James is a director, producer and writer with over 25 years' experience in theatre, film, opera and festivals. He is hell-bent on making the world a better place one story at a time, and likes to remind anyone who'll listen that "we're nothing without our stories". At the helm of Going West, the longest running indie lit fest in Aotearoa, he navigated the rolling lockdowns with new digital strategies in podcasting and film production, and – in the words of one stakeholder – created "a refreshing, invigorating development of what a literary festival can be". He thrives in his explorations of the outer limits of literary art, keeps a shambolic garden in Titirangi, and is addicted to learning classical piano pieces several grades beyond his ability.