Sundance 2006 - J.P. Balmet screen left, David "Banjo" Coffman middle, and the lovely Megan Kelly far right

Our team slogan, “We get up, we set up, and we never let up” comes to mind when I think of John-Paul Balmet. I’ve had the fortune of working with John-Paul (affectionately known as “J.P.”) on a number of projects including Fumi and the Bad Luck Foot, Cole Needs Women, and most recently a short film we did for Nickelodeon; and I’m happy to say it’s been a true pleasure every time.

This bruiser from Bakersfield brings to the party great artistic talent, super attitude, and a true passion for life. J.P. will be on task from the beginning of the project, through the all-nighters during crunch time, all the way to the buffet at the wrap party. On every project I’ve pitched to him, the words I’ve spoken are like throwing fuel into a blazing oven; you can see the fire lighting up in his eyes. He’s thinking not of prizes, nor money, but rather of the love of the game, and this is what makes him such a great player to have on your team.

My favorite example of this attitude is when he was doing layouts and backgrounds for our recent Nickelodeon project. About halfway through the project, I was asking around to nail down hours to get everyone paid. JP surprisingly remarked, “Sweet… you mean we’re getting paid!?” Hahahaha… he had been working like a mad man for weeks, thinking he was volunteering!

JP’s passion extends well past the drawing board to his love for nature, music, skateboards, the basketball court, and to Electronic Arts where he is currently working as a Concept Artist and as a savage ping pong competitor. It’s for these reasons The House of Chai is proud to ring in the New Year with Mr. January, John-Paul Balmet!

please be sure to click here to check out more of John-Paul’s work