THE STAGE
Keynotes, panels, Q&As, and workshops — on storytelling, filmmaking, creative entrepreneurship, and the long game of building a body of work.
A Storyteller Who Has Done the Work
James Fox is an author, filmmaker, and creative entrepreneur with nearly three decades of experience building stories across page and screen. As the founder of Dawnrunner Inc. and a key creative at Moving On Films, he has directed award-winning features, published a sci-fi trilogy, and spent 28 years as a Dungeon Master — proof that great storytelling is a discipline, not a talent. He speaks from the trenches, not the podium.
Speaking Topics
The Long Game
How to build a body of work across decades — staying motivated, staying creative, and knowing when to pivot. Lessons from 28 years of storytelling across books, film, and tabletop.
Genre as a Trojan Horse
The best stories hide serious ideas inside great entertainment. How sci-fi, horror, and thriller can carry real weight — and why genre writers are often the most disciplined thinkers in the room.
From Page to Screen
The creative and practical realities of adapting your own work — what survives the translation, what doesn't, and how to protect the soul of a story across different media.
Creative Entrepreneurship
Building Dawnrunner Inc. and Moving On Films from the ground up. The business of being a creative — funding, partnerships, distribution, and staying independent without going broke.
Perseverance, Grit & Passion
The only three skills that truly matter. Drawing on lessons from a father who feared failure and a mother who embraced it — and how optimism forged through adversity becomes your greatest creative asset.
Past Stages
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