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James L. Dean  (born 1963 in Washington, D.C. is an American Multi-disciplinary artists; arts advocate, arts program and project developer, and artists consultant and manager.

BACKGROUND
Art and entertainment has been a large part of James' life, and in many ways responsible for it. From his solo singing debut at age 4, lending his voice to several singing groups that competed and won a record number of contest on the public school talent show circuit throughout grade school; to advocating for aspiring local artists and work with some of music and television's most renowned talent of all times, James' life has bore the fruit of his very own passion and talent, just as his work has journeyed him through a career that would span over more than thirty years, including;

advocating for local artists in his Northwest Washington, DC community where he volunteered with local radio and record store events and was a resource for aspiring talent, including; Trouble Funk, Rare Essence, Stacey Lattisaw, Randy Davis, Judith Carter and other locals;

his work as a facilitator of grants to artist, community organizations, and State Arts Agencies for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) for over 6 years; a special events/talent coordinator for the marketing division of a major retail developer of the mega mills mall concept where his talent for talent and for business would book him some of the most legendary artists in music/television history and where his gift giving skills would come in handy for negotiating and securing more than $18 million in corporate sponsorship dollars, gifts and prizes and in-kind contributions; as finally as a production consultant coordinating many aspects of mainstream music and television AWARDS shows, from talent to backstage coordination, and management, and ultimately as the right hand man to his mentor manager L. Armstead Edwards and his all time favorite artist, Patti LaBelle.

As well as his work in his community promoting the arts and creative expression, James spent hours each day tutoring his peers and other children in math, reading, spelling and grammar, reviewing homework, and holding study sessions on porch fronts, play grounds, at tree boxes where they sat, and eventually in their living-rooms during house visits. By age 15, and with the help of Christian and Youth Centers, James initiated mentoring programs and events for youth who would otherwise be idle, including discussions, resolution skits, talent shows and competitions, field trips to museums, galleries, monuments, and outings to local landmarks and events around the city, including to Dr. Dorothy Height’s (founder of the National Council of Negro Women) annual day-long Black Family Reunion: “A celebration of family values and cultural diversity, at the Washington Monument grounds”; Where he would later land a volunteer role as a coordinator/assistant of event talent and host/recording artists/Tony Award Winner, Melba Moore and Speaker, Poet/Author/Educator, Maya Angelou over the next couple of years: an experience that would change his life forever.

PROJECTS
By age 17, James was in a world wind of local radio stations and record store events and work with popular artists as; The Brother Johnson's, Chic, Rose Royce, Mikki Howard, and others each year respectively, and with talented local artists and groups on various aspects of their careers from; producing marketing collateral, coordinating photo sessions, and release parties for some aspiring groups and solo artists as Rap and Go-Go’s first, “Rare Essence”, The Sugar Hill Gang, Trouble-Funk", and R&B soloists Randy Davis, Judith Carter, and Stacey Lattisaw, which he often hosted.

In 1980, James appointed himself the local representative for his all time favorite singer, Patti LaBelle, and conducted safety surveys of venues and hotels she frequented in DC, partitioned Juke box owners to include her songs in their play-list, made telephone requests to radio stations to put other songs in their rotation for airtime, monitored the racks at record stores to assure marketing opps., proof-read album covers and other material for errors and magazine stories for accuracy, and watched every television interview, performance, and award show LaBelle attended, and made his concerns and critiques known by way of an official report to management, who would come to know him quite well.

At 19, from 1982 to 1987, James would become the youngest full-time employee to facilitate the grant-making process at the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA): “the world’s largest independent funding agency in the United States, dedicated to supporting excellence in the arts, in aspiring and renowned artists and leadership in arts education”. In addition to reviewing, qualifying, and presenting thousands of individual, organization, and States, level artists, groups, and State Agencies for the Visual Arts, Expansion Arts, and State Art Programs, with a cross-training in the Performing Arts, Dance Theater, and Music programs, James coordinated the On-Site Evaluation for the Expansion Arts Programs, where he would re-define the assessment and presentation processes, questionnaire, evaluation methodology urging in-depth and comprehensive reporting on the art programs and services, facilities, funding sources, budgets, and constituent-base, by independent consultants contracted to assess and present the complete and unique essence of inner-city community organizations.

At a 1985 National Council Panel Meeting, James was acknowledge by the (then) chairman, NEA Frank Hodsoll for his contribution to the arts, including; coordinating over sixty panels and nearly 20 National Council Panels, assisting in the award of millions of dollars to thousands of organizations, individual artists and 50 States Arts Agencies over his 5 year period. He accepted an Oscar Awarded for the Visual Arts Program (where he worked 3 of his 5 years) that would forever set the standard for his work and service in the arts and music, and within the entertainment industry as a whole, that was sure to come.

From 1987 to 1988, as the Special Events and Advertising coordinator—planning and executing events and marketing logistics of grand-opening Diaz ceremonies, black-tie galas, and largest scale events for the opening of multi-level “Mills” concept mega-malls—for a DC-based real estate developer, Western Development Corporation, James’ previous grant-giving experience at the NEA would give him a special edge in securing more than $500,000 in private dollars, gifts, tie-ins, and special give-a-ways items, trips, automobiles, and hotel stays, etc., from corporate sponsors like, Delta Airlines, Coke-A-Cola, Citibank, Pepsi Company, Chevrolet, Walt Disney World, Warner/Turner Broadcasting, Toyota Automotive, Marriott Hotels.

In addition to a host of caricatures, novelty acts, television and musical personalities as, Walt Disney World’s Mickey Mouse, Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy, Meteorologist, Willard Scott; Soap Opera star, Walt Wiley (“Jackson Montgomery” on ”All My Children”), The Marvelettes, Little Richard, Chubby Checker and others he would book for the ten day-long celebration, James would out-due himself in an exclusive five-day management commitment overseeing every aspect of the participation of his legendary gala night musical guests, Ray Charles at the Kenwood Towne Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, 1988, and the First Lady of Jazz, Ms. Ella Fitzgerald; at Philadelphia’s, Franklin Mills Mall in 1989, from whom he earned the highest esteem blessings and encouragement to his entertainment career.

Including endless accolades for what she called, “the most wonderful fuss anyone’s ever made for her in a long time”, [Fitzgerald’s] greatest expression of gratitude was singing to her young site-manager, the verse and chorus of the song, “You Are the Sunshine of My Life”, during their final and rainy umbrella stroll to her awaiting limousine that would bring their work to a close. The two remained in touch until her hospitalization, and eventual death in 1996.

Fitzgerald was 78 years old.

From 1988 – 1990 James continued to take on important issues in his community including, but not limited to AIDS, alcohol and drug abuse, homelessness, sick and disabled, illiteracy among adults and children, at-risk youth, etc., and to provide service and support to the development, administration, information events and fairs, and proposal writing for projects and programs at local organizations working the front line of his many issues including, OFFICE OF SUBSTANCE ABUSE, PREVENTION AND EDUCATION (OSAPE), designed to counsel and inform student population about alcohol and substance abuse at the University, under the direction of Dr. Maria Hankerson, Ph.D.

1990 – 1992, at the height of the AIDS epidemic that claimed the lives hundreds and thousands of men and women, boys and girls, some even close to him, James joined the fight against AIDS, as an advocate for public education through public outreach, and as a coordinator of the National Skills Building Conference for the National Minority AIDS Council (NMAC), where his duty to solicit, select, structure, coordinate, and present one-hundred of the most meticulous and wide range of workshops, from informative, healing, to exercising, and empowering, ever “in the history of AIDS”, would comprise the Center for Disease Control’s (CDC) first National Speaker’s bureau and resource benefiting the People living with, those at risk of becoming infected with, and health care professionals working to combat, AIDS.

To give NMAC an even bigger voice in the fight against HIV/AIDS, James used musical entertainment to support the cause, including; featuring “Gimme A Break” star Nell Carter in a special conference concert (1991); the coordination of the nationally televised “Lets Talk About AIDS” Campaign (inspired by Broadcaster, Peter Jennings) with female Rap recording artists, Salt N’ Pepper (who recorded the 1986 hit single and produced the .30 second PSA of the same name), to promote abstinence among teenagers and young adults (1991); Identified and pursued two time Grammy Award winning singer, Patti LaBelle for the role of NMAC’s National Honorary Spokesperson in its fight against AIDS, and; coordinating the production of the 1992, benefit concert featuring the shows executive producers, herself; Sheryl Lee Ralph, and a talented line-up of R&B female artists, including; Batman’s original cat-woman, Eartha Kitt; comedian Marcia Warfield; Teena Marie; Liz Torres; Linda Hopkins; Melissa Morgan; former Supreme, Mary Wilson; Valerie Simpson; and Brenda Russell, calling themselves in a sold out concert at Washington, DC’s Warner Theater, “DIVAS: Simply Singing!”.

1992 – 1997, James' commitment to the arts and entertainment was never more pronounced than that to the community where he lived, and relocating to New York in late 1992, would put them both to a test, in an abundance of opportunities ranging from reading, writing instruction and conversation to immigrant youth and adults at Adult Literacy programs at New York Public Library’s; providing academic counsel to youth and has given instruction and training to GED graduates on workplace integration for the Hope Program (Brooklyn, NY); and participating as a speaker at New York City’s public school’s annual Career Day; Granting special wishes to terminally ill children for the Make-A-Wish Foundation; and fund raising for LIFEBEAT/LIVEAIDE: Musicians Living with AIDS, and volunteer in parts of the planning and execution of events for other causes worthwhile causes of importance to him including, homelessness, education, Breast Cancer Awareness, Sickle Cell Anemia, Multiple Sclerosis, senior care, and since the death of his absolutely best friend, Cancer, to name a few.

AWARD SHOW PRODUCTIONS
James' volunteer role for the 1993 Sixth Annual Essence Awards, landed him a seasonal freelance position with various production companies, where until 1997, he would work in many capacities ranging; from volunteer and wardrobe coordinator to Production Assistant and Talent Coordinator, for music and television awards shows produced in New York, including:

Madison Square Gardens, NYC
 * 1993: The 6th Annual ESSENCE Awards

Radio City Music Hall, NYC
 * 1993: MTV Music Awards

HMV Record Stores, NYC
 * 1993: COUNTER AIDE: LIFE BEAT Fights AIDS

Radio City Music Hall, NYC
 * 1994: MTV Music Video Awards, 1994

Paramount Theater (at MSG), NYC
 * 1994: The 7th Annual ESSENCE Awards

Apollo Theater, NYC
 * 1994: The Apollo Hall of Fame Awards

Radio City Music Hall, NYC
 * 1995: 23rd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards

Radio City Music Hall, NYC
 * 1995: Billboard Music Awards

Paramount Theater (at MSG), NYC
 * 1995: The 8th Annual ESSENCE Awards

Radio City Music Hall, NYC
 * 1995: The 12th Annual MTV Video Music Awards

Paramount Theater (at MSG), NYC
 * 1996: The 9th Annual ESSENCE Awards

Radio City Music Hall, NYC 
 * 1996: MTV Video Music Awards