itmeJP

Who is itmeJP?

John Paul “itmeJP” McDaniel is an American online content producer, esports personality, and Twitch streamer born on September 15, 1985. He holds a degree in communication arts from the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio, Texas.

His career spans over two decades — from general worker at gotfrag.com to programming director at Major League Gaming (MLG), to creator of one of the most respected StarCraft II podcasts on the internet, to founder of the RollPlay tabletop RPG franchise on Twitch.

Twitch channel (@itmejp) carries 371,999 followers. His weekly podcast Dropped Frames, co-hosted with Ezekiel_III and CohhCarnage, released its 568th episode on May 31, 2026.

Early Life and Education

McDaniel grew up in San Antonio, Texas. He studied communication arts at the University of the Incarnate Word, a private Catholic university in San Antonio, earning his degree before entering the esports industry.

Career: From gotfrag to MLG

gotfrag and the Road to MLG

McDaniel entered esports as a general worker at gotfrag, a competitive gaming news site. After MLG acquired gotfrag, he continued writing for several outlets in the video game industry. When MLG picked up World of Warcraft as a competitive title, he became a contractor for the organization. He later joined MLG full-time, serving as programming director and show host, splitting his time between San Antonio and MLG’s studio in Galveston, Texas.

State of the Game (2010–2013)

During the StarCraft II beta, McDaniel created State of the Game, a podcast covering the competitive StarCraft II scene. The first episode aired on April 1, 2010, with guests Day[9], Louder, and Artosis.

After StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty launched, the show settled into a regular Tuesday schedule beginning August 24, 2010. Its four core hosts — McDaniel, Sean “Day[9]” Plott, Tyler “NonY” Wasieleski, and Geoff “iNcontroL” Robinson — became known within the community as the Four Pillars. The show ran to a holiday episode in December 2013, recording over 100 episodes across its run.

Alongside State of the Game, McDaniel produced SC Center and hosted Real Talk, an interview series featuring StarCraft II progamers and casters.

MLG Commentating (2010–2012)

McDaniel commentated at MLG events from 2010 through 2012. His final listed commentary credit was the 2012 MLG Spring Arena 2, held on May 20, 2012.

Twitch Career: RollPlay and Dropped Frames

RollPlay (2014–present)

McDaniel launched RollPlay in 2014 as a live tabletop RPG series on Twitch. The franchise produced multiple distinct campaigns across different game systems, including:

• RollPlay: Dark Heresy — based on the Warhammer 40,000 tabletop RPG, featuring TotalBiscuit, EG.iNcontroL, and djWHEAT
• RollPlay: Swan Song — a long-running sandbox RPG using the Stars Without Number system
• RollPlay: Mirrorshades — set in the Shadowrun universe
• RollPlay: West Marches — a D&D 5th Edition campaign
• RollPlay: Court of Swords — a D&D 5th Edition campaign that first aired July 30, 2016, ran seven seasons, and concluded March 27, 2020, producing 461 episodes

In 2016, McDaniel launched a Patreon campaign for RollPlay, offering patron-exclusive episodes and Twitch Prime subscriber benefits.

The Shorty Awards nominated RollPlay in its 9th annual ceremony, describing McDaniel as having “a number one StarCraft-centric podcast and top Twitch talk show.”

Dropped Frames (2017–present)

Dropped Frames is a weekly podcast co-hosted by McDaniel, Ezekiel_III, and CohhCarnage. The show covers the business and culture of full-time streaming and video games. It debuted in December 2017 and has produced more than 568 episodes as of May 2026.

Recent episodes have featured game developers including Warren Spector and Jeff Hickman, who appeared on Episode 466 on May 18, 2026, to discuss their upcoming game Thick as Thieves. Episode 568 on May 31, 2026 featured Rebecca Ford, creative director of Warframe.

Dropped Frames was featured at TwitchCon as one of the platform’s top talk shows.

RollPlay Campaign Summary

Show	System	Years	Episodes
Dark Heresy	Warhammer 40K Dark Heresy	2013–2014	53
Swan Song	Stars Without Number	2014–2016	Multiple seasons
Mirrorshades	Shadowrun	2015–2016	Multiple seasons
West Marches	D&D 5th Edition	2015–2016	Multiple seasons
Court of Swords	D&D 5th Edition	July 2016–March 2020	461