From a Meltham schoolboy to a Hollywood producer Jamie Boulton has gone a long way.
But Jamie doesn’t yet feel like he’s ‘made it’ even if he’s been working with big names for over a decade.
His latest completed work is ‘Eight Days a Week’, a documentary about The Beatles’ days as a live band which screens at selected cinemas from Thursday.
It’s been directed by former Happy Days star and acclaimed documentary-maker Ron Howard.
And Jamie, who edited the final cut, has squeezed in a few photos of the Fab Four during their gig at the Huddersfield ABC Cinema, on November 2, 1963.
Regardless of how Jamie feels about ‘making it’ there’s no arguing with his CV.
He attended Honley High School and Newcastle Polytechnic, now Northumbria University, before starting on the bottom rung of the media ladder in London.
Jamie made cups of tea and moved gear about but he learned a lot on the job and his big break came fairly quickly.
He found his niche as a documentary editor working for the BBC including on the BAFTA-winning programme ‘The Test of Time’ in 2001.
In 2003 he was invited to the USA to work on a documentary for Sky One.
And so began his career in Los Angeles.
Jamie, 45, said: “The company offered me a Green Card (permanent US residency) and I thought it was too good to be true – but it’s worked out.”
The married dad-of-two found further work editing documentaries and putting together special features for DVDs released by uber studios such as Warner Bros, Universal, Disney, Sony, MGM, Paramount, Lionsgate and Fox.
Along the way he became friends with fellow British-born editor Paul Crowder and worked alongside him on the Formula One documentary ‘1’.
Jamie said: “I’m a Formula One fanatic so it was an absolute dream job.”
As well as Formula One, Jamie considers The Beatles ‘royalty’ and he was prepared to demote himself to assistant producer to work on Eight Days a Week.
QUIZ: Can you match the Beatles lyrics to the song?
The documentary comprises over two hours of rarely seen footage of John, Paul, George and Ringo performing live before the band retired from the stage in 1966.
Jamie himself sourced and edited many of the original reels.
The film includes new interviews with big names including the remaining two Beatles.
And while Jamie shared a room with Paul and Ringo he didn’t ‘meet’ them as such.
Indeed Jamie has been in the presence of many big names – but he’s been in the background.
That is the producer’s lot; you’re crucially important and well paid.
But the glamour and glory goes to the actors, directors, writers and senior producers ‘above the line’.
Jamie said: “You don’t get invited to as many parties as you’d expect.
“There are different levels; if you’re an actor it’s a different level altogether.
“It’s above and below the line. As an editor you straddle that line.
“You do sometimes rub shoulders with directors.”
Jamie is currently working on bonus features for reissues of the Bourne Supremacy and Bourne Ultimatum spy thrillers starring Matt Damon.
As well as a nice home in the picture postcard LA neighbourhood of Thousand Oaks, which he shares with his wife Jennifer and sons Milo, 11, and Eden, 8, Jamie enjoys a good reputation in the industry.
And reputation is key in a sector that is still remarkably unstructured considering the billions of dollars it makes each year.
Jamie said: “There’s definitely an element of luck but it’s all reputation.
“It’s all about recommendations and referrals from the last job.”
And what other advice does Jamie have?
He said: “Just stick with it.
“I started as a runner in Soho (London) so I could get involved and learn.
“I got a big name editor to show me stuff at night.
“Keep working and it’ll happen.”
But he added: “You never feel like you’ve made it.”
And does Jamie miss anything about Huddersfield?
Funnily enough he misses the rain.
Jamie, who brings his family to Yorkshire every year, said: “It’s a big deal when it rains here. When it rains in LA the kids have to go outside.”
