James Blaszko (he/him) is a queer first-generation American director and creative producer based in Central Harlem. He is a frequent collaborator of RuPaul's Drag Race contestant Sapphira Cristál, having staged and generated English subtitles to her maxi-challenge winning performance of "O mio babbino caro" as well as directing her music video featuring Katya. In 2023 he staged Handel’s XERXES at Detroit Opera (conducted by Dame Jane Glover), a revival of Yuval Sharon’s reverse-order LA BOHEME at Boston Lyric Opera, SWANN by Tamar-kali for Catapult Opera, and FREEDOM IS A CONSTANT STRUGGLE at Lincoln Center. He is also the Artistic Director of @apothecultureclub which brings new audiences to live arts through their enthusiasm for upscale consumption of legal cannabis.