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Born in Detroit, Michigan, Jimmy Lifton (aka James Ian Lifton) is currently President of Unity Studios, Oracle Post and Lifton Institute for Media Skills. Having overseen the building of 2 different film companies for production and distribution in the past, Mr. Lifton brings that experience to this new venture, Unity Studios, a 104 acre film and television studio in Michigan. The site will also include Unity Village, a mixed-use development for retail and housing and Lifton Institute for Media Skills. The Institute will work hand and hand with the unions and focuses on sustaining a large and sustainable skilled work force. His company Oracle Post, which started in 1996, also intends to expand his Santa Monica and Burbank, California based post facilities to Unity Studios as well. Lifton who is responsible for overseeing the design, building and administration of Oracle Post, caters to various picture and sound needs of the film and television community and has a client base which consists of such industry giants as Fox, HBO, NBC, Showtime, Disney, Nickelodeon, Paramount, Columbia
Tri-Star, Warner Brothers, VH1 and MTV.
Lifton got his creative start early on with an apprenticeship to the Master Organist for the Detroit Symphony. Born in Detroit, Michigan, he attended the Toronto Conservatory at an early age and was one of the youngest attendees at the Berkeley School of Music in Boston. Lifton worked at some of the most influential recording studios, including Motown's infamous Groovesville Recording Studio.
Lifton continued his involvement in the recording end of the business by promoting and self-distributing his own recordings to 'rackjobbers' throughout the United States. He formed Orphan Records, which was one of the pioneering "House Music" labels in the US. He signed eight acts, oversaw the manufacture and international distribution of their product and negotiated their artist and publishing contracts. In 1981 with the advent of MTV, Lifton taught himself the art of film making by producing and directing several groundbreaking music videos. He was nominated by Billboard Magazine, "Best Independent Production Of The Year" and was instantly sought after by major record companies, including Atlantic and Island Records, to produce their music videos.
Lifton was subsequently signed to Atlantic Records as an artist
himself, after successfully promoting his own record to #22 on the charts and having a self-directed/produced music video that was #2 in the nation.
Upon producing numerous entertainment productions, Lifton organized a Limited Partnership to produce his first feature length film in 1990. The project was debuted at the Cannes Film Festival to critical acclaim. Lifton successfully negotiated the foreign rights to the film and then organized the regional theatrical release of the movie in the United States. He contracted the media buys and oversaw the distribution to the theaters. It was one of the few independent films of the year to have a profitable theatrical release. Mr. Lifton went onto become an accomplished producer, director and composer of feature films, music videos and commercials. His work has received praise from the international community as well as being nominated for awards by Billboard Magazine.
As of 2009, Lifton has produced thirteen films, overseeing all aspects of the production, distribution and marketing for each product. He has negotiated feature film and record licensing contracts, both foreign and domestic, has overseen the collection of revenue and has held the offices of president and CEO of two production/distribution feature film 'mini-studios' as well as a principal in several Limited Partnerships. Lifton oversaw the development and creation of all marketing campaigns, assembled and implemented in-house foreign distribution organizations, which attended the international film markets and sold each of the company's films worldwide including domestic sales to HBO, Showtime and the Sci-Fi Channel. Mr. Lifton also oversaw the leasing, building and designing of sound stages in this capacity including negotiating with vendors for grip, electric, camera houses, union IATSE and SAG for all his productions. Lifton developed each film project as well as organized and assembled all creative, production and administrative personnel.
Mr. Lifton is nominated for 3 MPSE Awards 2008/2009, and one winning MPSE Award for SpongeBob Squarepants, Nickelodeon Animation Studios in 2008.
Lifton's Unity Studios breaks ground in Spring of 2009.
