James Stone

Dr. James Stone is chair of Film and Digital Arts. He has spearheaded the transformation of the department’s curriculum to adapt to film, animation, and gaming industry opportunities. This change has resulted in explosive enrollment, a pipeline of skilled graduates finding well-paid jobs at Netflix and other major companies, and national attention for a department that is now a destination for out-of-state students eager to study and build their network at the heart of a burgeoning digital media scene.

Under Stone’s stewardship, the department instituted The Show, a large-scale real world moviemaking experience with students taking the lead and working alongside industry professionals, and The Mentor Series, an ongoing symposium in which film luminaries offer advice to students and community members on how to find success doing what they love. Stone also helped develop the UNM Sitcom Boot Camp, an immersive, six-week course in sitcom creation taught by Hollywood director Brian Levant. He co-conceived the inaugural “Film and Digital Arts Day” at the School of Engineering, a STEAM seminar bringing together moving image artists with engineering faculty and students. In 2020, he collaborated with colleagues throughout the university on the Sustainable Water Resources Grand Challenge to create animations, podcasts, and short movies explaining key water concepts. Last year, he was PI on a successful PERC grant application that has funded the construction of a state-of-the-art post-production lab at UNM.

Stone’s primary academic interests are in British cinema, American popular culture, horror film, and gender studies. His book America Through a British Lens: Cinematic Portrayals, 1930-2010, is published by McFarland.