Biography of
James Jaeger

James Jaeger is a Telly Award-winning filmmaker with over 40 years experience writing, directing and editing features, documentaries and multiple-camera event films. Influenced by his late grandfather (who produced the first brain surgey training films), Mr. Jaeger began his career in entertainment around 1973 working at the Valley Forge Music Fair on numerous shows including THE CARPENTERS, THE DAVID BRENNER SHOW, THE PEGGY FLEMMING SHOW and THE SONNY & CHER SHOW.

Between 1974 and 1977 Mr. Jaeger held positions with various companies (COLOR TECH/WRS Labs, FERNFIELD FILMS, NFL FILMS) specializing in the processing and printing of motion picture film. Positions held included negative-prep technician, panel printer, photometer technician, color timer and ultimately, laboratory manager. Also active as a free-lance photographer and cameraman during the same period, Mr. Jaeger serviced over 300 clients (from Seattle to Philadelphia) on portrait and commercial projects, as well as, college/high school football and soccer games (including the US-Mexican Olympic Soccer game of 1974).

Relocating to Hollywood, California in 1977, Mr. Jaeger worked on about a dozen feature films in numerous capacities over the course of 11 years. Specific positions held in rough chronological order were: production still photographer, set carpenter, best boy, camera operator, assistant editor, music editor, 35mm editor and director. He also held positions as a script analyst, development assistant and assistant to various producers. Productions worked on in these capacities (with their producers and/or talent) include SHAME, SHAME ON THE BIXBY BOYS (Lee Garmes/Chris Pearce/Monty Markham), TEN VIOLENT WOMEN (Ted V. Mikels), REVOLT IN THE STARS (Max Youngstein/Paul Haggis/L. Ron Hubbard/John Longenecker), OLD FRIENDS/NEW FRIENDS (Fred Rogers/Lee Strasberg/Arthur Baron), LOVELY BUT DEADLY (David Sheldon/Richard Brummer) and various ENG projects for CNN (Patricia Duff Medavoy).

Becoming interested in the producing side of motion pictures, Mr. Jaeger worked at The Production Machine, Inc. (founded by Jackson B. Mahon, former manager of Errol Flynn and former President of Errol Flynn Enterprises, Inc.), which developed and ran the first computerized production management programs for budgeting and scheduling feature-length motion pictures. Productions done in association with Columbia Pictures TV and CBS were: A TOUCH OF SCANDAL and WHITE WATER (Angie Dickinson), MY WICKED, WICKED WAYS (produced by Doris Keating and based on Errol Flynn's autobiography), PASSION FLOWER (Barbara Hershey), STRANDED (Loni Anderson) and MILES TO GO (Jill Clayburgh). Several of these productions were the first independently financed Canadian master limited partnership public offerings collateralized by CBS licenses. All shows ultimately aired on CBS as Movies of the Week.

In late 1981, Mr. Jaeger founded Matrix Productions to continue goals set forth by Lee Garmes of Academy Artists, Inc. and Independent Screen Producers Association, predecessor to the AFMA (of which Mr. Jaeger is a founding member). The company began modestly by producing TV commercials, public service announcements and eventually live, multiple-camera events (featuring talent such as Gregory Peck, Tom Jones, Paul Williams, Ron Ross and Helen Hayes). Between 1983 and 1984 the company produced and released its first half-hour narrative drama called THE PICKUP (Andrew Cofrin) and its first feature, OVEREXPOSED (Monique Gabrielle, Paul Eagleton, Marty Korse). In 2007 Matrixx Productions partnered with Cornerstone Entertainment and produced FIAT EMPIRE featuring Congressman Ron Paul, G. Edward Griffin, Dr. Edwin Vieira and Dr. Ted Baehr. The documentary about the Federal Reserve System, garnered a Telly Award and became the top documentary on Google Video (predecessor to YouTube) for six months. Matrix Productions, now a division of Matrix Entertainment Corporation, continues to develop and produce documentaries and features. Additional completed productions are UNSUSTAINABLE, GOOD GUYS WITH GUNS, MAINSTREAM, MIDNIGHT RIDE, MOLON LABE, SPOILER, CORPORATE FASCISM, CULTURAL MARXISM and ORIGINAL INTENT all available as a free public service at www.HomeVideo.net or available on higher quality DVD at www.MoviePubs.net

After graduating from The Haverford School and The Cinema Institute (founded by Shorty Yeaworth, director of THE BLOB), Mr. Jaeger majored in sociology at the University of Pennsylvania and later attended then graduated summa cum laude in the filmmaking class of 1978 at Los Angeles City College. In early 1978 through August of 1979 Mr. Jaeger worked personally with Academy Award-winning cinematographer-director-producer, Lee Garmes, who was to become one of his most important mentors (Mr. Garmes having shot over 100 classic features including SHANGHAI EXPRESS (Academy Award), THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY, the original SCARFACE and portions of GONE WITH THE WIND. Garmes also co-produced and/or directed 14 features, including CRIME WITHOUT PASSION, ANGELS OVER BROADWAY and THE SCOUNDREL). Mr. Jaeger holds a management degree from Celebrity Centre in Hollywood and has written and published 5 books (as well as a 98-volume set of training manuals) on motion picture production management. He has also written or co-written 14 feature-length screenplays of which 11 have been produced.





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