One of the most distinctive and highly regarded commercial directors in the industry, James Gartner has mastered the art of impacting viewers with storytelling that is visually and emotionally rich. Gartner has continually sought to challenge himself, using the short form filmmaking medium to explore the more subtle layers of the human experience.

His impressive body of work for global clients such as AT&T, Coca Cola, FedEx, Pepsi, and Visa has earned Gartner hundreds of awards, including two EMMYs and multiple Gold Lions at Cannes. He has twice been honored as the recipient of the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Commercials. Gartner counts projects for The Ad Council, Allstate, Disney, Frito-Lay, Global Giving, and Hallmark, among his most recent work.

Gartner's first feature film, GLORY ROAD, opened at #1 on January 13, 2006, to great acclaim. Produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, GLORY ROAD is the story of Texas Western Coach Don Haskins (Josh Lucas), who led the first all-black starting line-up for a college basketball team to the NCAA championship in 1966. Gartner also directed the short, "Vuelo," which screened in competition and took home numerous honors at film fests in 2007.

March 2009