james pedas

JAMES PEDAS has a long history in the entertainment industry. While attending George Washington University Law School, he and his brother Ted established a recording company, Colt 45 Records, that launched the musical career of Don Covay. Later they partnered to acquire several drive-in movie theatres and with another partner they bought a film distribution franchise. They have been involved in numerous film ventures over the years including owning the Circuit/Showcase theatre circuit; owning a small part of Cinema 5 Ltd.; forming their own distribution company, Circle Releasing Corp., and forming their own production company, Circle Films, which was one of the foremost backers of 1990s American independent cinema. Among their most noted productions are the Coen brothers’ debut and sophomore films, “Blood Simple” (1984) and “Raising Arizona” (1987). Jim earned a Bachelor of Science in economics from Thiel College and received the Distinguished Alumnus Award for Professional Accomplishment in 1980. He was awarded an honorary doctorate from Thiel and was named trustee emeritus to the Board of Trustees. He has been the recipient of numerous awards for his work in promoting motion pictures as an art form, including being named Washingtonian of the Year (1973) and receiving the American University’s Award for Contribution to Film Culture (1985). He is on the boards of Thiel College and The Washington Hospital Center. He established the James Pedas Communications Chair at Thiel in 1989 and the James Pedas Communication Center, a state-of-the-art technology, collaborative teaching and learning space, which was dedicated at Thiel College in 2014. He is a supporter of many philanthropic endeavors, including establishing an Intellectual Property Chair at George Washington Law School. He has served as a director of the National Capital Bank of Washington since 1973.