James began his filmmaking journey at the tender age of 17, producing his first feature-length film, Triads Y, alongside friends and classmates in high school.
As he pursued his passion for acting in college, James opted to minor in theater and took part in several plays, while primarily focusing on film acting. During his four-year tenure at UC San Diego, he starred in over 20 student and independent films.
Just seven days after graduating, James boarded a plane to co-star in a feature film shot in Taishan, China. Following the completion of the film, he decided to stay in Shanghai to further his acting career.
For the subsequent two years, James worked tirelessly to establish himself in China, taking on various roles, from acting to modeling to event hosting. He eventually landed roles in two major-budget films, Kung Fu Dunk and Kung Fu Killer, shot in China.
In 2007, James embarked on his first short film, 600, with a team of volunteers and a budget of 600 RMB. He successfully completed the film within two weeks, just in time for the Shanghai Short Film Festival submissions. 600 premiered at the festival, earning two awards, including Best Actor, and went on to be showcased at over 15 film festivals worldwide.
In 2008, James decided to return to the United States, armed with his wealth of filmmaking experience and the knowledge gained from his latest project, 600. He chose not to attend film school, instead opting to learn by investing in his own projects. His second film, Drowning, was completed at the end of 2008 and premiered at the 2009 DC Independent Film Festival in Washington DC.
In 2009, James began working on his third film, a feature-length documentary on the sport of MMA, titled Fight Life. After three years of production and re-edits, the film premiered on January 20th, 2012, at the Roxie theater in San Francisco, with two sold-out screenings. Fight Life went on to win the Best Documentary award at the United Film Festival later that year and was picked up by Double Dutch Media for a worldwide release in 2013.
In 2013, James returned to Asia to develop his next project, a feature-length narrative film focused on underground hip-hop musicians set in China.
