James Ward III

James Ward III was born and raised in Seattle, WA. His passion to be in the entertainment industry sprouted through acting at the age of four, and thankfully with the support of his family, James’ parents got him signed with an agent right away. He has since had the opportunity of acting professionally and joined the Screen Actors Guild at age 10. James received his Bachelor of Arts in Theatre from the University of Southern California in 2011. 

As James continues to pursue his career in the Los Angeles market as an Entertainment Entrepreneur, he currently works as the Senior Manager, Communications at OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network, where he executes publicity campaigns for various OWN programming including Oscar-winner Tarell Alvin McCraney’s critically-acclaimed David Makes Man, Ava DuVernay’s Cherish the Day, Greenleaf, Will Packer’s Ambitions, Black Love, the launch of Mara Brock Akil’s Love Is__, among other unscripted programs. 

Previously, James earned his stripes as a Publicist in the African American Division at a PR/Marketing agency where he worked with a team spearheading targeted publicity campaigns that reached African American audiences for major motion picture and television projects such as the launches of Empire, Underground, The Wiz Live!, Captain America: Civil War, Spectre 007 and many more. In 2019, James received the Shadow & Act “Behind-The-Scenes Rising Award” alongside Oscar-winner Barry Jenkins. 

James also believes, “to whom much is given, much is required.” With an understanding of this philosophy, James’ philanthropic work includes participating as a mentor in the USC Black Alumni Association’s Legacy Through Leadership Mentoring Program; and utilizing his PR expertise for organizations supporting African Americans in Hollywood and the Black LGBTQ+ community. 

James is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., loves rollercoasters, horseback riding, champagne brunch with friends and has golfed since the age of seven.