Leaping Cat Creative exists for one purpose: to fix complex, high-stakes failures in operational systems—hardware, networks, software, and processes—so the business can run without constant firefighting.
A lot of technical work fails for a simple reason: problems that span layers get treated like single-layer issues. A “server problem” turns out to be storage design. A “network problem” is really observability. A “software problem” is really workflow and handoffs. Different businesses also have different constraints—legacy systems, budgets, risk tolerance, and definitions of “done.”
My job is to understand your reality, find what’s really breaking, and put lasting fixes in place that keep the system stable.
When the problem spans teams and nobody owns the whole thing, I do.
Table of Contents
What I do
{Infrastructure and Automation Consultant}
I specialize in diagnosing system-level failures where siloed specialists can’t see the full chain. I bridge engineering, IT, and operations to stabilize environments, reduce repeat incidents, and leave you with something supportable.
Infrastructure and systems modernization
When the foundation is shaky, everything feels harder than it should. I help you stabilize and modernize what you already have—without turning it into an endless project.
- On-prem / server room upgrades and modernization
- Virtualization and storage design
- Backup and recovery design, plus restore testing
- Monitoring, hardening, documentation, and operational cleanup
- Local-first and hybrid designs when control and resilience matter
Automation and process improvement
Repetitive work quietly drains teams. Automation fixes that—not by adding complexity, but by removing it.
- Workflow automation with Python and PowerShell
- Scheduled jobs, reporting pipelines, and operational tooling
- Integrations between systems that don’t naturally talk
- Practical improvements that reduce human error and wasted time
Custom software and internal tools
Sometimes the right tool doesn’t exist. Or the tool you have almost fits, but not quite. That gap is expensive—because people end up doing the work manually.
- Internal dashboards and business tools
- Lightweight services and APIs
- Data movement and system integration
- Reliability-first design and maintainable builds
Embedded and IoT solutions
Hardware adds real constraints, which is exactly why it needs clean design. I build embedded systems that behave predictably and can grow into real deployments.
- Embedded firmware design in C/C++
- Device communications and protocol design
- Sensor systems, edge compute, and local dashboards
- Prototypes designed to become dependable products
CAD design and prototyping
When you need a physical part—not just a diagram—I can move from idea to real-world object quickly.
- CAD design for brackets, mounts, enclosures, and custom components
- Prototype iteration built for real-world fit and function
- 3D printing support for fast testing cycles
Why this approach works
Most providers live in one layer: IT, software, hardware, or automation.
Real problems don’t stay in one layer.
The most expensive problems usually live in the seams—between systems, between teams, between vendors, and between “how it’s supposed to work” and what’s actually happening. My strength is tracing the full chain, simplifying it, and implementing fixes that hold up after the handoff—so you’re not right back where you started three months later.
How I work
I’m methodical, direct, and focused on stability.
- Assess first. Understand constraints before changes get made.
- Trace the full system. Follow the problem across layers and handoffs.
- Simplify. Reduce moving parts and failure points.
- Build with verification. Backups restore. Monitoring alerts. Systems behave.
- Document what matters. Clear handoff and operational confidence.
- Design for your reality. Solutions shaped to your environment, not a template.
About Jamie Starling
I’m Jamie Starling. I’ve spent years building and running systems where reliability matters—across infrastructure, automation, software, and embedded engineering.
Leaping Cat Creative is the umbrella for that capability stack. If you want someone who can step into a messy situation, understand what’s really going on, and tailor a clean solution end-to-end, that’s the work I do.
I build calm, dependable systems—so you can focus on the work that matters.