بیوگرافی
James Kramer has built a career spanning over 40 years as a writer, director, producer, showrunner, and executive across television, film, and theatre. A Yale University graduate, he launched his professional journey in theatre, writing and directing plays in New York City and at prominent regional venues such as the Kennedy Center, The Actors Theatre of Louisville, and The Williamstown Theatre Festival. For five years, he served as General Producer and Artistic Director of the acclaimed Chelsea Encore Theatre in New York City, producing more than 70 original new plays, comedies, and musical revues.
Kramer's television career began as a writer, director, and casting director on the daytime drama "Search For Tomorrow," then the longest-running TV series with nearly 9,000 episodes. In 1985, he relocated to Los Angeles, where he held roles as writer, director, and producer on prime time series including "St. Elsewhere," "Moonlighting," "Due South," "Once & Again," "Judging Amy," and "Diagnosis Murder," for which he also penned the pilot. His work has earned nominations and awards such as the Emmy, Prism, Angel, Gemini, and Hollywood Reporter honors. In the late 1990s, he expanded into production and writing consulting, teaching professional writing workshops across the U.S. and serving as a private writing coach for feature film and series pilot authors.
In 2005, Sony Pictures Television International invited Kramer to lead a writers' workshop in Moscow, in collaboration with Amedia Productions. Shortly after, he returned as creative consultant overseeing the adaptation of the romantic comedy telenovela "Betty La Fea" for Sony, Amedia, and CTC Channel, which achieved great success as "Ne Rodis Krasivoi." Embracing his positive experience in Russia, he accepted Sony’s offer to remain in Moscow as Vice President of their Russian office. There, he managed business and creative operations for numerous local productions and adaptations from Sony’s global library. Particularly rewarding was his role in discovering and mentoring Russian writers, directors, and producers, many of whom became key figures in Russia's flourishing television industry.
After departing Sony in 2011, Kramer broadened his international involvement as a producer, writer, director, and consultant. Collaborating with major clients such as Warner Brothers, Fox, NBC Universal, Fremantle Media, Sony, and A&E, his consulting and production work has taken him worldwide—to Vietnam ("Glee," "Last Man Standing"), Colombia ("E.R."), the Philippines ("Pretty Little Liars"), Italy ("Parenthood"), the Netherlands ("Lipstick Jungle"), Russia (including "It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia," "The Mentalist," and "Bones"), Egypt ("Prison Break"), and Ukraine (including "E.R.," "Rita’s World," original crime drama "Bad Cop, Good Cop," among others). He continues to conduct lectures and workshops globally, focusing on original series creation, pitching skills, and genre mastery for writers, directors, producers, and executives.
