James Willems is a complete package when it comes to video production, makeup as well as gaming. He is a writer, producer, actor, voice actor, content creator, show and podcast host, video game entertainer, Twitch streamer, and Internet and YouTube personality. He is the third member of the iconic trio made up of himself, Adam, and Bruce.
James does not have off-limits when it comes to comedy. He does comedic commentaries and riffing on games and shows great improv skills. He is known for Inside Gaming Animated, Red vs. Blue, and has made appearances in Achievement Hunter Let’s Play as well as On The Spot.
James Willems Bio, Age
James Anthony Willems was born on April 6, 1984, in Charlotte, North Carolina, the USA where he also grew up. His parents are Ricardo Guy Willems and Catherine Willems, however, it is not known if he has any siblings.
He attended South Mecklenburg High School where he graduated in 2002. James moved on to The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he studied Media Production, Film, and television and graduated in 2006.
James Willems has been described as dashing and daring, courageous and caring, faithful and friendly, and never wanting on stories to tell. He is a jolly good fellow who is not inhibited by circumstances or situations but harnesses whatever it is to his good. Although he has very obvious negative opinions and feelings about several things in life, he seems to express the sentiments by constantly making fun of them, using jokes as a tool.
He is the kind of guy that would march through a forest and sing out in a chorus, marching along as his song fills the air.
He is a fan of videos, games, and inappropriate humor which tended him towards Inside Gaming where he sang the praises of Psychonauts and mock ARMA. Thus, his journey into the video gaming arena.
Career
He kickstarted his career as a producer and gradually explored and imbibed other areas. James was an associate producer on the TV series, Attack of the Show! from 2008 to 2009 and worked on a total of 263 episodes.
He also produced events for the G4 network with Adam Kovic and Bruce Greene. Some of the works he produced include the TV series Comic-Con ’08 and Comic-Con ’09 Live as an associate producer and an EVS producer respectively. In 2009, he was an associate producer of another TV movie, E3 ’09 Live before he left.
Three years after, persuaded by Adam and Bruce, James Willems joined Machinima Inc. which is affiliated with Inside Gaming. He became a full-fledged employee and worked behind the scenes as an editor, scriptwriter, and recurring secondary host. Gaining more grounds in the company, he became the first person to be featured in a video along with his longtime colleagues, Bruce and Adam even without ever serving as an intern. He further became a co-host, content producer, and co-star, starring as himself in the TV series, Inside Gaming Animated and Creepy Text Theatre Animated.
In January 2015, James left Machinima with his colleagues, Joel Rubin, Matt Peake, Lawrence Sonntag, Sean “Spoole” Poole, and of course, Adam and Bruce. They left to form an independent network. Shortly after they left, the group established a partnership, ownership as well as developed an acquisition by Rooster Teeth (RT).
At RT, James became a staff member for Funhaus, a subsidiary of Rooster Teeth Productions. He worked as a co-host, content producer, co-star, actor, voice actor, and also as an occasional gaming journalist reviewer. He has made appearances in various RT shows as well as in Achievement Hunter shows.
His acting credits include Million Dollars, But… and Camp Camp, Civilization: The Movie, The Eleven Little Roosters, the video game Psychonauts 2, On The Spot, the RT Podcast.
James Willems Wife
James is married to a Canadian and fellow Funhaus member, Elyse Willems. The duo met through an online chatroom in the early 2000s but later reconnected through Facebook. Their loving and beautiful marriage has been defined by fans and colleagues as a relationship goal. They reside in Los Angeles.
James Willems’ Height and Other Facts You Need to Know
James is 6 feet tall.
His nickname is The Ripher.
His birth sign is Aries.
He often makes fun of minorities in Funhaus videos.
James has been a pro wrestling fan since he was a teenager and even built his own wrestling ring in his backyard at 15 years old. He went by the moniker El Niño in high school as a professional wrestler and even won $10,000 in a competition.
He played the saxophone in middle school and guitar for four years before he moved to Los Angeles.
At one time, he took part in a Millennium Pro wrestling (MPW) event where he, with Lawrence Sonntag, wrestled in a tag team event. They took the names James Angel and Lawrence “The Troll” Sakamoto.
His wife, Elyse has one eyebrow higher than the other while he (James) has a lazy eye which makes him tilt his head slightly off balance to correct this imbalance.
He may be a wrestler and a great fan of professional wrestling but James hates Ultimate Fighting Championships (UFC).
