James founded H½½PLONDON, a House of Opportunity, in April 2010. Principally a market strategy and product incubator, H½½PLONDON is building a portfolio of innovation projects for start-ups and mature businesses seeking to refine their market opportunity, commercial vision and product roadmap.
To date James has successfully completed both global and domestic projects in industries ranging from Entertainment, Platform Technology, Telecoms, Consumer Electronics, Automotive, Sports equipment, to the Arts and Charity. In the same period James has co-founded a Music & Live Arts enterprise, Theartre, to incubate and launch new products and artists – the first of whom launches October 2010.
Until Spring 2010, James was Vice President Consumer Business at SpinVox – a celebrated UK Technology start-up, acquired by Nuance Ltd at Xmas 2009. SpinVox developed a reliable Voice-to-text conversion system in 6 languages across the Globe, creating a new paradigm in communication: Speaking content. From devising and implementing a Brand strategy and launch programme, through to shaping commercial and product strategies, James spent much of his time consulting with network operators and strategic partners on product and go-to-market strategies across the world.
He joined SpinVox from MTV in 2007. As Vice President Marketing for a little over 5 years, James was instrumental in the growth of the portfolio of music channels. In that time, James led the celebration of the brand’s high-profile 25th Anniversary, launched various defining TV properties including Pimp My Ride and The Osbournes, orchestrated many International events & Awards Shows, and launched merchandising and social enterprise initiatives – including the launch of the MTV Condomi range & a unique education programme – BOOM! Music Video Academy – in Secondary Schools nationwide, a launch exemplar of the Government’s Music Manifesto.
James started his career in advertising as an Account Director at the ‘Grocers of St James’, DMB&B, then the 90’s Industry Goliath, Lowe Howard Spink, managing many award-winning campaigns for Mars Bar, Budweiser and Stella Artois – a Cannes Grand Prix winner.
In 2000 he turned from poacher to gamekeeper, joining ONdigital to navigate its rebrand as ITV digital, and in so doing creating the award-winning ‘Al and Monkey’ brand campaign (now reborn as a character vehicle for PG Tips), before becoming Marketing Director of MTV UK.
James is on the Board of the Institute of Contemporary Arts and Patron of young male mental health charity C.A.L.M. – Campaign Against Living Miserably. He is a music-obsessive.
