Employee Spotlight: Matt Knox, Designer & Production Artist
Matt Knox is one of the longest tenured employees in Creatis history. He’s been an active employee almost as long as we’ve been in business - 17 years. As a graphic designer through the 90s, 00s and 2010s, he’s seen the creative/marketing industry evolve from the inside out, primarily as a contractor, which is a unique perspective. Through his tenure with Creatis, he’s grown as a graphic print and digital designer, art director, and production artist.
Matt has supported a wide variety of clients through Creatis over his career including: Trend Enterprises, Inc, Wunderman (Best Buy), Musicland Group, Inc., US Bank, Life Time Fitness, Medtronic, Thrivent Financial, Skyline Exhibits, and Builders Association of the Twin Cities.
But how did it all begin? What’s the Matt Knox and Creatis origin story?
Flashback to ‘99: Matt was working as a full-time employee at Best Buy, and it just so happened that Creatis had several contractors working on that same creative team. This was Matt’s introduction to Creatis. He got to meet and work with the kinds of people whom Creatis employed - service-oriented, fun, and focused on doing excellent work. They really made an impression on him - perhaps more than he knew at the time.
Flash forward a couple of years: new millennium, new company and new full-time job for Matt. But when the company Matt worked for rather suddenly closed its doors - only 6 months after he’d started - he was back on the job market. He began to recognize the appeal in using his design and production skills as a contractor. The idea of doing a variety of design work, seeing different environments, and working with many influential brands felt exciting. So he reached out to two Twin Cities creative/marketing staffing agencies at that time to explore contract opportunities: another creative staffing firm and Creatis.
Soon after he’d connected with Creatis in September of 2001 and that other staffing firm, both companies offered Matt same contract position at his former place of employment – Best Buy. Small world, isn’t it? Though it felt good to be in such high demand, Matt had a decision to make. And when asked why he went with Creatis back then, Matt said, “I chose Creatis because of the relationships I’d formed with its employees. They were collaborative, worked hard and had fun.”
Matt’s shared journey with Creatis may be unique in its longevity, but it also shows how consistent we are when it comes to building lasting partnerships with employees. Matt understood our mission and values, and stuck with us. In return, we were able to offer him the chance to tour the Twin Cities by contracting on nearly a dozen different creative teams and client sites. He trusted that when one contract assignment was coming to an end, Creatis would help him get another role. Mutual trust pays off. We truly believe that. Matt brought the skills/design chops, and we helped him connect the dots to forge a career path.
One of the best parts of Matt’s story is that after all these years, in 2017 he was offered a position to work onsite in the Creatis Studio as a designer. It was a homecoming of sorts, and we couldn’t be happier that he’s around every day, bringing his upbeat attitude, team-oriented work ethic, and trademark wry sense of humor to help keep things light during stressful times. Here’s to 17 more years!
