Jim Fitzpatrick

Successes of a childhood friend are priceless. That is why I was compelled and honored to write a feature about Jim Fitzpatrick. My husband Kevin and I recently ran into him while he was checking out a possible movie location in Lakewood Ranch. We briefly discussed his current and upcoming ventures and I knew his story was one that must be shared. Because that is who Jim Fitzpatrick is – one of the most open, pay it forward people I have the pleasure of knowing.

His story is one of inspiration, family strength and support, triumph and determination in the face of repeated rejection, as well as keeping principles and morals intact in an industry that can challenge the strongest.

Jim’s story of his love for acting begins at age 5. His parents Jim Sr. and Cookie took him to see The Sound of Music at the Tampa Theater. They sat in the front row and Jim’s Mom describes how his eyes were huge and mouth agape as he fell in love with Julie Andrews. He knew he must become Christopher Plummer because, “He got the girl!” With both parents having a background in entertainment he had a wonderful and grounded support system.

Jim’s stage debut was at age 13 when he appeared in our Seminole High School play titled A Thousand Clowns. He also played on our high school football team and accepted a football scholarship to Illinois State University as a theater major. Jim put aside his acting career to play professional football in the CFL and then with the Chicago Bears and Baltimore Colts. He retired from football in 1985 after three years with the Tampa Bay Bandits, where he met one of the owners, Burt Reynolds. He and Burt formed a bond and Burt was instrumental in Jim’s Hollywood success with his willingness to connect him with the right people and agent. He felt Jim’s enthusiasm and passion for moving to L.A. It was in 1985 that Jim handed his first screenplay to Burt and told him, “Someday I want to put you in an Academy Award winning role.” The screenplay is called A Fonder Heart and was inspired by a childhood friend - Jimmy’s best friend who died of bone cancer when he was 14. He shared the screenplay with me – I laughed, cried and my heart was touched. And guess who is playing a lead role in the movie which starts filming in the Tampa Bay Area this summer?

That’s right, Burt Reynolds – along with a wonderful cast of stars! Jim just had to wait for Burt to grow old enough to play the part without all that cumbersome make-up!

Since 1981 Jim has appeared in over 30 plays for the stage, 6 written, produced and directed by himself in Los Angeles. He has also starred and guest starred in over 50 roles in films and television, appeared in numerous television commercials, music videos and was even a Soap Opera Stud!

So why am I writing about Jim Fitzpatrick in Bay Area Business Magazine? Jim and his family - wife Jodi Knotts and two sons, JJ and Jadon - moved back to Seminole from Los Angeles in 2005. They wanted to be close to Jim’s family, have a safe environment for their boys to grow up and thrive, and move back to the “best beaches in the world.” For the last several years Jim and Jodi have been building the arts and film industry right here in our Tampa Bay Area! They are working toward developing a strong crew and talent base in this area. Jim taught me, “Every $1 spent on a film in this area makes about $5 for our community!” Imagine the positive and steady impact for our area! And with his focus on family-oriented films featuring motivational role models and heartfelt messages, what could be better?

Jim says the talent and crew base here are “growing slow and steady” and his focus is on educating both potential investors and homegrown talent in all aspects of the industry. He actively trains young people ages 7-18 every Sunday in his Young Filmmakers Workshop in Seminole. Many of his students are featured in the films he writes, directs and produces. Scout’s Honor, “a positive comedy where kids make the right choices,” was filmed here and will be released this summer featuring many NFL Football Players and sports personalities along with local talent. His films, Scout’s Honor, Homeland Security and A Fonder Heart, will soon begin filming locally, as will his TV pilot Godparents.

If you can’t tell by now, Jim is a fountain of positive energy! Not only does he own his movie production company, PacAtlantic Pictures, based in Seminole, FL; Five Star Films, Inc. based in L.A. with wife Jodi; AJ Productions, the children’s G and PG film division, with his best friend Kip Radigan; but he is also a partner in Stargate Digital Sports which produces sports televisions commercials and special effects. One of his many goals is to build a three sound stage studio potentially in the Gandy/275 area for filming and producing movies, television and special effects. He plans to build a school of the arts and filmmaking and eventually develop a worldwide communication distribution multimedia company. And in his spare time he continues to write, coaches his sons’ baseball and football teams, participates in celebrity and other charity events, runs five miles per day ……… I’m both exhausted and inspired!

So what is Jim’s message for us fellow entrepreneurs and future entrepreneurs? There are many and he is abundantly happy to share them with all of us. After all, he has been blessed with some of the best mentors in the world.

Here are a few Jim shared with me.

“Work harder than everyone else.”

“Keep your clothes on! Keep your principles and morals intact and you won’t owe anyone anything in the end!”

“God only gives you the dreams you are able to achieve. The rest is up to you.”

“When life becomes a pressure cooker and you think you can’t make it to the finish line, sing a song in your mind and watch what happens.” This was advice when we were kids and Jim was feeling the burn when training for the 600 yard dash. This solution still works for him.

“Choose an occupation you are passionate about and you’ll be successful. That alone will get you through the ups and downs.”

Dedication and support of family in good times and bad. Mom was the President of Jim’s fan club for years!

Discipline and routine. “In sports if you get off your routine training regimen you are not at your best and your career slides.” The same holds true in his current profession. Each day he sticks to his routine of networking, writing, promoting without fail.

“Every single day take a step toward your ultimate goal.”

Self -promotion – every day keep yourself in their minds with phone calls, flyers, etc…. Jim’s philosophy is, “Meet everyone and see how you can work together. How can you fit into each others ultimate goals? Leave no stone unturned.”

From Sam Sheppard, Burt Reynolds, William Hurt…

Taught him about writing and structure.

Told Jim HOW to do things and didn’t do it for him.

Added to his sense of never giving up.

From his childhood best friend Joey Boone - the inspiration for his upcoming film, A Fonder Heart.

Appreciate what you’ve got to the nth degree because you never know when it will be gone.

Jim remembers Joey’s great heart and that he appreciated and noticed everything, even the simplest things.

It has not been all fun and games and fame for our friend Jim. We talked seriously about some of the obstacles and hardships he faced. Believe me when I tell you, many of us would not have overcome some of what he has experienced. And for every yes there have been hundreds of no’s. Even in his sports career he was told he would never make it in college football (yes, he did) and professional football (yes, he did).

When I asked Jim what “No” meant to him he said, “Inspiration – more fuel for the fire – more determination!” He believes perseverance is his best quality as an entrepreneur. He has never failed at anything he has set out to do. He simply “refuses to lose.”

The values and mindset he believes are important to succeed in business are absolute faith, belief and “POSITIVITY”. Jim believes God provided him with his gifts and abilities so, “put it in his hands and there are no worries” He knows that success is not a destination, but instead a daily way of life and there should be NO PLATEAU to your goals.

His industry, like others, is very competitive and cutthroat. Jim’s success has come from knowing that the competition is not with anyone else, but within himself, to challenge himself on a DAILY basis. And that the most rewarding part of our career should be teaching and mentoring others on what we have learned. This is one of the reasons acting is still Jim’s #1 passion, with writing a close 2nd. He strives to make people feel strong emotions, to share emotions and to inspire and motivate people through his work.

He also wants us to not fear doing it all! He told me when he and Jodi started Five Star, the two of them wrote the screenplays, procured the theaters, acted, hired talent, produced, directed, promoted, built the sets, arranged the lighting – ultimate multi-tasking! And their efforts paid off when their screenplays were noticed, purchased and turned into films like An American Reunion.

His balance comes from his family and friends. He and his wife of 18 years, Jodi, “do everything together” and you can feel the love and respect he has for her. He also describes her as “smokin’ hot and an amazing talent!”

Jim invites those who want to become a part of a film industry that is “built to last” in the Tampa Bay Area to contact him. He can be reached at PacAtlantic Pictures by e-mail at jim@pacatlanticpictures.com or his office phone 727-595-7135.

Welcome Home Jimmy!

The Show Must Go On