Jim Morris

James Morris is an American film producer, production executive and visual effects producer. He is currently general manager and president of Pixar. Previously, he held key positions at Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) for 17 years. Education and early career Morris graduated from the Tower Hill School in Wilmington, Delaware in 1973. In 1977, Morris earned a Bachelor of Science degree in film, and in 1978 a Master of Science degree in television/radio, from the S. I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. Morris began his career with local television studios, followed by working on TV commercials. He started as a cameraman and editor at NBC affiliate WSYR-TV. During this time, he independently produced and directed the award-winning documentary The Stag Hotel. He then worked at PBS affiliate WCNY-TV, where he wrote and produced the educational series Behind the Wheel as well as the Jim Lehrer-hosted documentary Old Folks at Home and Journey to the Mountain. During this same period, Morris wrote, directed and produced the independent documentary Snapshot. In 1980, Morris moved to San Francisco and worked as an editor at KTVU-TV in Oakland, after which he moved on to the production departments at advertising agencies J. Walter Thompson, and Foote, Cone & Belding. Morris was named executive producer heading the commercial production department at the innovative post-production facility One Pass, and then became the executive producer at Arnold & Associates, producing national commercials for clients such as Atari and Chevron. While at Arnold & Associates, Morris received an NEA Grant to write, direct and produce the independent documentary Rehearsal. Industrial Light & Magic In 1987, Morris joined ILM as a producer of visual effects for films and commercials, working on, amongst others, Steven Spielberg's Always and James Cameron's The Abyss, which earned an Oscar for Best Visual Effects. He was subsequently promoted to be ILM's executive in charge of production, supervising all the company's production, and then ILM's general manager, supervising more than 1,400 artists and technicians and guiding the largest visual effects facility in the industry, a post he held for 13 years. During this period, ILM's innovations resulting in Academy Awards included the pioneering use of computer-generated characters in Jurassic Park, realistic digital skin in Death Becomes Her, Terminator 2: Judgment Day and Forrest Gump.