Meet James L Gilmore | Film Producer & Director

We had the good fortune of connecting with James L Gilmore and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi James L, what is the most important factor behind your success?

The most important factor behind my success, if I had to boil it down to one word, would be “discipline.” I am a big fan of Michael Mann and one of my favorite movies of his is “Heat.” Robert De Niro plays a professional bank robber that is, and always has been, successful taking “scores.” As his character prepares for the job, he always emphasizes the importance of being disciplined even when things go wrong. I have always kept this in mind.

I have managed and grown my brand from working hard, making goals, and remaining disciplined even while life around me continued to change. Everyone sets goals and has dreams, the difference between the average person and people considered “successful” is their discipline and integrity to create their own path to their said goals.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
As a filmmaker, it is very important to pull from perspective. It is all an art form. My experiences are very unique to the average producer, where I don’t come from the Hollywood scene. I was born and raised in the Midwest where I didn’t have any prior experiences in the filmmaking process. I didn’t have a rich uncle or grandfather who was in the industry. After leaving home to study film, and 15 years later, I had the opportunity to work under the late, great John Singleton, I’ve worked closely with Deon Taylor and Roxanne Avent for a short period of time. And now, in 2024, I am able to produce my own films and experiences that I want the world to see.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?

If my boys were coming down to visit me it would have to be multiple days because there are plenty of places they would enjoy. For my boys, Rob and Steve, I would especially have to take them to LA for Stevie’s Creole Cafe. That’s one! I know my other boys would love Fixin’s in downtown LA next to Crypto Arena. For dinner, I would take the crew to the best Japanese Steakhouse in town at Tokyo Wako in downtown Long Beach – I go there so much they practically know me on a first name basis. For a nightcap, I really don’t hit clubs anymore, but since the boys are in town, we would do Beauty and Essex, Isabelle’s, or The “W’ Hotel in Hollywood.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?

My family deserves all the credit for my drive and success. If it wasn’t for them I would probably still have the same mindset I did as a young man. When things change or get difficult for me, I can turn to them for support and confidence to get through whatever it is.

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