James is known for his inventive, musically sensitive direction in theatre, musicals, and film. As a freelance director, his credits span Of Mice and Men, Jesus Christ Superstar, A Raisin in the Sun, Taming of the Shrew, Equus, 12 Angry Jurors, and Proof, among others. His original plays and musicals have been developed or staged at the Mark Taper Forum Annex, Laity Theatre Company, New Musicals Inc., and Chameleon Theatre Circle.

James is also the Executive Director of the Laity Institute of the Arts, a private arts foundation dedicated to teaching visual and performing arts to children and adults. As a composer and playwright, his work blends classical training with bold storytelling. He honed his craft at New Musicals Inc. and studied under Emmy and Oscar-nominated composers including Gerald Fried (Roots, Star Trek), Thomas Richard Sharp (Aladdin, City Slickers), Jerry Grant (Quantum Leap), and Dr. Russell Steinberg, a leading American Neo-Classical composer.

He is a proud member of BMI, the Dramatists Guild, Academy of Scoring Arts, Composers Diversity Collective, National Association of Negro Musicians, Theatre West, the Society of Composers & Lyricists, and ASMAC.

James was also the subject of a television pilot, Homeboyz, created by Jeffrey Alan Fiskin and produced by Linda Obst and Stacey Sher, chronicling his work with gang-affiliated youth and dropouts in Watts and South-Central Los Angeles during the late 1980s and early 1990s.