Brands
James has worked with numerous brands from directing commercial campaigns, to consulting on the accessibility of their product as a blind user.
Apple Inc.
James Rath has worked with Apple Inc. on both the tech and video production side. James has consulted with teams at Apple like the Accessibility, iMovie/Final Cut Pro, and App Store teams to ensure their products are accessible and inclusive.
In 2017 during GAAD (Global Accessibility Awareness Day), Rath was invited to speak alongside accessibility advocates, Tatiana Lee, and Rikki Poynter on a panel moderated by Apple’s Director of Accessibility, Sarah Herlinger. Later that week, Tim Cook, Apple CEO, sat down for coffee with James for a one on one video interview on YouTube.
In 2018, he visited the set of Apple TV+’s original production, SEE, for scenes of Episodes 1-4 to advise on the portrayal of blind characters. He provided sensitivity feedback on the scripts and operation. Later he walked the carpet at the premiere in Hollywood, alongside stars, producers, and consultants. SEE has been renewed for a second season.
Tommy Hilfiger
James at the Cannes Lions award show smiling for a photo.
James directed Tommy Hilfiger’s Independence commercial campaign that spanned the Fall 2018, and Spring 2019 seasons between two 60s, two 30s, and numerous 15s. This campaign showcased Tommy’s innovative adaptive clothing to make dressing easier for people with disabilities. James hired disabled talent to play roles with disabilities. He also advised the agency to provide closed captioning and audio descriptions for deaf and blind audiences respectively.
The campaign went on to win three awards at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Advertising in categories of Innovation, Creativity, and Sustainability. James spoke on multiple stages about the creative direction of the campaign alongside his star, Lauren Spencer (LOLO), Tommy Hilfiger’s CEO, Gary Sheinbaum, and Wunderman Thompson representatives.
The Independence campaign received extensive media coverage from outlets like AdWeek and AdAge.
Skype - Microsoft
In 2016, James pitched an idea to Skype for a film that won out of over 500 submissions. He received advice from experts like ICE-T, and more. The Playback Project (Working title) is a documentary that tells the story of multiple disability activists who shared their journeys openly through online video sharing sites. They later meet in person for a camping trip in Northern California, where they face the inaccessibility of the wilderness.
A screenshot of The Last of Us Part 2. The textures of the game appear flat. Characters are highlighted blue while enemies are contrasted red. Interactable items such as a bottle on the ground appears yellow.
Sony - PlayStation Naughty Dog
As an accessibility consultant for Sony’s video game, The Last of Us Part 2, James play-tested various parts of the game before launch and gave feedback between game elements, UI/UX choices, and technology to implement to eliminate barriers for visually impaired gamers. The game was critically acclaimed by able-bodied gamers and disabled gamers alike.
Rev
James partnered with Rev to share his creative process when independently creating videos. He highlighted resources for making content accessible, such as Rev.
Sunu
Sunu smartband allows blind people to travel safely and comfortably with sonar-radar to detect obstacles. James partnered with them on multiple videos to showcase the unique features and benefits of this technology.
Turkcell
Turkey-based tech company, Turkcell, invited James to Istanbul to advise and film on a marketing campaign for an app that makes media accessible to blind people.
Vidami
Vidami is a Looper to make YouTube tutorials more accessible by controlling playback with your foot. James demonstrates how this has allowed him to learn guitar easily and more comfortably during the pandemic
If you’re interested in collaborating with James whether it be in video production, consultations, appearances or for speaking contact him and his team here.