James William Evans grew up in a mess of rat-infested motels, haunted mobile homes, and cramped apartments scattered around Oklahoma. This and stories from his grandmother, who was one of the first women to serve on the Cherokee tribal council, created an affinity for writing characters who consider themselves outsiders. His short film “Life Lines” has been screened at several festivals, including The Beverly Hills Shorts Festival (Winner Best Dramedy), The Method Fest (Nomination Best Short) and The Big Easy Film Festival (Winner Best Short Drama). James’s stage credits include writing and directing the rock opera We’re All Dead (“Succinct and sublime”—The New York Times) and Approaching America (“Intelligent…Sharp…A stellar production”—Time Out New York). He was the first runner up for the Cynosure Screenwriting Award, a finalist for Best Feature Screenplay at the Nantucket Film Festival, a finalist for the Scriptapalooza Sitcom Contest, a finalist for the Screenplay Shootout, and a finalist for the Boston Court Playwriting Fest. He has an MFA in Playwriting from Columbia University and a BA from the College of Santa Fe. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife and two young daughters.
His band, Dirty Lenin, still books a gig every now and then.