The Egotist Interviews: Jeff Martin of MIGHTYkarma

Jeff Martin has created something in his agency, MIGHTYkarma, that we can all admire. His vision of marketing as a positive force – one that can create greater good in the world – is both true to him as a person and truly refreshing in the capitalist, money-grubbing agency world we inhabit. A world that's all but forgotten that we can use the power we wield to do more than sell widgets. We can use it to change the world for the better. We caught up with Jeff and asked him about the past, present and future of his career as it intertwines with MIGHTYkarma.

Q: In the mid-90s (our crack research team can’t track down the exact year), you were named one of Adweek’s Southeast Creative All Stars. At the same time, you were earning awards from some of the major shows. Presumably, with this kind of attention you could have gone to a major shop in a big ad market. How did you find your way to Denver?

A: It wasn’t exactly a direct route. And it wasn’t through a big city either. I thought about pursuing the big city, big agency angle, but it just didn’t appeal to me. You see, I grew up in Alabama. I played football barefooted (no shit). I chewed Redman. I shot squirrels. Okay, maybe this isn’t the wholesome boyhood picture I was intending to paint….Anyway, moving on. So when all that happened and some doors started opening, one of those doors was an opportunity to live and work in Jackson Hole at a small creative shop called Riddell Advertising. At the time, Riddell was showing up in the books and they had a great outdoor client list. So instead of pursuing a job in LA or Chicago or New York, I took a job in Jackson Hole, Wyoming and began working on the tourism account. And life was good. But it was also cold as hell. And after 4 years, with a new baby in tow, we decided to move to Denver. Because during my time in Jackson, not only did I get to work on some cool accounts and win a few awards, I fell in love with the mountains. And fly fishing. And mountain biking. And climbing. And snowboarding. And I wanted those things to be a part of my life moving forward as an art director. And I was lucky enough to meet a guy named Dave Reece that made it possible.

Q: You’ve spent more than a decade in Denver, working at Reece and Company, Barnhart/CMI, McClain Finlon and the Denver office of Canadian-based Brainstorm before creating MIGHTYkarma. What did you learn from these shops—good and bad—that is shaping your vision for MIGHTYkarma?

A: My vision for MIGHTYkarma has been shaped by a lot of experiences. Some of them came from the ad world, others didn’t. And while we try to use them as a guideline for running our business, they’re also aspects of how I try to live my life.

1) Love what you do. Love where you do it: Build an environment that helps people say “yes” to both. If you can’t, do something about it or you’ll never be truly happy.
2) Don’t talk down to people: This is a big one for me personally. It’s disrespectful, cheap, and could get you punched in the face.
3) No 2 week vacations: Seriously? Two weeks a year? We have infinity vacation. Take what you need, refill the cookie jar when you get back. Just don’t leave anybody hanging. See #6.
4) Hire good people: Not just based on their book, but also on their character.
5) Create bendable rules: Because life isn’t black and white and in our business, where everyone loves to talk about “breaking the rules,” there sure are a lot of them.
6) Live life, don’t preach it: It’ll make you an interesting person. You’ll be a lot happier, overall healthier, and hopefully more creative too. If not, you might want to revisit #1.
7) No complaining or faultfinding: It’s never helped solve the problem and creates a miserable work environment.
8) Lead with compassion: I learned this one the hard way after joining the army out of high school.
9) No egos: The “me” mentality burns up a lot of energy that could be focused on better things.
10) No fear: Making business or life decisions based out of fear is demoralizing. It’s okay to be afraid. Just don’t let it control you.

Q: You came to town at a time when other local agencies were recruiting top creative talent to help put Denver on the map. Some of those people lasted a short while before packing up and moving on. Why did you stay?

A: Because the grass always seems greener on the other side of the fence. When you get there and spend a little time, you realize there’s as much crap there as there was in the other pasture.

Chasing good work is one way to go about this business. I decided to do the best work I could where I was. Plus, being a creative in the ad business is only a part of who I am as a person.

It took me a long time to come to that realization. I don’t want my life to be defined by the ads I’ve done. For me, life is about experiences. Being a creative in this business has allowed me to have some really cool ones. Being in Colorado has also. It goes back to “Love what you do, love where you do it”. Right now I can say “yes” to both of those. When I can’t anymore, I’ll move on.

Q: MIGHTYkarma is described as “a mindful group of talented people devoted to defining how communication can empower both brands and humanity.” This is a lofty statement. Explain how MIGHTYkarma is empowering humanity.

A: I don’t think of it as a lofty statement, just something all of us at MIGHTYkarma can be passionate about. For us, it stems from the definition of MIGHTYkarma: A positive thought, word or deed set forth into the world, resulting in a greater reaction. We believe the first step begins with yourself. Empowerment comes from the individual. We have the responsibility to create a work environment that helps foster the ability and desire of employees to act in empowered ways.

Do the right thing. Autonomously. Replace the mindset “What about me?” with “What about you?” When we donate money, time or brainpower towards helping others reach their potential, we are, encouraging them to take control of their own destiny. When we inspire our clients to put purpose behind their brands that involves giving back, they are as well. Everyday we try to put a little good karma into the world through thought, word or deed. And every time it positively affects another human being, we all benefit. And that’s empowering.

Q: When you and your partner, Esther Kang, founded MIGHTYkarma, you made a commitment to give 10% of your profits to charity every year. During this down economy, have you been able to make good on this promise?

A: The down economy has definitely been tough on a lot of fronts for a lot of people over the last year. In our first two years as MK, we were able to meet our challenge and really make a positive impact within the organizations we support. And this past year will be no exception. We just finished up our fiscal year and we will again be donating 10% to charity. We will always have a “give back” focus to our business no matter what the economic environment. It’s the essence of who we are personally and professionally.

Q: Do you have any stories of how this philanthropic model has worked for you (i.e. prospects who have chosen to work with you for that reason, how you’ve adapted this plan over time, etc.)?

A: When we first started MIGHTYkarma, we knew no one was going to work with us solely because we had good intentions. In retrospect, talking about intentions, karma and purpose probably wigged out more than a few company presidents we met with. Those ideals didn’t fit into a lot of company business plans. At least they didn’t 3 years ago. Today, business models are starting to shift and include words like intention, purpose, soul, or (if you’re Pepsi) refresh. Now everybody wants to do good and unscrew the world. The triple bottom line model (people, planet, profit) that a lot of companies, like Patagonia, have been working from forever is gaining ground with larger corporations. And that’s a good thing. About damn time. We believe in the triple bottom line approach. It’s a good start for a lot of companies. But it falls short of some ideas we believed are necessary to truly being sustainable. We believe “product” and “purpose” are also aspects of a smart, sustainable business plan. For us, the 5 P’s (people, planet, profit, product and purpose) drive our approach to how we work with potential clients. It’s taken a while to get here, but now we are working on projects with clients because of our approach (whether you think of it as philanthropic, mindful or sustainable). They understand that being solely bottom line driven, or product driven, or service driven is a weak business model. Economies go bust, products get recalled and employees can go on strike. So now when we talk about intentions, or karma, or purpose, we don’t wig out as many company presidents or marketing directors. At least they don’t show it, because we’re getting work from them.

Q: On your website, you list three “MIGHTYkarma Intentions.” First on the list is “Good deeds through great work.” Do you require a “good deed” component in every client or project you take on?

A: Good deeds through great work isn’t a component or tactic, it’s more like our mantra. Our rallying cry. The compass that guides us through the marketing jungle. It’s not meant to be literally attached to every project or client. It’s bigger than that. It’s our purpose for existing. More often than not, our clients do get involved on some level. However, if we can help our clients be successful, we can be successful, and through that, do something good. Whether it’s big or small, local or national, the goal is to make some type of positive contribution through the work.

Q: You've often talked about "sustainable marketing" being synonymous with MIGHTYkarma. Can you give us any examples of printed or published work that MIGHTYkarma has done that would stay true to this mission?

A: The most recent and comprehensive example would be the work we are currently doing with GreenSmart. Based in California, GreenSmart is an eco-design company that makes green computer bags, briefs, lunch totes and wine carriers. From day one, they adopted and have put into action a sustainable model based on the 5 P’s (people, planet, profit, product and purpose).

Their overall goal is to help make the world a little greensmarter. And they are doing it from their designs, to their recycled/repurposed/green materials, to how they manufacture, package and ship their products. In every aspect, they try to exceed industry standards when it comes to creating smarter products and a healthier environment. Part of their purpose for existing is to provide environmental education and to enable all of us to make smarter choices about our lifestyles. We’ve worked with them on many aspects of their business from strategy to product design and packaging. We also helped them adopt a “give back” program, and they are donating 10% of their profits to the World Wildlife Fund. As part of their dedication to environmental education, every product is being named after an endangered species, including information on hangtags about that animal and why it needs your support.

Q: MIGHTYkarma lists “enviro-vibe” as an area of expertise. What is “enviro-vibe”? We found this http://www.tgcseismic.com/972.881.1099/EnviroVibe_1.html as potential reference.

A: That’s funny, but it’s not that. It’s actually a fancy word for how we do retail and trade show booths.

Q: The folks at MIGHTYkarma have done some pretty tasty screen-printing on that big-ass screen-printing machine you purchased. Do you foresee this becoming a revenue channel for the agency, or is it a creative outlet?

A: Right now it’s more of a creative outlet. An excuse to get out from behind the computer and get some ink on our hands…and shirt, and face, and shoes. We are getting more projects from clients who are looking to incorporate tees or silk-screened posters into their marketing materials. Which is a good thing, because screening is a lot of fun and usually involves beer. Beer=good.

Q: If you could have the ultimate creative team under you, who would they be?

A: I’m gonna have to go with the people that influenced me the most early on.

Art Director: Bob Barrie
Writer: Luke Sullivan
Designer: Kit Hinrichs

Q: In 2008, MIGHTYkarma moved into a sizeable warehouse space at 30th and Larimer. We were excited to see another creative shop move into that up-and-coming part of town. After about a year, you pulled out and moved the agency to the lower Highlands. Why the change?

A: The heating sucked, and we were tired of freezing our asses off all winter.

Q: Separate from—and in conjunction with—your advertising career, you’ve developed a name for yourself as a photographer. What do you find more rewarding: art directing a great photographer or manning the camera yourself?

A: As an art director, I love working with great photographers and the energy they bring. But, I also love shooting. Having worked with people like Harry DeZitter, Andy Anderson and Steve Bonini over the years is why I fell in love with the idea of shooting in the first place. Every one of those guys went out of their way to help me understand their craft. For me, photography is just a natural part of how I stay creatively energized. It has also helped me become a better art director. And as long as I feel that way, I will keep doing them both.

Q: You’re a black belt. You wanna throw down?

A: The Alabama redneck in me says yes. My inner Buddha says no. I’m trying to nurture the inner Buddha more these days.

Q: Where would you like to see MightyKarma in five years? In ten?

A: The idea of MIGHTYkarma has always been philosophically based. Creativity will be at the core of what we do, but that “what we do” will most definitely shift in five years. We’re small, nimble and impatient with walking the exact path we’re currently on. We think MIGHTYkarma can step outside of the service category and into a more culturally focused one. We’ve got some ideas in the works. We’ll see.

Q: Seriously, do you want to fight?

A: Lucky for you, the Inner Buddha still says no. How about we see who can do the most pull-ups?

Q: We'd lose. Speaking of fighters, how about Denver though. Where will we be in five years?

A: The standard response from someone in the creative business is that Denver finds itself smack in the middle of the next creative revolution. And I think it could actually happen. I just don’t think it will be an advertising revolution. As a city, I see that creative badge coming from how the city is developing open spaces, architecture, mass transit and the arts. In the last ten years, I’ve watched Denver turn into a pretty cool city. If it stays focused in that direction, I think we will all be a part of something even better.