Townsend, Jim (I)

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biography of Townsend, Jim

7 December 1961, Sauquoit, New York, USA
During his 20-year career as a film executive and producer, Jim Townsend has supervised the production of film and television projects around the world including Los Angeles, Vancouver, Calgary, Costa Rica, Venezuela, Puerto Rico, The French Rivera and various Islands in the Caribbean. As President of Production at Empire Film Group, Mr. Townsend will oversee each project's progress during pre-production, production and post production. This includes analyzing a project's risk in terms of personnel, budget and production schedule. During production he will oversee the budgeting and cash flow on the productions, implementing payroll services, accessing insurance needs, arrangements for completion bonds, cast negotiations, union contract negotiations, closing negative pick-up contracts, production travel and location coordination. He has negotiated and worked with Unions throughout the world including International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (I.A.T.S.E.), Directors Guild of America, Directors Guild of Canada, Teamsters, Screen Actors of Guild America, Writers Guild of America, Writers Guild of Canada, Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television & Radio Artist, and Union of British Columbia Performers. Mr. Townsend most recently was responsible for all of the production activities on the feature film "Blonde & Blonder" staring Pamela Anderson and Denise Richards. Mr. Townsend was recently named President of EFG's sports programing division Empire Sports Group which recently produced the 2010 Golden Gloves Boxing Championships which aired nationwide this past summer. He is currently overseeing the pre-production of Empire's next feature film Havana Heat which starts production in early 2011 in Cartagena, Colombia. Prior to joining EFG, Jim was Senior Vice President at Canadian Global Media. His responsibilities included overseeing the physical production of all of the Company's projects. These included the award winning Supermodels in the Rainforest Documentary Series, feature films "Savage Land", "The Road Home", the Television Series "Dream Team" and most recently a documentary series filmed in the Caribbean. Mr. Townsend is currently coordinating all of the pre-production activities on all of the company's film and television projects. He is actively involved in all of the government applications that are required for government labor rebates, subsidies and grants. In addition, he is working with various production personnel and finalizing the production budgets and schedules for all of the company's projects in Canada, Latin America and the United States. Born in Upstate New York, Townsend received his B.A. in Theatre Arts from St. Lawrence University. He attended the University on wrestling scholarship and competed for four years on their nationally ranked team. In 1984, Mr. Townsend moved to California to pursue a career in the film industry. He has appeared as an actor in numerous television shows which included "Days of Our Lives", "Knot's Landing", "Scarecrow and Mrs. King", "Falcon Crest", "Quantum Leap" and "The Wonder Years". In 1987, Mr. Townsend became the Senior Operations President at Go Between, Inc., the film industry's leading production service and information company whose clients included major studios, television networks, talent agencies and management companies in Hollywood.
Gary Gibson

- TV commercial for Old Milwalkee Beer (1992)

- TV commercial for IBM (1990)

- TV commercial for Toyota (1988)

- TV commercial for 7-UP (1986)