About James

 

Born and raised in Chattanooga, Tennessee, I have had a passion for singing since I was 5 years old. At the suggestion of a teacher, I auditioned for the Chattanooga Boys Choir and I went on to perform with the choir all across the US, Canada, and England. Years later I developed an interest in acting after becoming obsessed Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins's work in The Silence of the Lambs (and watching it just a few too many times for my parents' comfort 🙂) While pursuing a marketing degree at Middle Tennessee State University I took advantage of many opportunities to train and perform.

 

After graduating with a degree in marketing, getting fired from my first customer service job, and appearing in several Nashville area productions, I made the big move to New York City. I began studying acting and voice at the Jason Bennett Actors Studio soon after moving and continued to work with him for the next 3 years. My first 2.5 years in the city I lived a double life, working in corporate human resources by day and taking all the classes I could afford by night until I landed a role in the Diane Paulus-directed tour of Hair. The tour took me across the US, Canada, and a 2 week engagement in Tokyo. Since then I've performed roles at several regional theatres, another national tour (The Producers), debuted a solo cabaret show, released 3 singles, co-starred in an Apple TV+ series, and kept up my acting/voice/dance training.

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I'm a storyteller at heart, and I bring my passion and creativity to each project I'm a part of. Musically, I draw from the R&B, pop, and gospel music I listened to growing up as well as the classical and Great American Songbook influences from years of singing choral music. I recently released my first original song "Sunlight". Give it a listen on Youtube or Soundcloud!