James was born and raised in the rural town of Moreland, Georgia. He graduated from Savannah College of Art & Design with a BFA in painting. During his years in school James co-founded an art cult known as The Black Riders. He recently collaborated with his family in building an art compound on his hometown farm in Moreland. There he created a special makeup effects studio, which enabled him to create his feature length directorial debut, The Demon's Rook.