James Reed Faulkner

I am one of those 'accidental artists', The type that used to do artistic things for fun as a kid, like draw comics strips with storylines etc. My mother (a teacher) made certain that I was in the plays at school, because Blacks made up 10% of the population of Middletown, Ohio, and she wanted to see representation, and my brother and I were it...as far as she was concerned. I really wanted to be an astronomer, thanks to my Dad, who was the first Black aerodynamic engineer to build jet fighter aircraft for the Air Force and worked at Wright-Patterson A.F.B. I got a scholarship to Michigan State University and was doing fine until my junior year. That's when the 'yearnings' started. A writing professor told me I was a good writer. My photography professor started to post my photos. One of my frat brothers asked me to do the voice for a taping. It was not long that I was calling my father to tell him I was changing majors - to TV, Theatre, & Film! I immediately became the 'black sheep' of the family. It would be a ten year ordeal with my father until he came to see one of my shows at the Detroit Music Hall...full house...excellent show. He was knocked out...and my biggest supporter after that! My theater company, the Afrikan American Studio Theatre Co., produced shows and touring shows for 20 years, based out of Detroit. I have performed and/or produced shows, all over the country and Belize. Now based in Houston, Texas, I am focusing on voice work, having performed on over 70 DVDs of anime content and some stage shows. I also have a screenplay, "THE TENTH", about the famed Tenth Cavalry (the Buffalo Soldiers) that I am trying to get 'eyes' on in Hollywood.