Jim Bissell is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a BFA in Theater. After working in New York and L.A. on commercials and low budget features, he won an Emmy Award in 1980 for his work on Palmerstown, U.S.A. followed by a BAFTA nomination for production design on Steven Spielberg's E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. He was the original chair for the Art Directors Guild Awards as well as a former Vice President of the Guild. He has taught at AFI, USC, UCLA extension and the NC School of the Arts and is a member of the DGA, ADG, and Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.