James R. Holland

An accomplished real estate developer and author, James R. Holland Sr. has been president of A Bit of Boston Real Estate, Inc. since 1982. Prior to this appointment, he excelled as a real estate developer and president of Brownstone Properties, Inc. from 1975 to 1977 and a real estate broker for Street & Co. Inc. from 1978 to 1982. Up until he earned a real estate broker’s license, and pursued his passion in that area, he was a natural-born and successful photographer and filmmaker, with experience as a contract photographer for the National Geographic Society from 1967 to 1968 and a producer of films for the Christian Science Center from 1969 to 1974.

Mr. Holland has continued to showcase his love for the film medium as a columnist and movie critic for Basil & Spice, a Partner McClatchy-Tribune News Service, since 2009. Extremely prolific as a writer, he has authored more than a dozen books, including “Seeking God: The Religious Paintings of William O’Keefe,” “Fisheyes,” “Mr. Pops-Arthur Fiedler,” “The Amazon,” “Thirteen Scribbles and a Scratch,” and “A Conversation With a Boston Collector on Picasso, Dali and Much More,” as well as several articles for major publications. His films have been broadcast on NBC, ABC, CBS, PBS, BBC, and the Travel Channel, and his work as a photographer has also been represented across several permanent collections, including the JFK Library and the Harry S. Truman Library and Museum. Additionally, he has showcased his expertise in a wide range of topics as a guest on numerous radio shows.

Outside of his primary roles and endeavors, Mr. Holland has been an active associate of the Boston Public Library and Small Property Owners Association since 2000 and a member of the Neighborhood Association of Back Bay since 1972. In addition to sponsoring several organizations, he has long been affiliated with several prestige groups, including the Griffin Museum of Photography, Boston University Photographic Resource Center, National Press Photographers Association, American Society of Media Photographers, and Fletcher and Angeline Drury Society, among others. Over the course of his astounding career across many mediums, he has collected many awards and recognitions: he was honored with a National Press Photographers Association Award between 1966 and 1968; a World Press Competition Award in 1967; a Newsweek/Bolex Documentary Film Award in 1969; an Individuals Photography Film Competition Award in 1970; a Bronze Medal at the International Film and TV Festival in 1971; a finalist for awards through USA Book News in 2007; named among Amazon’s “Top 500 Reviewers” between 2007 and 2010; and the USA Books News Award in 2008.

In his youth, Mr. Holland developed his love for photography—being first inspired by the Family of Man exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art. As a high school senior, he began working on the yearbook and became interested in taking photos himself; at this time, he also wrote book reviews in his journalism class. Upon graduating, he completed coursework at Principia College from 1962 to 1964 before obtaining a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Ohio University in 1966. He subsequently studied at the University of Missouri School of Journalism, served as a photography intern at the National Geographic Society in Washington, D.C., and attended the Museum of Fine Arts School in Boston.

Looking toward the future, Mr. Holland strives to write more books and continue spending time with his family, including his wife of more than 50 years, Helen, their three children, and their four grandchildren. In the midst of all his achievements, he considers his marriage to be the highlight of his life and career.