A.J. Carter

A.J. started his journey in the film industry at the humble age of just 16 as Assistant Producer for the Channel 7 children's TV show A*mazing hosted by James Sherry. Producing 3 seasons, 195 episodes of the show resulting in the longest running and most successful children's TV show in Australia History, and forging his pathway as the youngest person in Australia ever to fill such a position. The next two years would see A.J. working at every major television station in his hometown, Perth, shooting news, current affairs, sports & lifestyle programs, and at Australian TV giant Global Television (Big Brother, Australian Idol). On graduation of year 12 at school, A.J. had already successfully achieved on-screen credits in over 200 television episodes. Shortly after, A.J. spread his wings from his hometown of Perth, Australia, to the United States in pursuit of challenging projects more suited to his love and passion for narrative film. This presence in Los Angeles led to the formation of Metropolis Media Group, the sister company to Smooth Motion Films in Western Australia. The US-based office has afforded A.J. much invaluable directing experience through many Hollywood-based productions such as multiple TV series and more than 200 US television commercials. His narrative writing and directorial debut was seen with the release of the Australian production "Ronan's Escape", a highly controversial 16-minute film. The unique hard-hitting screenplay attracted the likes of Academy Award nominee Martin Mhando, who produced the film. "Ronan's Escape" instantly achieved critical acclaim, screening at 17 international film festivals around the world, and has since earned the film and A.J. a total of 13 international film award nominations and 10 wins, including the 'World Cinema Directing Award' for Best Director at the Amsterdam Film Festival; 'Best Short Film' at the prestigious 16th Annual Sedona International Film Festival Director's Choice Awards, judged and presented by Michael Moore; and 'Best International Film' at the 6th Annual HollyShorts Film Festival in Hollywood. The continued success of "Ronan's Escape" has seen it shared more than 54 million times over Facebook, Instagram & YouTube and solidified its own presence in pop culture among teens associated with its primary theme, as well as footage from the film being used in the music video for American pop star Demi Lovato's smash hit 'Believe in Me'. Following the success of "Ronan's Escape", A.J. was commissioned to produce & direct "23" for James Cameron. The commercial starred "Avatar", "Titanic" and "Terminator" creator James Cameron himself alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger. The 60-second spot became the most successful commercial campaign ever run by the marketing company giant responsible. A.J.'s company evolved and recently expanded with long-time writing partner Joe Brouillette and executive producer John Linton from the Smooth Motion Media Group, now based in Los Angeles, California. The SMMG harbors two production company subsidiaries: Dark Arts Entertainment (Motion Picture Film & Scripted Television production) and Primordial Entertainment (Reality, Science & Documentary Television). In addition to the U.S. productions, A.J. has returned several times to his home town in Perth, Western Australia, to shoot multiple feature films as 2nd Unit Director, including John V. Soto's crime thriller 'The Reckoning', starring Jonathan LaPaglia and Luke Hemsworth, and Sci-Fi thriller 'The Gateway'. A.J's focus is now firmly in the feature world, developing a multitude of motion-picture feature projects in the Thriller and Action/Sci-Fi genres. The style of his work trends to more of a cerebral nature, and his screenplays typically unwind multiple layers of character personalities and storytelling strands within the film.