James Bethea facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
James Bethea
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Bethea in Los Angeles, September 2008
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James A. Bethea Jr.
January 14, 1965 Harlem, New York, U.S.
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| Occupation | Writer, producer |
| Years active | 1982–present |
James A. Bethea Jr. (born January 14, 1965) is an American writer and producer for television. He has also acted in movies. He was once in charge of programming at a TV network called UPN. This made him one of the few African Americans to lead a programming department at a major network.
At UPN, he helped oversee popular shows like Star Trek: Voyager, Dilbert, Clueless, and Moesha. As an actor, he appeared in the movies Iron Man (2008) and Iron Man 2 (2010).
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Early Life and Education
James Bethea was born in Harlem, New York City. His mother, Constance, was a social worker. His father, James Sr., worked as a hospital laboratory technician.
He went to The Bronx High School of Science, a special school for science students. After high school, he studied Film and Communications at Hunter College. He also took classes in Computer Science.
Career Highlights
Starting in Television
Bethea started his career in television in 1982. He was still a student at Bronx Science. His first job was as a cast member on the Nickelodeon show Livewire.
He also enjoyed working behind the camera. He became a production assistant at the Children's Television Workshop. Later, he worked at Nickelodeon as a Segment Producer for Total Panic, a weekly variety show.
Creating Popular Shows
With his high school friend Karim Miteff, Bethea helped create Nick Arcade. This was a new kind of game show that used virtual reality. The show won an award for its special effects. Its format was even used in other countries, like Spain.
Bethea also helped create Slime Time Live. This was another popular show on Nickelodeon.
Working at UPN
In 1997, Bethea joined UPN, a television network. He became the Director of Programming. Soon after, he was promoted to Head of Current Programming. In this role, he oversaw all the shows that UPN aired during primetime. This included comedies, dramas, and other types of series.
He even appeared as a Dungeon Master in a pilot show called Smog. This show was created by his high school friend, Jon Favreau. Bethea also wrote a pilot script for UPN called The Gibsons, but it was not made into a series.
Producing Live Events and Plays
In 2003, Nickelodeon asked Bethea to come back. He helped create and produce the TEENick Spin The Bottle show. He also wrote the theme music for it.
Starting in 2005, Bethea began producing live television events. These included the Live From the Red Carpet shows for E! and the 12th Critics' Choice Awards. He also produced two plays written by actor Mike O'Malley.
Acting in Movies
Bethea acted in the 2008 movie Iron Man. He played an analyst for Jon Favreau's character. He also appeared in the sequel, Iron Man 2, in 2010. This was a fun nod to his high school days, when he and Favreau were big comic book fans.
Filmography
Actor
- Iron Man (2008) - CAOC Analyst #4
- Iron Man 2 (2010) - Security Force #1
Executive Producer
- Live From the Red Carpet: The 2005 Emmy Awards (2005)
- E!'s Live Countdown to the Golden Globes (2006)
- E!'s Live Countdown to the Academy Awards (2006)
- E!'s Live Countdown to the Golden Globes (2007)
- Live From the Red Carpet: The 2007 Golden Globe Awards (2007)
- Live From the Red Carpet: The 2007 Screen Actor's Guild Awards (2007)
- E!'s Live Countdown to the SAG Awards (2007)
- Live From the Red Carpet: The 2007 Grammy Awards (2007)
- E!'s Live Countdown to the Grammys (2007)
- E!'s Live Countdown to the Academy Awards (2007)
- Live From the Red Carpet: The 2007 Academy Awards (2007)
- 12th Annual Critics' Choice Awards (2007)
Executive in Charge
- Star Trek: Voyager (1995)
- In The House (1995)
- Malcolm & Eddie (1996)
- The Sentinel (1996)
- Sparks (1996)
- Moesha (1996)
- Clueless (1996)
- Hitz (1997)
- The Good News (1997)
- Love Boat: The Next Wave (1998)
- The Secret Diary of Desmond Pfeiffer (1998)
- Legacy (1998)
- Dilbert (1999)
Creator (Developed)
- Slimetime Live (1992)
- Nick Arcade (1992)
- TEENick: Spin the Bottle (2003)
