muti-Emmy Award winning production designer James Pearse Connelly currently stars as a judge on season 2 of HBO Max’s crafting competition show CRAFTOPIA, which just dropped four winter spectacular episodes on November 18th. The Halloween and holiday themed season follows master crafters compete in “Quick Craft” and “Master” challenges to see who can create the most complex and visually stunning crafts to be crowned champion. His company designed the set and he is now stepping in front of the camera as judge.
James’ production designs can be seen in top-rated iconic shows such as THE VOICE, THE KELLY CLARKSON SHOW, THE MASKED SINGER, TOP CHEF, MTV’s VIDEO MUSIC AWARDS, the brand new KIDS TONIGHT SHOW, the upcoming FOODTASTIC on Disney+, and many more. His success has led to the creation of his own full-service design company, JPConnelly, that specializes in pre-visualization and environment design for television, special events, residential and commercial projects.
He has been nominated for 13 Primetime Emmy Awards, most recently for his production design work on THE MASKED SINGER. He won in 2009 for MTV’s VIDEO MUSIC AWARDS. He has also won a Daytime Emmy Award for his work on THE KELLY CLARKSON SHOW and has received 8 Art Director’s Guild Award nominations.
