Today we’d like to introduce you to Joe Warner.
Hi Joe, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
As a new teen parent fresh out of high school, I knew I had to find a career path that worked and worked quickly. But I didn’t want to settle. I wanted to be creative and use my talents to build something fun and meaningful through art and media. That drive led me to Specs Howard School of Media Arts, where I focused on broadcasting.
To ease the financial strain on my new family, I applied for scholarships and grants to avoid piling up student debt. My search led me to apply for the BMI and The Conclave scholarship. I poured my heart into it, sharing my goals, dreams, and even voiceover demos recorded on an old voicemail machine. And wouldn’t you know it, I won. I traveled to St. Paul, Minnesota, to accept a full ride to Specs Howard, which was the premier trade school for broadcasting and media here in Detroit.
From that moment, I was off to the races. I worked for my dad’s landscaping and pest control business during the day, and at night, I honed my craft at Specs. I earned an internship at WLNZ in Lansing, a public radio station run by Lansing Community College. One of my instructors at Specs, Lyn Peraino, saw potential in me. I hustled to Lansing two to three times a week to cut shows and run commercials. I’d drive from Macomb to downtown Lansing in the dead of winter, all while still attending night classes. The days were long, the nights even longer, but I stayed persistent.
As Specs was winding down, I heard about a new hybrid digital media program they were launching. It was a modern take on traditional broadcasting, mixed with digital tools like web, video, and graphic production. I jumped at the opportunity, adding more night classes to my schedule while building a portfolio and searching for another internship.
That’s when I landed at Cumulus Media, working with WDVD, WJR, and WDRQ in the iconic Fisher Building. Their web department, led by Curtis Paul, brought me in on everything: building web pages, creating new features, and uploading podcasts. I was hooked. I wanted to know everything about building websites and designing impactful digital graphics. That internship became the launchpad for my career.
After finishing the digital media course at Specs, I entered the job market in 2011. I sent out hundreds of resumes and cover letters, knocking on every digital door I could find. I remember a low point: walking with my future wife and our two-year-old, talking about what came next. I told her, “If nothing lands in the next month or two, I’ll take over my dad’s company. We need stability.” Two weeks later, I had two job offers. One was from a security company, and the other was from Clear Channel, home to Channel 95.5 and 100.3 WNIC. I had to follow my heart.
I spent two incredible years at Clear Channel, later rebranded as iHeartRadio, working alongside Jay Towers in the Morning (WNIC) and Mojo in the Morning. I helped run their social media, email campaigns, and websites. But I wanted more. I wanted to lead, to strategize, and to help companies grow. So I started searching for that next step and found it at Sun Communities, one of the largest manufactured home community and RV resort companies in the U.S.
Ironically, I didn’t get the job I initially applied for. I was their second choice. I’d applied for a designer role, but after reviewing my background, they saw I was a better fit as a digital coordinator. They were right. I stepped into a fast-moving team managing digital strategy for over 150 RV resorts. I learned SEO from an in-house wizard named Derek and dove into trade shows, email marketing, revenue analysis, and more. But after two years, I craved the next leap.
I submitted a few resumes and landed one at iPexpert, who offered me the role of Digital Marketing Director. It was a smaller company, but the impact was huge. I oversaw campaigns, ran AdWords, tested landing pages, and drove revenue. But the environment was tense. Poor financial management created daily stress. When you’re getting texts at 3 a.m. about cash flow—even after pulling in $80K to $100K in daily revenue—you know something’s not right. I needed out.
Right when I was at my limit, I got a text from Tony Travatto, my former iHeart boss. He said, “Hey, Tim’s leaving Detroit. We need a Digital Director. Interested?” I replied instantly, “F*** yes.” Then quickly followed up with, “Sorry—that wasn’t professional.” Luckily, Tony appreciated the enthusiasm. After the interview process, I returned to radio as the Digital Program Director overseeing six stations at iHeart.
There, we managed it all: digital campaigns, SMS, social media, podcasting integration, websites, and events. I finally hit the goal I set years earlier. During that time, Tim Lock, my predecessor. He had moved to Phoenix with his wife, Kendahl. We stayed in constant communication, exchanging ideas, frustrations, and wins. It was a friendship built on mutual respect and growth. We pushed each other to get better. To this day, we still talk shop and share best practices. We used to joke about working together again, calling ourselves “two digital assassins.”
At the 4.5-year mark, I’d done everything I set out to do in radio. I was ready to dive into lead generation. That’s when Sam Day at The Carpet Guys approached me. At first, it felt like a step back. However, it was a smaller team, and I had the opportunity to delve deeper into performance marketing. I accepted a designer role, though we were doing so much more. I soaked up everything, working closely with Dave Carbone to master Google Ads while learning Meta Ads with Tim on the side.
I devoured online courses from Rob Andolina, Mint CRO, and many others. In the past six years, I’ve probably completed hundreds of trainings. At The Carpet Guys, I helped build and test landing pages, craft high-converting messages, and analyze what drove results. We worked through the chaos of COVID-19, and even without a formal title, I was trusted to help steer digital growth. I’m proud to say that when I started, they were an $18 million company. Today, they’ve surpassed $30 million. I won’t claim all the credit, but I’m proud to be part of the journey. Around that same time, I was inducted into the Specs Howard Hall of Fame.
Around year three at The Carpet Guys, I couldn’t stop thinking about launching my own company. I wanted to build an agency where I could help multiple businesses and also grow a team that felt like family. Two calls changed everything. One with Drew Pokoj, who validated the vision, and another with Tim Lock, where I half-joked, “I’d work full-time as a contractor just to get this off the ground.” That was the spark.
I gave my notice. The Carpet Guys stayed on as my second client. Then, another company I had interviewed with called back. They became my third, and I had the political work as my first to give me a solid foundation. Suddenly, I was in business. It took time. One thing no one ever tells you about growth is that time is the ultimate investment. Learning, honing your craft. Challenging yourself, going through challenges. Building on each step in the ladder. I knew owning my own business would be the end game, but I didn’t know when that match would strike. It took time. It took the right place. It took the right people. The people who believe in you grow with you.
Three years later, The Kreativ Network supports more than 60 clients a month, with a team spread across the country. We offer everything from paid advertising and website development to hosting and AI integration. We work hard for every single client, helping them grow their business and reach their goals.
From an 18-year-old teen dad to a 34-year-old business owner, it’s been one hell of a journey. The grind never stopped. And the passion still burns as bright as ever.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Challenges were everywhere—revenue issues, rising cost per acquisition, and even personal mental struggles.
When things are going well, you feel on top of the world. But when the businesses you work with hit a lull (which, let’s be honest, happens in every business—change my mind), imposter syndrome can start to creep in.
The key is to stay the course. Stick to what you know, and build from there. Don’t panic. Don’t flail. Just keep moving forward.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
The Kreativ Network is a full-service digital marketing and creative agency built from real-world hustle, experience, and results. What started as a personal journey, driven by relentless curiosity, grit, and a passion for storytelling. We’ve evolved into a thriving agency supporting over 60 clients every month across the country.
We specialize in lead generation, performance marketing, paid advertising (Google and Meta), web design and development, email and SMS marketing, video production, and AI integration. Our strength lies in combining sharp creative with deep strategic thinking to drive results that actually move the needle.
What sets us apart is our ability to blend blue-collar work ethic with white-glove strategy. We’ve sat in the corporate boardrooms, lived through the budget meetings, and built campaigns that doubled revenue. But we’ve also helped small businesses scale from local to national. We don’t just execute, we guide, test, build, and optimize with a level of urgency and care that’s hard to find.
We’re most proud of how personalized our partnerships are. We’re not just a vendor, we’re a team extension. Every landing page we build, every ad campaign we launch, and every piece of content we deliver is rooted in helping our clients grow and win. Our clients range from startups to $30M+ companies, and our work spans industries like healthcare, home services, retail, entertainment, and more.
At our core, Kreativ Network exists to help businesses grow smarter. We believe in full-funnel thinking, message testing, creative that converts, and clear, measurable results. We’re proud to be a team of marketers, creatives, developers, and strategists who give a damn, and we’ve got the receipts to prove it.
If you’re looking for a marketing partner that actually understands what it means to scale with purpose, solve real problems, and outwork the competition, we’re here for it.
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
At The Kreativ Network, success is defined by impact, not ego.
It’s not about awards or vanity metrics. It’s about helping businesses grow in real, measurable ways, more leads, more sales, stronger brands, and smarter systems. Success is when a client tells us their revenue doubled, their team feels supported, or they finally understand what marketing should feel like. It’s also internal. Success is seeing our team grow into leaders, watching ideas turn into campaigns that convert, and building a company culture that values integrity, speed, creativity, and results.
Bottom line: if our clients are winning, our team is fulfilled, and we’re constantly evolving, that’s success.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://kreativnetwork.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thekreativnetwork/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheKreativNetwork
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@thekreativnetwork1196
