James graduated from The Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts in 2003. There, he was directed in performance by tutors including David King, Tony Sheldon, Nick Enright, Roma Conway, Rhys Mconnochie, Adam Cook, Tony Sheldon, John Milson and Nancye Hayes. Productions for WAAPA include the original recording and premiere performance of "Up" by Eddie Perfect, Susannah, Spurboard, The Pajama Game, Pacific Overtures (The Reciter), Perfectly Frank, The Crucible, Fiddler on the Roof (Tevye) and The Wild Party (Sam).

Other stage credits include Stirfry Cabaret at Kulcha in Fremantle, Morning Melodies at His Majesty’s Theatre in Perth, Assassins and Piangere.

For television, James has had featured roles in The Investigators, A Country Practice, The Leaving of Liverpool, Police Rescue, Home and Away, Water Rats, and the role of Jake Blainey in Neil Armfield’s Naked: Coral Island for the ABC. He has also appeared on Mornings With Kerri-Ann. Radio credits include The Memoirs of Young Mozart (Wolfgang) and Shiver in the River for ABC radio.

James was also trained in writing at The University of Technology, Sydney, and penned his own cabaret show “Moments of Breathtaking Stupidity” which was performed in both Sydney and Melbourne in 2004. He was also the winner of the 2004 “Premiere Cabaret Showcase” in Sydney which resulted in the performance of his second cabaret show, “Other People’s Stories”, followed by a December performance of "Shopping Centre Santa: A Cabaret".

James has also performed at the launch of the 150th anniversary of the Eureka Stockade at Ballarat and sang with Ian Stenlake, Michael Cormick, Simon Gleeson and Rachel Beck for the 2004 Variety Club Ball at Crown Casino in Melbourne. Most recently, James played the principal role of Frederic Vern in the world premiere production of Eureka at Her Majesty’s Theatre in Melbourne and is next to appear in "Boyband The Musical" at the Seymour Centre in Sydney.