[1] Merendino was born in Long Branch, New Jersey, and moved to Salt Lake City when he was six years old.

He graduated from Judge Memorial Catholic High School in 1985 and went to college in Rome and Los Angeles where he studied Western philosophy and theology.

Merendino's most successful film, SLC Punk!, was released in 1998, and was a semi-autobiographical telling of his growing up in Utah.

In 2022, James Merendino created and directed the television series Great Kills produced by and starting Steve S. Stanulis.

The dark comedy mockumentary about a small time hit man on Staten Island was co-created with Lisa Hammer and released on Tubi in March of 2023.