David Thompson | Sinclair Communications IT Director

“I met James Steele in the summer of 2005. At the time he was a young and driven radio kid looking to make an impact. I had the pleasure of watching that impact unfold over the next 8 years.

Over those 8 years I saw James take on many different responsibilities. He was an on-air jock, an imaging director, music director and program director. He approached each of those challenges with unflinching dedication and professionalism. Simply put, he was better at each of those jobs than anybody else I have ever seen do them. Period.

The machine that is James Steele is driven by passion. James works with a level of passion and love for his craft that is unparalleled. He is driven and tenacious. He is obsessed with the details, but capable of seeing the big picture. Whether he is making a 15 second piece of audio, producing a sold-out concert or working with upcoming bands like The Last Bison or X Ambassadors, James produces quality, compelling and inspiring results.

Perhaps most importantly, James does not allow the possibility of failure to sway him from his goal. He's human, at least I think he is. I've seen him fail, but I've never seen him stop trying. And I've never seen him fail and not get better at what he was attempting. Not many people attempt something difficult, even once. Far fewer have the passion and tenacity to try until they succeed. James can be counted among them.

Finally, James made me better. He has a way of inspiring and challenging those around him. He made me want to work as hard as he did and care as much as he did. He had a way of making me as excited as he was about a given project. To that end, I owe him a debt.”