic convention, or a man confronting the afterlife in a surreal hotel. James’s stories explore what it means to come out the other side better off.
At the heart of his work, James doesn’t reflect reality… he projects it.
Born in Invercargill, New Zealand, James launched his career in 2010 with The Good Neighbour, which screened at festivals across Australia, America, Asia, and Europe, winning Best Drama at the Blue Mountain Film Festival and an Audience Award at Sandfly Film Festival. From 2012 to 2015, he served as Creative Director for the Southern Institute of Technology, producing national TV commercial campaigns and promotional content seen around the world.
In 2016, he wrote, directed, and edited 12.12.12, which premiered at Los Angeles’s First Glance Film Festival and went on to play at Kansas City Film Festival, Chicago REEL Short Film Fest, and Freshflix Sydney, where it received an Honourable Mention.
After relocating to Los Angeles in 2021, James joined Choppy Productions USA as a writer and director, developing a slate of film and television projects. In 2023, a TV series concept he is attached to as writer/director, Bogan Moths, won the Just For Laughs International Pitch Competition. So far during 2025, his scripts The Last Word, Pearly Gate Estates, and My Friend Norm earned multiple accolades, including recognition from FilmQuest, Stage 32, Filmmatic, and Roadmap Writers.
James is a proud member of the Directors & Editors Guild of Aotearoa New Zealand (DEGANZ), the New Zealand Writers Guild (NZWG), and the Australian Academy of Cinema, Television & Arts (AACTA).
