About Me

James Philpott is an award-winning production designer with over 30 years of professional experience. Most recently, he worked on Hulu's newest murder mystery, Death and Other Details, starring Mandy Patinkin, and CTV's crime drama Sight Unseen.

Previously, James served as a production designer on the award-winning independent feature Bones of Crows, which follows Cree code talker Aline Spears, who, after surviving a traumatic past in Canada's residential school system, continues her family's generational fight against systemic starvation, racism, and sexual abuse. The work on Bones of Crows earned him a Leo Award and two Directors Guild of Canada Award nominations and a win in 2024.

James is also noted for his work on Smallville, which earned him two Leo Awards and six more nominations, and The 100, for which he was also recognized with two nominations for Leo Awards. His other credits include nearly a dozen television pilots, including the NBC show Debris. He first started as a set designer, and the mix of hands-on experience and his architectural background helped him become a versatile production designer.

James Philpott is known for his meticulous and grand world-building. He believes that a fully realized world sets the tone of a story and facilitates more immersive acting performances. James blends his background in aesthetics with a thorough technical grounding in construction and VFX. He understands that production design is the art of building the world in which a story is told.

After completing his bachelor’s degree in art and art history from the University of Toronto, James worked in the fashion industry for several years before completing a degree in Architecture at the University of British Columbia.

Projects

Production Designer Eerie Prep

2025- Pilot -Disney

Producers- Raven Metzner/ Keetgi Steinberg/Dave Steinberg/ Eric Dean Seaton

Production Designer Chicken Sisters

2024/5 -Series- MarVista/Fox

Producers- Annie Mebane/Erin Gibson/ Bradley Gardner

Associate Producer Sight Unseen

2024 -Series-CTV/Bell Media/ Blink 49

Producers-Karen Troubetzkoy/Nikolijne Troubetzkoy/ Brent Crowell

Production Designer Sight Unseen

2023 -Series -CTV/Bell Media/ Blink 49

Producers-Karen Troubetzkoy/Nikolijne Troubetzkoy/ John Fawcett

Production Designer Death and Other Details

2022 -Series -ABC Signature/Black Lamb/Hulu

Producers-Marc Webb/Mark Martin/Mike Weiss/ Heidi Cole McAdams

Production Designer Early Edition

2022-Pilot -CBS

Producers- Melissa Glenn/Shawn Williamson

Production Designer Bones of Crows

2021 -Feature/Mini Series-Screen Sirens/CBC

Producers- Marie Clements/Christine Haebler/ Trish Dolman/Brad Van Arragon

Production Designer Debris

2020-2021 -Series-Legendary Studios/NBC

Producers- JH Wyman/Jeff Rafner

Production Designer Nancy Drew

2019-2020-Series -CBS

Producers- Noga Landau/Melinda HsuTaylor/Larry Teng

Production Designer The Republic of Sarah

2019-Pilot -CBS Studios/Black Lamb Productions/Fulwell 73 Productions

Producers- Marc Webb/Jeff Grosvenor/Jeff King/ Anna Finke

Production Designer The 100

2014-2018-Series-Warner Brothers

Producers- Jason Rothenberg//Dean White/Ed Fraiman/Jae Marchant

Production Designer Dead Inside

2018-Pilot -Warner Brothers/Doozer Productions

Producers- Katie Lovejoy/Liza Katzer/Bill Laurence

Production Designer Searchers

2017-Pilot -Warner Brothers/Berlanti Productions/Film Afrika

Producers- Jason Rothenberg/Dean White/Cheryl Eatock

Production Designer Frequency

2016-Pilot-Warner Brothers

Producers- Jennifer Gwartz/Jeremy Carver

Production Designer Mix

2015-Pilot-Warner Brothers/Le Train Train/ABC

Producers- Jennifer Cecil/Jeff Grosvenor/Rashida Jones/ Will Mc Cormack

Production Designer Agent X

2014-Pilot -Beacon Pictures/TNT

Producers- Armyan Bernstein/ Blake Herron/ Hilton Smith

Production Designer Continuum

2013-Series-Bell Media

Producers- Simon Barry/ Pat Williams

Production Designer Emily Owens,MD

2012-Pilot/Series -CBS

Producers- Jennie Synder Urman/ Dan Jinks/ Jae Marchant/ Grace Gilroy

Production Designer Smallville

2005-2011-Series-Warner Brothers

Producers- Al Gough/Miles Millar/Kelly Souder/Brian Peterson/ Todd Slavkin/Darren Swimmer

Art Director Smallville

2002-2005-Series-Warner Brother

Production Designer- David Willson

Production Designer Cabin Pressure

2001 -Cable Feature-Lion’s Gate Entertainment

Producers- Doug Schwartrz/ George Horie

Production Designer The Void

2001-Cable Feature-Lion’s Gate Entertainment

Producers- Doug Schwartrz/ David Willson

Production Designer Mysterious Ways

2000-2001-Series- Pax Television/ NBC

Producers- Peter O’Fallon/ Carl Binder/Jonathan Goodwill/David Willson

Awards

2024 DGC Award Best Production Design for Dramatic Series

Bones of Crows- Production Designer

2024 Leo Nomination Best Production Design

Bones of Crows- Production Designer

2024 Leo Nomination Best Production Design

Death and Other Details- Production Designer

2023 DGC Nomination Best Production Design for a Feature Film

Bones of Crows- Production Designer

2023 Leo Award Best Production Design

Bones of Crows- Production Designer

2015 Leo Nomination Best Production Design

The 100- Production Designer

2014 Leo Nomination Best Production Design

The 100- Production Designer

2012 Leo Nomination Best Production Design