James Clarendon

Enthusiast
DISC Type : i

Director of Engineering - Griptape at Foundry

Seattle, Washington, United States

Overview

James is the Director of Engineering for Griptape at Foundry, focusing on agentic authoring tools for the media and entertainment industry. An alumnus of The University of Texas at Austin, he previously managed teams at Amazon for AWS Sumerian and Alexa. Colleagues consistently describe him as passionate and a capable leader.

Outside of his formal roles, James possesses a deep-seated passion for video games, which has been a driving force throughout his career, including time spent as a Lead Systems Designer. He is a vocal advocate for the importance of mentorship in professional development.

He successfully built a team from scratch within Amazons Alexa organization after transitioning from an engineering role to management.

Personality Overview

Optimistic

Non-Confrontational

Story Driven

Unlike D or C types, they are convinced more by stories and testimonials.  They prefer to build relationships rather than staying totally transactional. They are generally friendly, so be careful when relying on their word.

Topics They Care About

AI in Entertainment
His current role involves leading the Griptape team at Foundry to deliver AI-powered authoring tools to artists, game designers, and other creative professionals.
Game Development
Multiple colleagues have highlighted his profound passion for games, and he has experience working as a Lead Systems Designer on a major title.
Professional Mentorship
He has publicly posted about the critical importance of seeking mentorship for growth, stating, "YOU ARE NOT GROWING IF YOU DON'T SEEK MENTORSHIP. "

Media Appearances

Foundry adds Griptape's AI orchestration to creative software portfolio. Featured in Newscast Studio

See Now

Work History

2-2026
Director of Engineering - Griptape at Foundry
12-2023 - 2-2026
Sr. Software Engineer at Griptape
10-2020 - 12-2023
Sr. Software Development Manager at Amazon
3-2018 - 10-2020
Software Development Manager - AWS Sumerian at Amazon
8-2016 - 3-2018
Software Development Manager - Alexa at Amazon

Education

1996 - 2000
B.A. from The University of Texas at Austin

More Information

Social Presence :

Prographics :

Exp : 30 Location : Seattle, Washington, United States Job Level : Mid-senior Designation : Director of Engineering - Griptape at Foundry
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Insights For Selling To James

During A Call Or A Meeting

DO's

  • Compliment them about their personality if you get a chance
  • Maintain high, positive energy and convey confidence
  • Refer to interesting customer testimonials and stress on great customer experience

DONT's

  • Don't be critical or challenge them openly, they can react defensively
  • Don’t be too formal with them, they trust informality more
  • Don’t ask too many questions in one go, weave them into the flow

When Cold Calling

When Writing An Email

While Negotiating & Closing

    The secret to closing fast with James is

  • Relationship and rapport are valuable for them, but so is proven product value.
  • Will you ever get a clear answer from James

  • They will hardly ever say a direct no.

Insights For Deal Planning

    How fast (or slow) will James move?

  • Even when they are constantly engaged, they do not reach decisions quickly.
  • Can James take some risk or not?

  • They can take some low-probability risks if needed.

You And James

Personality Compatibility


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