For decades, James has run an independent studio and guided countless design and animation productions. His work has been printed into books, projected at cultural institutions, watched on TikTok and broadcast around the world. In 2021, James formed Studio Gilay with Jake Duczynski in Sydney, Australia. He always mentors and nurtures new talent and strives to make space for under-represented Indigenous voices.

James co-wrote and co-directed the gritty and compelling animated documentary, Un-Locked (2022) for SBS Australia and NITV; and co-wrote with Jake the irreverent adult animation series, Cooked (2021), for ABC Australia. He is also in development on the megafauna family animation series, GALI with the ABC.

James has worked with musical artists such as U2, Silverchair and Cold Chisel to help bring their on-stage visuals to life; as well as had his animations projected at the Sydney Opera House and atop the Australian National Maritime Museum

James is passionate about stories that deal with identity, technology, psychology and how humans relate to the natural world; and is always keen to innovate with animation, having pioneered the visual look of dirtgirlworld series (2010).