By Douglas Chen
James McNamara has been a Film and Media Studies lecturer at UC Santa Barbara since 2018, but he has recently taken a hiatus due to his role as the showrunner for the newly-announced Disney Plus Australian show called The Artful Dodger, which he co-created. The series is set in 1850s Australia and follows Charles Dickens’ famous thief, who has grown up to be a surgeon who is still drawn to a life of crime.
Although it is difficult to teach and work on large creative projects at the same time, McNamara says his passion as a professor and filmmaker prompted him to find a balance between the two.
McNamara received his Ph.D. in 2011 in English language and literature at the University of Oxford. In addition, he had received a bachelor degree in law and English literature from the University of Western Australia and he eventually earned a graduate diploma for screenwriting. He became a writer early in his career before discovering his passion for teaching.
Prior to McNamara’s latest project, he created and wrote for Detective Cooper, an international television drama series adapted from a series of novels by Malla Nunn.
In a recent interview, McNamara discussed his experience working in multiple careers, as well as his ability to find a balance among his passions.
James McNamara is a Film and Media Studies professor at UC Santa Barbara, and the co-creator and co-executive producer for The Artful Dodger.
Q: What inspired you to start working as a professor at UCSB?
A: I completed my doctorate in 2011 and went straight into working in the industry, following a brief stint in the corporate world. I always regretted not using my Ph.D. because I feel that if you have the privilege to gain that sort of education – which is often the product of many sacrifices by many people – you have an obligation to share what you’ve learned. But the constriction of jobs for professors following the financial crisis made teaching a closed path to me and to many of my fellow graduates. So, it just wasn’t an option.
When my wife and I moved from L.A. to Santa Barbara in 2017, I began mentoring one of her English majors at Westmont College, who was interested in screenwriting. I always wished I had a mentor who would encourage me and my writing when I was in the tough first few years out of college, and so I wanted to offer what I had missed to others. When I realized I had a passion for coaching and encouraging younger writers, I wrote Professor [Bhaskar] Sarkar to see if UCSB needed a screenwriting professor. Luckily for me, UCSB did, and that was the start of it all. I feel very privileged indeed to have had the opportunity to expand my work at UCSB over the years. I gain a great sense of satisfaction in being able to serve my community and students in this way.
Q: You have also been the creator and head writer of Detective Cooper. Could you talk about your experience when it comes to producing a creative work, while being a professor at UCSB?
A: That’s right. I’m currently the creator and head writer of Detective Cooper as well as the showrunner of The Artful Dodger, although I’m only actively working on The Artful Dodger at the moment. My work as a professor at UCSB is vital to my creative process. I’m an ideas-driven writer and I gain a lot creatively by interrogating existing films and TV shows to see how they work. I get to do that with a group of smart, kind, committed students in the Film and Media Studies department and that process of continually thinking about other creators’ films and television shows is helpful to me as a creative.
James McNamara’s show, The Artful Dodger, is set to release in late 2023 on Disney+, and will star Thomas Brodie-Sangster, left, David Thewlis, center, and Maia Mitchell.
Q: How does working on such a big project influence your job as a professor?
A: Hugely. I try to share my own creative and industry experiences with my students to bring practical insights to my teaching of theoretical and critical topics and methods of analysis. My creative work allows me to bring direct, fresh experience of how, for example, three-point lighting works because I was just on set watching it being used, or how this particular story structure works, because I just wrote a script using it.
Q: Now that you are a co-creator and co-executive producer for The Artful Dodger, what is it like working on the project?
A: Exhilarating. Being a showrunner is a huge responsibility that demands absolutely everything of a person – intellectually, emotionally, physically in terms of stamina to work hours. It’s the privilege of a lifetime and truly humbling to get to work with such an immensely talented team to bring the show to life.
Q: You express passion for both teaching and producing creative work. Do you plan on being involved in more creative projects in the future while working part time as a professor?
A: Absolutely. I am a writer/professor. I’m a better writer when I’m teaching and, I hope, a better professor when I’m writing. I wouldn’t be happy doing one without the other. I am incredibly passionate about both and feel very lucky to get to work in two challenging and satisfying fields.
Q: Is there any advice you have for students who are interested in pursuing multiple passions?
A: Be very well organized and be prepared for horrifyingly long hours!
Douglas Chen is a fourth-year UC Santa Barbara student who is majoring in film and media studies. He wrote this article for his writing class, Digital Journalism.