Q: Please tell us a bit about yourself and what you do:
I grew up in Northeast Philly and have lived in Holland for the past 3 years. I also spent some time in Clearwater Florida where I began doing web design. I have always loved art and actually went to art school when I was younger. Web design initially intrigued me because it seemed like another outlet for creating art. I began taking classes for web design while simultaneously teaching myself on the side. I began to learn the ins and outs of web design and really fell in love with the work. Eventually, my grandparents became ill, and I moved back to Pennsylvania to be closer to them. I enrolled in culinary school at this point and got a degree in culinary arts. I started working in restaurants for a bit but found myself back in the web design field because everyone I began working for asked me to update their logo, website, etc. I started to move away from the culinary arts and got a job at a school teaching web design. At this school, I was able to develop a course to help students get their web design certification. This school was next to a web design agency that I began working with as well. This job ultimately led me to start my company Planet 8 digital.
When I am not working, I enjoy spending time with my 2 kids, Ella and Logan, and my conure Loki. I also have many hobbies that I like to explore further, I have gotten into things like playing the drums and guitar, ice cream making, laser etching, and even more. I love to learn new things and I love to get my kids involved too. Our recent hobby is ice cream making and they are the major factors when it comes to flavor choices. We have a great time together.
Q: What do you love most about what you do?
I love how things are always different from day to day and there are always opportunities to learn new things. I also love the opportunity to build relationships with people and take good care of them. My desire when I started my own company was to create a place where we could really focus on small businesses and serve people well. To us, none of the people we work with are our clients, they are relationships. My team is small so we can have that intimate relationship with people. We are also dedicated to making sure we have enough people on staff to cover our workload and not burn people out or let people fall through the cracks. My team is wonderful, and I love working with them.
Q: What is a “Must do” for someone visiting our community?
I would highly recommend getting breakfast at Cafe Madison in Holland. Then I would say spend time in downtown Newtown and block out some time to explore different breweries in the area.
Q: If you could travel anywhere in the world right now, where would it be and why?
Somewhere abroad for sure! I would love to go back to France to experience more of their wine and food.
Q: What is one of your favorite movies? TV shows?
The Blacklist is probably one of my favorite TV shows. I love British humor movies for their dry humor. One of my favorites is Hot Fuzz. Also, I am a huge special effects guy, so I love Avengers: End Game.
Q: What advice would you give to people?
Just slow down! Sometimes you just need to put down the phone and live in the moment.
Just take time to enjoy life.
Q: What is something on your bucket list?
I am hoping to move down south to somewhere tropical once my kids are grown. I would say also going sky diving, and maybe opening a brewery or small restaurant.
Q: What is your favorite band or music genre?
I play guitar and drums, so I like hard rock. Metallica is my all-time favorite band. I like a little bit of everything, anything musical really.
Q: What is something interesting that even your friends or family may not know about you?
I am a huge introvert. Anyone who knows me would say that I am full of it, but truly I just love to go and do stuff by myself. One of my favorite things to do is go to breweries by myself. I have been this way since I was a kid. I like to have my time to relax, reflect, and regroup.
Q: What is your favorite holiday and why?
Right now, it is Christmas simply because I love the time of year. Usually, we have snow, people are usually in more of a good mood, and it is just an overall magical time.
Q: Who Inspires you?
My kids are by far my biggest motivator. They are why I do what I do.
Q: What is one or two of your favorite smells?
The smell of a firepit or woodburning fire and Strawberries.
Q: What words or phrases come to mind when you think of the word HOME?
Happy
Q: Where can people find you or your business?