The Team

Who? The Team of Legendary Founders

Kristjan Kiis, Co-founder & Vision Architect

Kristjan is a seasoned entrepreneur with both an impressive track record of founding and nurturing numerous companies. He also brings to the table 30+ years engagement in playing games and studying the gaming industry, as well as a wealth of knowledge, affording him a unique perspective. His entrepreneurial journey comprises a robust background in sales, having honed his skills in team leadership and development across various direct sales enterprises.

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Kristjan’s profound understanding of human psychology and human behavior sets him apart as a leader who can deeply connect with and motivate teams. His extensive experience in gaming has not only fuelled his passion but also equipped him with the ability to think creatively and innovatively.

His visionary approach and unconventional thinking are exactly what our start-up needs to navigate the dynamic and competitive landscape of the gaming industry.

Mihkel Leesment, Co-founder & Vision Executive

Mihkel has been navigating the entrepreneurial world since 2008 and has also been gaming since 1995. With a Masters in Law *(from…?), he blends his considerable legal savvy with a wealth of business experience. He has dedicated his career to continual learning and improvement, constantly diving into the realms of leadership, business, and IT.

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Mihkel is goal-oriented, determined, and methodical in his approach: whether it is strategizing in the boardroom or leveling up in a game, his consistent and systematic style drives our studio towards a state of consistant progress and ongoing development.

Agur Karukäpp (aka ‘Maniakkide Tänav’), Head of Story Creation

As our lead writer, Agur is the real star in creating the Mortalis World narrative, and is an established member of the Estonian Writers’ Union and the Estonian Science Fiction Association. A prolific author, he’s had over a dozen novels and 70+ short stories and novellas published, with more coming. He has also won the “Stalker Award” from the Estonian Science Fiction Association an astonishing eight times.

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He truly excels at creating stories that make our games exciting and interesting, capturing our imaginations, and inspiring our creative team to bring his literary visions to life for gamers and fiction fans alike to enjoy.

Many of his creations have been popularized in Estonian magazines like ‘Reaktor’ and ‘Täheaeg’, as well as in some highly regarded book collections, and we are truly fortunate to be working with him.

Mark Antonius ‘TONI’ Puhkan, Head of Art Creation

Mark is a young and super-talented artist, with a Bachelor’s in Graphics in 2016, followed by a Master’s in Contemporary Art in 2020, both from the Estonian Academy of Arts (‘EKA’), where he teaches as a visiting lecturer. Heading up the Art Creation team means he oversees and influences the output from Mortalis’s numerous artists, animators, designers, and illustrators.

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Mark also illustrates for the Estonian media outlet ‘Postimees’, one of the country’s largest newspapers and online news providers. He has worked on numerous high-level spotlight projects, including illustrations for a special edition of renowned Estonian author A.H. Tammsaare’s ‘Tõde ja Õigus (‘Truth & Justice) Part I’ in 2018.

Additonally, he created a graphic novel called ‘Antennimaja inimesed (‘The Antenna House People’)’ in 2019. He has particpated in many international art shows, as well as in his native Estonia.(edited)

Jim Sharman, Head of Communication/Narrator/Voice Actor

Jim has been deeply immersed in communication, key messaging, knowledge transfer, coaching, and personal development for 30 years. At Mortalis he lends his extensive experience in multinational, blue-chip environments. His personable, experiential, and open style of communication blends effortlessly into his story narration, bringing creative writing projects to life through tailored vocal delivery.

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As a breakthrough coach and consultant, his organisational efficiency in bespoke comms skills is highly valued by the team as it seeks to cement a cohesive, community-based project into a highly desirable deliverable for gamers of all generations. He is the main narrator for the story, edited the English version of the Mortalis book ‘The Gods To Be’ and is the principle voiceover artist for other communication assets.

Aune Lillemets, Head of Game Development

Aune brings to the Mortalis team a keen interest in game design which evolved from designing active learning experiences, eventually leading to VR and video game development. Additionally, she combines her entrepreneurial spirit with her Project Management skills, having been involved in start-ups for 20+ years.

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Aune’s guiding principle is the ‘Medici’ effect, i.e. successfully importing ideas from one field into another, which underlines her commitment to tackling new fields and taking on new challenges.

She holds an MBA from Tartu University, where she researched business model development tools, and was a 2011 finalist in Estonia’s most prestigious business competition “Ajujaht”.

People & Culture, Katre Adelbert

Business Strategy Advisor, Greg Loayon

And there are more great people in the winning team:

Inga Pae
Vice-President in US
Taavi Annus
US Lawyer
Martin Kirotar
Interpreter
Mark Ra Vilbiks
UE Developer
Henry Kuldkepp
3D Artist
Siret Tuula
Voice Actor
Meeri-Liis Etti
Marketing
Alvar Kraav
Level Design
Kristjan Georg Kessel
UE Developer
Marin Nurmik
2D Artist
Juho Ruuttunen
Animation
(Jerry) Gerardo Padilla Martinez
2D
Dylan Marley
UE Developer
Tuuliki Toomasson
People & Culture
Märten Treier
UE Developer
Jan Patrick Dumlao
3D Artist
Mareks Piksis
Game Design
Animation
Rihards Usāns
Sound Design
Fred Umal
Operations
Laura Loolaid
Writer
Igor Mahhov
Web Design
Erki Puusepp
3D
Kätlin Puzanov
2D
Mihkel Mattis Mitt
3D
Asjad Saqib
Level Design
Regina Grozdova
3D
Jekaterina Karamzina
2D
Artur Kowalski
3D
Gre Loayon
Quest Creator

… and an additional fourteen people who have previously been part of our journey and have helped us. Maybe they will join us again in the future. 😉