James Hergott

Note, the reason my profile is in the third person is it was written for me by a PR firm. I am not arrogant or cocky ;)James Hergott was born in Cornwall, Ontario in 1976 and grew up in Cobourg, Ontario. Always an imaginative spirit, Hergott's film career began in high school at age thirteen when he got his first home video camera. His cast and crew were comprised of other kids in his neighborhood.While in college at York University, Hergott started his own business, a 1-900 job line servicing all of Canada. His new venture skyrocketed, and he even turned his dorm room into his corporate headquarters, but he never lost his true passion for filmmaking. In 1999, his biggest break yet came when he met Hollywood producer Tarquin Gotch at the Toronto Film Festival. The two formed an instant friendship and working relationship. Gotch was so impressed with Hergott's tenacity and love of filmmaking that he took him under his tutelage. Together they developed the Showtime biopic "Call Me Donald" on real estate mogul Donald Trump. The collaboration garnered national media attention for Hergott in the industry cornerstone Variety which reported "Young Buck, Plays Trump Card" in their April 1999 issue. The Don himself also praised Hergott's work and in a personal letter to the young filmmaker, Mr. Trump wrote that he was "extremely talented" and wished him the best in his "burgeoning career." Hergott also went on to co-write the feature film "Brothers" (based on a true story) with Gotch and his wife Alexandra Pigg, which is scheduled to begin production in Canada in early 2008. The partnership led to the co-founding of Steinberg Gotch Entertainment with Hergott, Gotch and famous sports agent Leigh Steinberg.In 2004, Hergott went solo with the production and direction of his first feature film "All That I Need." The film debuted at the Cannes International Film Festival Market in 2005 as part of a roster of films presented by Beverly Hills production company Imperia Entertainment, Inc. Following the success of the film at Cannes, Imperia decided to offer Hergott the presidency of the company, a challenge he eagerly accepted. In December 2005, Hergott was able to secure a limited national theatrical release of "All That I Need" with Regal Entertainment Group, the largest motion picture exhibitor in the world.While at Imperia, apart from overseeing their slate of films, Hergott conceptualized, developed and wrote the story for “Never Submit”, a movie set in the world of MMA. While prepping the film for production Hergott signed several top UFC and MMA fighters and implemented an aggressive worldwide media campaign. Hergott also procured a deal with the #1 MMA magazine TapouT and became a featured writer for them, writing several columns as well as being featured on the cover of one of their first issues.In early spring of 2007 Hergott resigned from his positions at Imperia in order to take greater creative and fiscal control over his future endeavors. Imperia acquired Hergott’s rights and interests in “Never Submit” as part of an amicable settlement resulting from the departure. In October 2007 Hergott announced the formation of his own company Own3d Entertainment, Inc. (www.ownedentertainment.com)Hergott has also been featured in over 200 media outlets throughout the U.S. and Canada as well as a number of national publications including Indie Slate and Create Magazines.Hergott currently lives in Newport Beach, California.