James Buddy Day

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James Buddy Day
OccupationDirector - Writer - Producer

James Buddy Day is a Canadian director, writer and producer. He is the principal of Pyramid Productions. [1]

Contents

Career

Since 2015, Day has been the showrunner for numerous true crime television documentaries and series including The Shocking Truth, and Sex, Lies & Murder for Pyramid Productions. [2] [1] In 2018, Day co-wrote, co-produced and directed, Casey Anthony: Her Friends Speak, in which key individuals involved in the Casey Anthony trial reunited to recall their tense interviews with police, and the media circus surrounding her high-profile trial in which Casey Anthony faced the death penalty for the death of her daughter Caylee. [3] That same year Day directed Slender Man Stabbing: The Untold Story, which featured the first interviews with many involved in the Slender Man Stabbing in Waukesha, Wisconsin. [4] In 2019, he was the executive producer Oxygen's The Disappearance of Susan Cox Powell with Texas Crew Productions, called the "definitive story" of Susan's final years with "alarming new developments" and "scandalous" never-before-seen videos. There will be rare interviews with family members offering a new, closer look into the shocking case. [5]

In 2021, Day produced and directed the critically acclaimed series Fall River with Blumhouse on Epix. [6] Critic Brian Tellerico wrote, “Epix's Fall River reminded me of how well these kind of long-form investigative journalism pieces can be done.” [7]

Charles Manson

James Buddy Day wrote to Charles Manson in 2016 and proposed creating a documentary to explore Manson's longstanding claim of innocence. [8] Manson accepted, and when Manson died on November 19, 2017, Day became the last journalist to interview him through a year long series of phone calls, which were the basis for the film Charles Manson: The Final Words. [9] Narrated by musician and director Rob Zombie, the documentary focuses on the Manson family murders told from Manson's perspective using never-before-seen case files, pictures and exclusive interviews with so-called "Manson Family" members, Barbara Hoyt, Catherine Gillies, and Bobby Beausoleil. [10]

The documentary presents an "alternate theory" behind the so-called "Manson Family" crimes, proposing the murders were the result of a series of interconnected events surrounding Charles Manson, in contrast to the Los Angeles District Attorney's theory that the murders were the result of Manson's desire to start a race war he called "Helter Skelter." [11]

The film premiered on REELZ Channel to much acclaim and was awarded the 2017 Audience Award at the Red Rock Film Festival, Best Dramatic Documentary at the Atlanta Docufest 2017, as well as and Official Selection of CUFF.Docs 2017 and the Calgary Underground Film Festival. The film was listed as recommended viewing by both the New York Times and the Washington Post. [12] In 2018, Day directed the documentary Charles Manson: The Funeral for MyEntertainment which documented the legal battle over Manson's remains and subsequent funeral held by Manson's grandson Jason Freeman. [13] In 2019, Day directed a third Manson related film called Manson: The Women for the Oxygen Channel. [14] The documentary featured Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme, Sandra "Blue" Good, Diane "Snake" Lake, and Catherine "Gypsy" Share. [15]

Day wrote a book about his experiences speaking with Charles Manson, and the Manson Family, entitled Hippie Cult Leader: The Last Words of Charles Manson. [15] The book featured Day's conversations with Manson over the last year of Manson's life, during which time Day uncovered an "alternate theory" for the Manson murders that disputes the alleged race-war motive known as Helter Skelter." [16]

Filmography

Feature Length Documentaries

Television Series and Specials

Related Research Articles

Charles Manson American criminal and cult leader (1934–2017)

Charles Milles Manson was an American criminal and musician who led the Manson Family, a cult based in California, in the late 1960s. Some of the members committed a series of nine murders at four locations in July and August 1969. In 1971, Manson was convicted of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder for the deaths of seven people, including the film actress Sharon Tate. The prosecution contended that, while Manson never directly ordered the murders, his ideology constituted an overt act of conspiracy.

Helter Skelter or Helter-skelter may refer to:

Patricia Krenwinkel American mass murderer

Patricia Dianne Krenwinkel is an American murderer and a former member of the Manson Family. During her time with Manson's group, she was known by various aliases such as Big Patty, Yellow, Marnie Reeves and Mary Ann Scott, but to The Family she was most commonly known as Katie.

Susan Atkins Convicted murderer and member of the "Manson family"

Susan Denise Atkins was an American convicted murderer who was a member of Charles Manson's "Family." Manson's followers committed a series of nine murders at four locations in California, over a period of five weeks in the summer of 1969. Known within the Manson family as Sadie Mae Glutz or Sexy Sadie, Atkins was convicted for her participation in eight of these killings, including the most notorious, the Tate murders in 1969. She was sentenced to death, which was subsequently commuted to life imprisonment when the California Supreme Court invalidated all death sentences issued prior to 1972. Atkins was incarcerated until her death in 2009. At the time of her death, she was California's longest-serving female inmate, long since surpassed by her fellow murderous Manson family members Leslie Van Houten and Patricia Krenwinkel.

Manson Family Commune and cult in California led by Charles Manson

The Manson Family was a commune, gang, and cult led by Charles Manson that was active in California in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The group consisted of approximately 100 followers, who lived an unconventional lifestyle with habitual use of hallucinogenic drugs such as LSD. Most were young women from middle-class backgrounds, many of whom were radicalized by Manson's teachings and drawn by hippie culture and communal living.

Robert Kenneth Beausoleil is an American murderer who was given the death sentence for killing his friend Gary Hinman, a fellow associate of Charles Manson and members of his communal "Family", on July 27, 1969. He was later granted commutation to a life sentence when the Supreme Court of California issued a ruling that invalidated all death sentences issued in California prior to 1972.

<i>The Manson Family</i> (film) 1997 American horror film

The Manson Family is a 1997 American true crime exploitation horror film directed by Jim Van Bebber. The film covers the lives of Charles Manson and his family of followers.

Kembra Pfahler American musician, performance artist, singer

Kembra Pfahler is an American filmmaker, performance artist, visual artist, adjunct professor, rock musician, and film actress.

Pyramid Productions is a large independent Canadian television series producer with multiple series in production and more than 20 on the air around the world. Since 2015, Pyramid has won critical acclaim for its edgy-styled programming in True Crime.

Catherine Louise "Gypsy" Share is a former member of the Manson Family. Share was not directly involved in the Tate-LaBianca murders that sent Charles Manson and some of his followers to prison. She was convicted for trying to intimidate a witness against testifying, serving 90 days, and later served five years in prison for armed robbery. Following her release in 1975, she disassociated herself from the "Family" and has spoken publicly about her experiences.

Slender Man Fictional supernatural character

The Slender Man is a fictional supernatural character that originated as a creepypasta Internet meme created by Something Awful forum user Eric Knudsen in 2009. He is depicted as a thin, unnaturally tall humanoid with a featureless head and face, wearing a black suit.

Slender Man stabbing 2014 attempted murder in Waukesha, Wisconsin

On May 31, 2014, in Waukesha, Wisconsin, United States, two 12-year-old girls, Anissa Weier and Morgan Geyser, lured their friend Payton Leutner into a forest and stabbed her 19 times in an attempt to become proxies of the fictional character Slender Man. Leutner crawled to a road where she was found, and recovered after six days in the hospital. Weier and Geyser were found not guilty by mental disease or defect and committed to mental health institutions for sentences of 25 and 40 years, respectively.

The Tate–LaBianca murders were a series of murders perpetrated by members of the Manson Family during August 8–10, 1969, in Los Angeles, California, United States, under the direction of Tex Watson and Charles Manson. The perpetrators first killed five people on the night of August 8–9: pregnant actress Sharon Tate and her companions Jay Sebring, Abigail Folger, Wojciech Frykowski, and Steven Parent. The fetus later died of asphyxiation in Tate's womb. On the following evening, with Manson allegedly displeased about the chaotic operation of these murders, the Family then also murdered supermarket executive Leno LaBianca and his wife Rosemary in the Los Feliz section of Los Angeles.

<i>Beware the Slenderman</i> 2016 American film

Beware the Slenderman is a 2016 American documentary film directed by Irene Taylor Brodsky about the Slender Man stabbing. It premiered at South by Southwest in March 2016 and was broadcast on HBO on January 23, 2017.

<i>Slender Man</i> (film) 2018 American film

Slender Man is a 2018 American supernatural horror film directed by Sylvain White and written by David Birke, based on the character of the same name. The film stars Julia Goldani Telles, Lea van Acken, Jaz Sinclair, Annalise Basso, and Alex Fitzalan with Javier Botet as the title character.

<i>Once Upon a Time in Hollywood</i> 2019 film by Quentin Tarantino

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is a 2019 comedy-drama film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. Produced by Columbia Pictures, Bona Film Group, Heyday Films, and Visiona Romantica and distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing, it is a co-production between the United States, United Kingdom, and China. It features a large ensemble cast led by Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, and Margot Robbie. Set in 1969 Los Angeles, the film follows a fading actor and his stunt double as they navigate the rapidly changing film industry, with the looming threat of the Tate murders hanging overhead. It features "multiple storylines in a modern fairy tale tribute to the final moments of Hollywood's golden age."

Payne Lindsey

Payne Lindsey is an American director, documentary filmmaker, Right Side of the Tree lead singer and podcast host. He is best known for co-creating and hosting the hit investigative journalist and true crime podcasts Up and Vanished and Atlanta Monster.

<i>Jay Sebring....Cutting to the Truth</i> 2021 documentary film by Anthony DiMaria

Jay Sebring....Cutting to the Truth is a 2020 American documentary film that studies Jay Sebring's life as the first international pioneer in the industry of men's style and hair. Cited as the inspiration for Warren Beatty's character in the 1975 film Shampoo, Jay Sebring's life ended at age 35 when he and four others were killed by the Manson family in what would become known as the Tate murders.

Anthony DiMaria is an American actor, producer, and director. He is also known for preserving the legacy of his uncle, Jay Sebring, a pioneering stylist who was killed by members of the Manson Family in 1969, during what is now known as the Tate murders.

References

  1. 1 2 "Pyramid Productions Inc". Pyramid Productions Inc. Retrieved 2019-04-16.
  2. ↑ "The Appeal of 'Sex, Lies & Murder'". Cablefax. 2018-07-20. Retrieved 2019-04-16.
  3. ↑ Boedeker, Hal. "'Casey Anthony: Her Friends Speak' debuts in December". OrlandoSentinel.com. Retrieved 2019-04-16.
  4. ↑ "Morgan and Anissa stabbed their friend 'because of 'Slender Man'. This is their lives now". Mamamia. 2019-03-03. Retrieved 2019-04-16.
  5. ↑ "Oxygen Examines The Disappearance of Susan Cox Powell and Promises New Theories About Shocking Case". E! News. 2019-03-25. Retrieved 2019-04-16.
  6. ↑ "'Fall River' Teaser: True-Crime Docuseries From Blumhouse to Premiere on Epix This May". /Film. 2021-02-23. Retrieved 2021-05-07.
  7. ↑ Tallerico, Brian. "Fall River movie review & film summary (2021) | Roger Ebert". www.rogerebert.com/. Retrieved 2021-05-20.
  8. ↑ "Perspective From A Madman: A Few Minutes with Director Buddy Day Talking About 'Charles Manson: The Final Words'". In The Seats. 2018-02-06. Retrieved 2019-04-16.
  9. ↑ Charles Manson: The Final Words , retrieved 2019-04-16
  10. ↑ "Charles Manson: The Final Words". REELZChannel. Retrieved 2019-04-16.
  11. ↑ "FILM REVIEW: CHARLES MANSON: THE FINAL WORDS". Fear Forever. Retrieved 2019-04-16.
  12. ↑ "Reelz Presents Two-Hour Documentary CHARLES MANSON: THE FINAL WORDS, 12/3". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 2019-04-16.
  13. ↑ Nolasco, Stephanie (2019-04-12). "Man who says he's Charles Manson's grandson films infamous cult leader's funeral for doc: 'This is my story'". Fox News. Retrieved 2019-04-16.
  14. ↑ "Oxygen gears up for "Manson: The Women" on anniversary of murders" . Retrieved 2019-08-26.
  15. 1 2 Feldberg, Isaac (9 August 2019). "'Manson: The Women' takes viewers inside 'family'". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 2019-08-26.
  16. ↑ "Why Did the Manson Family Kill Sharon Tate? Here's the Story Charles Manson Told the Last Man Who Interviewed Him". Time. Retrieved 2019-08-26.
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