Emerson made his television debut in 2007 on Law and Order: Criminal Intent in the episode "Seeds" alongside Chris Noth, Alicia Witt and Kate Hodge. He followed that up with guest roles on ER, Ghost Whisperer, Bones, The Mentalist, Perception, Parks and Recreation, Scream Queens, and was a recurring regular on the first three seasons of the acclaimed AMC Network drama series Halt and Catch Fire.
At eight years old, Emerson made his professional theatre debut in a production of The Rothschilds, directed by Emmy Winner and Tony Nominee Lonny Price. In 2008, Emerson starred alongside Tony Nominees Mary Gordon Murray, Mark Jacoby and Max von Essen in the Sacramento Music Circus production of Sweeney Todd for which he received outstanding reviews for his portrayal of Tobias Ragg.
In 2009, Emerson starred in the award-winning short film "Running Away With Blackie". In the movie, he plays Jetty, a struggling drug addict who tries running away from his problems with only his dog by his side; Emerson was praised for his performance and was nominated for Best Actor at the 2009 Maverick Movie Awards.
In 2011, Emerson appeared in the movie I Melt With You which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. That same year he was seen in In Time, which co-starred Justin Timberlake, Amanda Seyfried, Alex Pettyfer and Cillian Murphy.
In 2014, August returned to theatre, starring alongside Candi Milo in the NOHO Arts Center's Ovation Award-nominated world premiere of Scary Musical the Musical.
In 2015, August co-starred in the controversial docudrama Soaked in Bleach, a film that explores the tragic untimely death of Kurt Cobain.
