User:Hundopundo/sandbox/James Shani

James Shani is an Iranian-American film producer, executive producer and talent manager. He began managing filmmakers while in college through his company Everdream. Shani has produced or executive produced music videos and commercials for artists such as Lady Gaga, Tyler, the Creator, John Legend, and H.E.R, that have been nominated for MTV Video Music Awards and Clio Awards, respectively, as well as award-winning films that have premiered at festivals including Sundance, Tribeca and South by Southwest. He has built a reputation for “cultivating lasting creative collaborations with new and established filmmakers," and is currently an executive producer and talent manager at ColorCreative.

Early career & Everdream (2012-2015)
Shani attended Marshall School of Business at University of Southern California, where he co-founded digital content studio Everdream. In his final semester Shani met music executive Troy Carter and previewed a spec Tesla ad he was working on for him, which inspired Carter to hire Everdream to create a music video for John Legend's "You & I (Nobody in the World),” which went on to win an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Music Video.

In 2015, Everdream became Atom Factory's studio of record, by which point Shani managed a dozen in-house directors and producers to create music videos, web series, and film and TV content. The company went on to collaborate with artists including Lady Gaga, John Mayer, and John Legend, as well as brands like Vizio, producing their short documentary "Growth" which premiered at South by Southwest. The same year Shani also launched a filmmaker-in-residence program to support recent college grads from film schools including USC, Chapman University, and NYU.

Madison + Vine (2015-2019)
In 2015 Shani founded SAV Studios, a company which produced film, television, 360 and VR content. SAV collaborated with brands including Pepsi, Samsung, and Gatorade, for which it produced a Clio Award-winning docuseries "Win from Within" in collaboration with TBWA\Chiat\Day.

In December 2016 the company rebranded to become Madison + Vine. Notable Madison + Vine brand campaigns include Taco Bell's "Taco Tales" series and marketing for AT&T's Loveloud Festival.

In 2017 Shani was named to Forbes' 30 Under 30 list, as well as Los Angeles Business Journal's "20 in their 20s". That same year Shani worked with Lady Gaga to produce her on-stage content for her Coachella performance, and created a PSA in collaboration with Staples to launch a fundraising campaign for her Born This Way Foundation.

Asylum Films & ColorCreative (2020-Present)
In 2021 Shani executive produced the film Gully, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and was released theatrically by Paramount Pictures. That November Shani created and executive produced Lady Gaga's "The Power of Kindness" for World Kindness Day, which highlights the relationship between kindness and mental health. Under Asylum Films Shani has also produced music videos for H.E.R., Tyler the, Creator, and Janelle Monáe among others, and has been nominated for two MTV Video Music Awards.

Shani executive produced Mama Bears, which debuted in the documentary feature competition at SXSW in March 2022. In November Shani joined the leadership team at ColorCreative, part of Issa Rae’s Hoorae Media, as an executive producer and talent manager.