James trained in stage combat with the Irish Dramatic Combat Academy (IDCA) where he went on to become an instructor . Over the last 10 years he has worked on productions for theatre, film and TV. He most recently choreographed fights for ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ and ‘A View from the Bridge’ for the Gate Theatre,  ‘Silent Night’  for Wexford Opera House, ‘Plasticine’ for Corcadorca in Cork and ‘Meeting at Menin Gate’ for the Green Shoot Theatre Company in Belfast. He is currently working on Netflix ‘Valhalla’.