As a Brit, ‘born and inbred’ as I jokingly like to say, I lived in Surrey in the south of England for most of my early life, although I spent three formative years in Ghana, Africa, where my dad worked in the civil service.
I have a great family, the best parents and brother you could wish for. I am very fortunate to have grown up with no angst and was a very happy child who loved life and had many friends. All thanks to my wonderful parents Graham and Daphne Moss and a terrific brother Philip.
In Surrey, around West Byfleet, I schooled at Kings Head Lane and Dane Court before my dad became principal of a large college and we moved to the Wirral, or Merseyside as it was then known. I schooled at Calday Grange Grammar School in West Kirby. I would love to reconnect with Old Caldians of my year. Here is one photo of me playing Rugby with my school friends. See if you can guess which one is me. Hint – I’m the good looking one !
I was a real jock all this time. Played rugby for the school and Hoylake club, played cricket for the school and Calday Cricket Club, captained several sides to championship state level, swam for the school and the state (and was once beaten in butterfly by a one legged swimmer!), was a field athlete and first dabbled in weightlifting at the age of sixteen.
After school I completed a foundation course in Art and Design at Stafford College.
I was very artsy then. Tie-
College was a blast. West Mids College (Now Wolverhampton University) was my den on iniquity. One summer I even spent 7 weeks hitch hiking around Europe with no money and no clue where I was going. What an education in life that was. Anyway, at college I continued Olympic weightlifting and came second in the British Students and second in the West Midlands regional championships. Friends commented that perhaps that is why women liked me – as I always came second! Then at 20 almost 21 I got into bodybuilding and packed on the muscle. Loved it. Still do. Take a look at these before and after photos. 60 lb difference from the age of 21 to 31.
So after three years of drinking, partying, bodybuilding, letching I graduating with a BA degree in Visual Communications in 1984. Yes, I’m that old. After a brief stint in Portsmouth on the ‘rock ‘n roll’ figuring out what I should do next, I moved to London to pursue my other passion of bodybuilding while turning my attentions to acting, the precursor to filmmaking. I worked at Gold’s Gym in Leicester Square in London. By spending time in front of the camera in numerous commercials (see photos of some), television programs and feature films I was able to soak up all aspects of filmmaking. Here I worked successfully as an actor and physique model, represented for a while by the agency ICM.
I fell for a woman, got married in ’91 and bought a house in Shepherds Bush. Then I fell for the propaganda of Hollywood. So in 1993 I left London for Hollywood after competing for the last time as a bodybuilder in the ‘Stars of Tomorrow’ competition (see photos). Of course I came second again! See a pattern here?
Los Angeles was a culture shock – still is in many respects. They say that the people here are just like a bowl of Muesli – take away the nuts and the fruits and all that is left are the flakes! How true. Worked as a personal trainer at Gold’s to survive while writing more and more screenplays and novels. Divorced the wife in ’97 and worked at MGM studios where I learned a great deal about production contracts and the legal side of filmmaking. Came in very useful later on. Keep reading. Nearly done……
Around 2000, my real passion as a filmmaker surfaced and I made my first film as a writer / director ‘The Guest of Honor’. Hustled the $30K needed to make the film and shot in the summer at my good friend’s mansion in Brentwood. I also acted in it. This fifteen minute short film was instantly picked up by cable TV stations and played on the WE, IFC and AMC channels for three years across American and Canada as well as playing on Delta Airlines. Woo Hooo! Not bad first time out of the gate. I didn’t come second this time. This success spurned me on to make more short films ‘Ye Olde Agent’, ‘Two of a Kind’ and ‘Small Tragedy’.
All this time I continued to write, hone my skills as a line producer, budgeting and scheduling and taking the odd day job to survive the lean times.
Brothers War came about in 2007 where I initially line produced and then produced with others. It was not my film, but that of a good friend whom I helped put it together. Currently it is selling in foreign and domestic territories and through the success of this film I am involved as a producer and director in other projects of theirs.
My passion film right now is called ‘The Wide Boys’. I’ve explained a little more on the Filmmaker page or you can go to the website at www.TheWideBoys.com and see what it is all about. But life is good here in Santa Monica Los Angeles. Living the passion and enjoying each day and the people that I meet.
That’s it. If you want to touch base about my films projects, are old school buddies, old girlfriends or work buddies from the good old days then please go to the Contact page and get a hold of me that way.
Keep in touch.
J