Growing up in a small resort town in New Jersey, Jim
Wright was raised a strict Catholic and had dreams of
becoming a priest. Little did anyone know that this
boy, who both dug graves as a summer job and helped
his mother hem wedding dresses and cut patterns in her
business as a seamstress, would grow up to be one of the
most sought after photographers behind the images of
some of Hollywood’s most celebrated actors.
While working with his mother, Jim was also an avid
surfer. This pastime would later inspire the first iteration
of Jim Wright “the artist.” His passion for surfing
found Jim creating sketches of what he wished his surf
gear to look like. His mother encouraged him to chase
inspiration by supporting his creativity, noting that he
could make them. He remembers, “she took me to the
fabric store and we found the fabric. We measured,
we cut and I started making my own surf shorts.” His
friends quickly took notice and he found himself filling
orders. The interest in his line of board shorts among
the surf crowd on the East Coast led him to pursue
fashion at Drexel University in Philadelphia.
While Jim was excelling in art and fashion related
subjects in his program he found himself lost in some
of the business courses. Somewhere along the way he
found an elective that really stood out for him;
photography. Like many university students Jim was
just trying to find his path, but life isn’t always kind.
Gerard Butler