James Swoope

I'm from Cleveland, Ohio. Ever since I was five years old, I wanted to be a filmmaker. My favorite movie was "The 3 Ninjas," and I remember telling my parents, "wherever they do this at, I wanna be there!" They informed me films are created in Hollywood. When I was 16 years old, My uncle Floyd Swoope who was in the entertainment and hair care business, was the first to put a camera in my hand. He taught me the basics of production, how to pan, how to tilt, and how to edit. I then began to exercise my gift over the years at his place of business. After high school, I enrolled at an open-enrollment college, which was an exciting time for me. As driven as I was to go further with my college experience, Federal Student Aid did not fully cover my tuition. I ended up staying for only half a semester. I wasn't ready to go back to Cleveland, so a few friends allowed me to grab a spot on their couch. I started throwing college parties and events surrounded by celebrities such as Drake, Wale, and Big Sean, to name a few. At these parties and events, I would record "skit" promos and upload them to Facebook. Once I came back to Cleveland, I got in my bag! I started throwing parties with NBA and NFL players. Soon after, I joined forces with my high school friend Jah Rashid (Formerly known as Chick Da Flyest) to start Real Muzik LLC, where I held the Vice President and Manager position. That partnership helped catapult me into the forefront of Cleveland's music scene. I begin to write culture-shifting articles, mentored artists, and help Cleveland gain the attention of many big-time bloggers, D.J.s, and execs. After Joining the local but powerful blog site "I'm From Cleveland," which was powered by D.J. E.V. and John Stura, I was able to voice my opinions that helped shaped Cleveland's musical culture. Immediately after moving on from blogging, I developed a passion for interviewing artists. That lead me to have my very own interview series under my own production company called BlameSwoope. BlameSwoope aired on YouTube for two seasons. I then partnered up with J Curse to do a podcast called "The Kulture Breakdown." The podcast was a success, which won a few local awards. Traveling between Cleveland and New York, I was able to gain relationships with more bloggers, D.J.s, and record labels. In 2016 I got with local filmmakers Jillian Holt and Sasha Sales, and we created the highly successful web-series "Langston Tributes," which I served as Co-Creator, Producer, and Director. After the show won countless awards for its directing, cinematography, and acting, I soon met Casting Director Lillian Pyles through her casting associate William Moore and became her intern. The first film in my casting internship was "The Land." That led me to meet one of my mentors and friends, Steven Caple Jr, who would soon go on to director Creed 2. I continued working a 9 to 5 and working as a casting assistant for different films. My big break came when I became an assistant to MACRO CEO and Founder, Charles D. King, on the upcoming movie "Judas and The Black Messiah." I took pride in my role, not only as Charles's assistant on set but also with the entire crew. During the three months in Cleveland, Ohio, I was determined to make sure everyone had the best experience in my hometown. As filming came to a close, I expressed to Charles how my dream was to move to Hollywood. Having observed my work ethic, Charles took a chance on me and moved me to L.A. It's a dream come true being a part of the MACRO family as a Talent rep at M88.