Born and raised in Southern California, James grew up around an entertainment based family. His mother was a well known radio talk show host in Las Vegas and his father was a consultant for sports based films in the 90's. He quickly realized that he wanted to follow in their footsteps. He participated in numerous plays in school such as "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" where he played Charlie. Along with theater, he was a star athlete, where he was named All-League Water Polo Player and All-League Basketball player during his senior year in high school. Once he was 18, he was recruited to be a rescue swimmer for the Search and Rescue teams for the US Navy. After completion of the Navy, he decided to try the East Coast and moved to New York City to expand his opportunities in the arts. He became a stage hand for numerous Off-Broadway plays, which gave him the opportunity to attend tons of Broadway productions. He eventually met a stage producer who cast him in the show "True West" by Sam Shepard. Following his performance, he started booking national commercials which eventually had to lead him back to his hometown of Los Angeles. He still resides in Los Angeles and is writing and producing indie projects as well as performing with Second City.