Recommendations via LinkedIn

“I’ve had the fortune of working with James for the better part of 5 years and in that time I’ve come to see Tabula Rasa improve exceptionally thanks to James’ contributions to the product. To say he has excellent work ethic and a passion for making games, would be an understatement that any of his peers could attest to. But what James brings with him is an ability to do so in a way that makes team members that much more excited to be a part of the project, largely due to his clear enthusiasm in the work that he delivers. He has an uncanny ability to produce work that is of exceptional quality, while at the same time finding ways to ensure that performance does not get impacted in the process. And he does so consistently, time and time again. It’s always been a pleasure to work with James collaboratively as he’s one of the most easy going and responsive peers I’ve met. I would work with him again in a heartbeat and any company would benefit greatly to have him on their team.” July 20, 2008 Christofer Strasz, Functionality and UI Design Lead, NCsoft worked with James at NCSoft 

“James is an FX guru. He is the go to guy for all matters concerning FX. His calm collective demeanor allows for very efficient problem solving. He’s always willing to help or teach and goes above what’s expected to make the game better. I hope to continue working with him and would jump at the chance to work with him again in any future venture.” August 20, 2008 Geoff Taylor, Senior Artist, NCSoft reported to James at NCSoft

“James has the ability to take very minimal resources and do amazing things with them. He current incarnation is as a very talented effects artist, but he can adapt very rapidly to changing development environments. James never seems to get caught flat-footed, he attacks challenges head-on and gets the job done no matter what. James is also a great motivator, he has a knack for infecting others with his inventiveness and dogged determination.” July 23, 2008 Dale Homburg, Lead Technical Artist, NCsoft worked directly with James at NCSoft

“James is, simply put, one of the best people you can hope to work with in the industry. James is very talented, but it goes beyond that. His dedication to a project is without peer. Multiple times on the project James would go out of his way to make sure what he did was up to standards. This meant soliciting feedback and acting on that feedback. James was always flexible and always seemed to deliver on time. James is also one of the truly “nice guys” of the industry, which helps bind teams together. I would work with James again in a heartbeat.” July 21, 2008 Paul Sage, Lead Designer, NCSoft managed James indirectly at NCSoft

“Over the pase 6 years I managed and worked alongside James in the areas of both animaiton and speciall effects. I originally hired ‘Mesty’ roughly 6 years ago. He has proven to be an incredible creative and talented artist with a real knack for Special effects and animation. His attitude, work ethic and flexibility are all exceptional. James would be a valuable asset on any team.” August 26, 2008 Bren Wilson, Senior Animator, NC Soft managed James at NCSoft

“What I find special about James is his ability to do high quality and solid work no matter what the work environment is like. Whether there is deadline pressure or not he keeps the same positive and easygoing attitude that resonates to the rest of a team. I feel I could count on him at all times to deliver AAA quality art. His peers very well respect him and his work. I would not hesitate at all to work with James again.” August 21, 2008 Tommy Spampinato, Lead environment artist, NC Soft Austin/Destination games worked directly with James at NCSoft

“James is just amazing. He’s one of those key people on a development team who can always be relied upon to know what needs to be done, who needs to do it, and can do it himself in a pinch. He has always been courteous, friendly, and provides imaginative solutions to any of my art requests. Not only does he create awesome, quality work, but he does it fast. I’ve regularly been amazed when going to him with requests to find them completed before I can get back to my desk - and that’s not entirely an exaggeration. He’s a great teammate and I’d always welcome him on any team I work on.” August 20, 2008 Susan Kath, Lead Mission Designer, NCsoft Corporation worked directly with James at NCSoft

“During our time together at NCsoft, Mesty has been nothing but a pleasure to work with. He is amazingly responsive to requests and never beats around the bush to get things done. He gets the big picture of the game design and does a wonderful job of using effects and animations to properly communicate meaning. The quality of the assets he produces is top-notch. On top of all that, he’s a great team player and always remains approachable and friendly.” August 20, 2008 Michael Moore, Senior Designer, NCsoft worked with James at NCSoft

“Mesty is the MacGyver of special effects. At NCsoft he was able to take technically limiting problems and find a way to turn them into something unique and artistic. Mesty is definitely an out of the box thinker and it was always fun to collaborate with him on challenges. I would work with him again.” August 16, 2008 Jorma Auburn, Lead Animator, NCSoft worked with James at NCSoft

“James does spectacular work. He is one of the most dedicated, passionate, and positively motivated artists I’ve had the fortune to be on a team with.” July 30, 2008 Jim Daly, Concept Artist, NCsoft managed James indirectly at NCSoft

“James “Mesty” Mestemaker is awesome. He blows stuff up real good. Working with Mesty was making exponentially cool art. He’d do something cool, I’d steal it and make something cooler with it, then he’d steal that cooler thing and make something even way more cooler than that... exponential coolness. That’s Mesty. He’s easy to work with, easy to talk to, he loves playing and making games (in my opinion a MUST in this industry). A great guy and excellent lead, I respect his opinion and art critiques. I’d work for this guy any time.” July 21, 2008 Sam Gage, Visual Effects Artist, NCsoft reported to James at NCSoft

“James is very good at what he does as an artist and a craftsman. He always makes time for people when they need him and I’ve never seen the pressure get to him. He’s one of the most grounded people I’ve ever worked with.” July 21, 2008 Chris Mead, Senior Animator, NCsoft worked directly with James at NCSoft

“James is a great problem solver, diligent in his work, and always brings his A game, no matter what the task, I would recommend, hire, and work with James again without hesitation.” July 18, 2008 John Mueller, Art Director, NCSoft managed James at NCSoft 

Mesa Logic