The Announcement

Born in Ghana, West Africa, where stories are passed down from generation to the next, James Brown-Orleans grew up learning about the importance of storytelling, not just as a form of entertainment but as a way of preserving culture, learning from the past and above all, storytelling as a prayer to The Infinite Mind. The Ghanian folk tales James grew up listening to didn’t stay in Ghana when he left at the age of 10. They accompanied him to America where they became his refuge as a lost boy in a foreign land. They guided him at University of Maryland Baltimore County where James received his BA. They became his imagination as a writer, an actor, singer songwriter, director and producer. Today they are the foundation of his company, Protected By Imagination Inc. for whom he has written, directed and produced a series of short films. MISTAKE, his first short, was accepted into the New York Independent Film Festival. Another one of his shorts, A TEACHER’S NIGHTMARE, premiered at the Las Vegas Black Film Festival, and in another festival it would go on to win a Best Short Award in the drama category. WAKING VENUS, another one of his shorts, was accepted into the 2019 Hollywood Reel Independent Film Festival. When James isn’t behind the camera on his one day off, he is on stage performing in Disney’s The Lion King on Broadway playing the role of Banzai.