About Me >

THE COMPANY (EXTENDED)

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My Origins

I come from a very geeky family where both my dad and brother are computer technicians. They each had their own PC computers that they used at home, with my brother having more than one, but whenever I tried to use them, I found them to be too technical and tedious to use and I never interested myself in these devices. With everyone being an artist, a musician, and a computer geek, I was the black sheep in the family.

In the late 80’s and 90’s, my brother, Glen, and I were playing in bands, writing music, and performing on stage in Salt Lake City. In 1996, he formed a small independent record label called Site51 and soon began integrating new and wonderful technologies into our world of music and the arts. With Rachel, now his wife, they created some the very first band web sites and produced mp3 audio for stream on the web. In 1996, Site51 released the 7-band compilation CD-ROM/Audio disc “Projectile”, complete with an HTML directory that introduced all the bands through the presentation of audio, video, photographic and text. This was groundbreaking news back then, and the release of “Projectile” was giving special attention in the Salt Lake Tribune and local radio shows dedicated to the music scene.

This event inspired Glen and Rachel to pursue this technology and soon Site51, the record label, became Site51 the multimedia production company. As exciting as all of this was for me to witness, I was still swinging a hammer and studying plans.

However, in 1997, my purchase of the Power Macintosh 7200 changed my life in many ways. I have always been involved in design in some way or another, but never found it so easy to publish as I did with the use of this wonderful machine. Finally, a company applied esthetics to the art of computer use! Instead of asking Rachel to develop my band’s album cover; I finally could it on my own. Applying my skill that I learned in design school while studying architecture at the University of Utah, I began to understand that I had a skill to manipulate the computer and have it do what I wanted to do.

After a few months of owning the machine, I decided to fully pursue my new career to become a graphic and web designer. Subconsciously I think I wanted to join Site51, but soon realized that they were going a different and technical direction, and was not quite ready for them at the time. Instead, I took 6 months off from my regular carpentry job and educated myself thoroughly on the computer, learning all there is to learn about its operating system and the applications it employed.

After that “training period,” my wife and I moved to Los Angeles, one of the “dot.com” hotspots in the nation in pursuit of a job with an existing design firm, where I could flourish. Unfortunately, jobs were scarce and the competition was fierce. I had very little to show for with miniscule portfolio and no experience.

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Going Professional

Not giving up, I took a job on as a sign installer in the daytime, and at night, I started producing art for my very first clients. I could say that IAMTEEJAY started up in the fall 1998, but I do not think that would be an accurate statement.

I did this for a couple years, and over time, I started putting in more hours at night than I did in the daytime. I also met Jeremy Kidd, a local Venice artist, who needed me to help him build his site. Jeremy seemed to enjoy working on his web site with me so much and like what we produced that, he thought it might be interesting to work with me to provide a service to the public. With the “dot.com” boom in full swing, he saw an opportunity.

In 2000, I deliberated heavily whether to quit my “real job,” work with Jeremy, and start up a partnership, but to pursue a dream is just that. That year with Jeremy’s financial backing and all the computer knowledge I possessed, we created Digidome Designs, LLC and based our studios at Jeremy’s home in Venice, California. Within a few months, we were already knee deep in work, and thanks to Jeremy’s connections, entertaining some celebrity and corporate clients. Never before have I had to learn so much in such a short period a time to be able to put food on the table.

We were at the peak of our success in September 2001, enjoying a full client load and becoming respected in our industry. I even landed a position at Otis Art College of Art and Design in Los Angeles teaching Online Media and Application Studies class at the school, instructing overloaded classrooms in some cases.

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The Big Milestone

On September 11, 2001, all this changed. For the next 3 months, we saw the beginning of the “dot.com” bust and an incredible shift in the nature of our economy. Digidome did not receive one project and maintenance on existing web sites ceased. By 2002, more than half of our clients were either, out of business, or radically shifting directions and changing the manner on how they spent their marketing budgets. This sent Jeremy and I scrambling to adjust and save our own company.

My idea was to address the needs of all those who have just lost their jobs, who began starting their own companies and offering the services on a different level. Many companies went under that winter, but many new smaller companies emerge thanks to the Internet, and all the new technologies developed in the recent years. Many of these entrepreneurs were the wives of husbands who had just become unemployed or the unemployed themselves, who desperately needed to help bring in the money and finally had the chance to sell themselves with less effort than ever before and they needed was a web site. Many thought that this was an opportunity to discover their own potential, instead of relying on a company or corporation, and 2002 was the year of the entrepreneur and what happened next set the example for me.

I suggested to Jeremy that we create a service that provided what we normally provide at a much lower cost so that we could ease back into the market and cater to this new type of clientele. Jeremy was a little hesitant to lower Digidome’s value and my solution to his concerns was to create a spin-off company that did just that. I suggested that I would run that department, while he continued to maintain Digidome’s current portfolio and market the to corporate client. Initially, Jeremy decided to let me try to market this venture.

Originally, I had the name “Vitamin Design” and had the slogan, “a Solution to All Your Internet Ills,” but found out that someone else was already using the name back east. Then I thought about whom most of my clients were going to be, and that they were all individuals trying to promote their own selves. If I was going to demonstrate that I was capable of helping them, I had to know how to market myself effectively first. I ask myself, “Who am I” and my answer became the name of my company.

Immediately, I became busier than ever. Starting out with local artists, writers, and publishers, and eventually landing home bakers and real estate agents back east. Over the next four years, although I was busy, I was running a tight profit margin and not enjoying the luxury that I experienced with Digidome. This existence mirrored my client’s and helped IAMTEEJAY to become what it is today.

The following year, Jeremy and I dissolved our partnership at Digidome Designs, LLC, which allowed me to fully pursue this business plan, filing for a business license for IAMTEEJAY and setting up my first studio in Playa del Rey, California.

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Success Built on a Solid Foundation