James Cummins

James Thomas Cummins has been involved in all phases of the motion picture industry. Starting in 1980 as an illustrator and continuing as a special effects designer and, ultimately, screenwriter and director. Studying Film/Video and Character Animation at the California Institute of the Arts, he was awarded the only full scholarship granted by the "Walt Disney Company" during the Institute's 1978-79 academic year. Prior to his screen-writing and directing assignments, Cummins was responsible for designing and executing the special make-up effects for New World Pictures House (1985), Orion's Strange Invaders (1983), ABC's The Intruder Within (1981), as well as television episodes of The Twilight Zone (1985) and The Hitchhiker (1983). He also made design and sculpting contributions to such major motion pictures as: Enemy Mine (1985), Cat People (1982), The Thing (1982), Cocoon (1985), DeepStar Six (1989), Jaws 3-D (1983), Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986), Dead & Buried (1981), The Beast Within (1982), Elvira: Mistress of the Dark (1988), Heartbeeps (1981) and The Exterminator (1980). His credits as a writer-director include Atmosphere Entertainment's Harbinger (1996), Grand AM's Dark:30 (1993), and Prism Entertainment's The Boneyard (1991), starring Phyllis Diller and the late Norman Fell. As a direct result of open heart surgery early in 2002, he created and illustrated "Good Things To Share", an inspirational picture book for all ages, starring cartoon tyke, "Little Doodle". Benefiting directly from the work of the American Heart Association, Mr. Cummins donates a portion of all sales from "Good Things To Share" to the organization's children's health programs, including "Jump Rope For Heart".