Today we’d like to introduce you to Joe Montgomery.
Hi Joe, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I started my career doing freelance web and design work more than 20 years ago. What began with building websites and creating graphics quickly expanded because I kept finding myself solving whatever problem a client had next. A website would lead to branding, branding would lead to packaging, packaging would lead to product photography, video, marketing, databases, automation, or custom applications. Over time, I became less of a single-discipline creative and more of someone who could understand the entire business and connect all of those pieces together.
I also became involved in Michigan’s cannabis industry very early, working with businesses on websites, product development, labeling, and marketing. That eventually led to several years as a Creative Director, where I was responsible for everything from brand strategy, packaging, websites, and product launches to video, motion graphics, 3D rendering, email campaigns, retail marketing, and the systems and automation behind the scenes.
Today, I think of myself as a creative leader and systems builder. I still love being hands-on and creating the work myself, but I’ve also learned how to build processes, lead creative direction, solve technical problems, and create scalable systems that help teams move faster and produce better work. More recently, I’ve been heavily exploring AI-assisted creative workflows and how they can be integrated responsibly into real production environments.
The common thread throughout my career has really been flexibility. I never wanted to stop at “that’s not my department.” If there was a problem, I wanted to understand it and figure out how to solve it. That’s what ultimately shaped the broad mix of creative, technical, and leadership experience I have today.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I built most of my career without a traditional path or a degree, so a lot of my experience came from teaching myself, taking on difficult projects, making mistakes, and learning how to solve problems quickly.
During the pandemic there was almost no one who wanted a new logo or website or promo video because most businesses were shutting down. The silver lining to that trying time is that it taught corporations that professionals work great from home just as much as they do in the office. So when everything recovered in businesses started opening back up again there was quite a bit more opportunities for me as a remote worker.
I’ve also worked in fast-moving industries where priorities, technology, regulations, and consumer behavior can change very quickly. Cannabis especially taught me how to adapt, build with limited resources, and continue producing high-quality work under pressure.
More recently, I’ve had to navigate major changes in both the creative industry and my own career. AI is transforming how creative work is produced, and rather than resisting that change, I’ve focused heavily on learning the technology and understanding how to integrate it into real creative workflows.
The struggles along the way have made me much more adaptable, resourceful, and comfortable with uncertainty. I’ve learned that I may not always have the answer immediately, but I’m very good at figuring out how to get there.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
My work sits at the intersection of creative direction, design, technology, marketing, and systems development. I specialize in taking a business, product, or idea and figuring out how all of those pieces should work together, from the brand and visual identity to the website, packaging, video, marketing campaigns, automation, and the internal systems supporting it.
Dutchie staff told us during a video conference last year that our listings (product pictures, descriptions, and keywords) we managed for our clients were superior to 90% of other listings! That difference is moving the needle on the market while others just sit. A couple years ago I was tasked with creating a McDonalds Monopoly Game clone that had an online app, physical game pieces, and over a $1m in prizes. We managed everything from the web app backend to the graphics to the codes on the game pieces and more. That’s the power of Magic Plants! You don’t have to chase 5 different companies around for updates to get your product launched.
I’m probably best known for being multidisciplinary. I can develop the creative concept, design the assets, edit and animate the video, build the website or application, work with the database, integrate APIs, assist with marketing and create automation around the workflow. More importantly, I understand how each of those pieces affects the business as a whole. I want to understand what the company is trying to accomplish and build something that actually supports that goal.
The work I’m most proud of has involved creating complete product and brand ecosystems. I’ve helped take products from concept through packaging, 3D visualization, photography, website launches, digital catalogs, social campaigns, video, retail materials, email marketing, and post-launch optimization. I’ve also built custom applications and automation tools that eliminated repetitive work and made teams significantly more efficient. I’ve also studied the psychology behind sales and learned a lot about people, which seeds my campaigns with proven methodology that people respond to strongly.
What sets me apart is that I have spent more than 20 years becoming highly skilled across disciplines that are usually separated between multiple people or departments. I’m equally comfortable discussing brand strategy with leadership, giving creative direction, opening After Effects or Blender or Illustrator and doing the work myself, or sitting down to solve a database or automation problem. I think that ability to move between creative thinking and technical problem-solving is the biggest strength I bring to a team.
How do you define success?
Integrity. If you’re able to look yourself in the mirror at the start of the day and at the end of the day then you’re doing something right. If what you’re creating genuinely works, not that looks/sounds impressive, you’re going to be able to do that more easily.
Successful creative work should connect with the audience, support the larger business goal, and make the company or team better than it was before. That might mean a campaign that increases engagement, a product launch that feels completely cohesive, a website that improves the customer experience, or a new system that saves a team hours of repetitive work. The data will tell the truth. Generate those reports and start comparing either other periods of the same metric or other relevant metrics.
I also measure success by growth. If I learned something, solved a difficult problem, helped the people around me improve, and delivered work I’m proud to put my name on, I consider that a success.
Ultimately, I want the work I do to have a real impact where it’s most important and continue providing value after the initial project is finished.
Pricing:
- Apps – Flexible
- Websites – Flexible
- Video Editing and VFX – Flexible
- Graphics – Flexible
- Marketing – Flexible
Contact Info:
- Website: https://magicplants.net
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/magicplants
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/magicplants
- LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/magicplants
- Twitter: https://x.com/MagicPlantsTV
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@TheMagicPlants
