Joseph A. Halsey, Founder and CEO of the James R Halsey Foundation of the Arts, is an award-winning actor/producer, who has performed in many productions including The Cosby Show, Law & Order SVU, Guiding Light, and One Life to Live. He gained notoriety for his award-winning role as Doyle Burkett in the short film Junkie Heaven. Joe stepped into directing with the debut of his short film Choice “Mother,” which touches on the controversial subject of Death with Dignity. Joe is the co-owner of Eclecticism Publishing, where his music has appeared on MTV’s Punk’d, Pimp My Ride, and Making the Video.

  

In 2017 the James R Halsey Foundation of the Arts was formed after Mr. Halsey completed the filming of an award winning short documentary titled What If I Were mayor. After sitting down with local Trenton area youth to discuss how they would fix the problems their city was facing, the idea of teaching kids film while inspiring change was born. The foundation wasd created and named in honor of Mr. Halsey's father who always taught by example.  

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The James R Halsey Foundation of the Arts was established upon the premise that filmmaking is a therapeutic outlet that engages the imagination, empowering and nourishing creativity toward personal growth and the development of critical life skills. The goal of the foundation is to help change lives by providing educational and employment opportunities for youth while working to dissolve socioeconomic barriers within the community.