Joe Hoffman

Background

About Joe Hoffman

I was once asked in an interview what I wanted to be when I grow up. It was a lighthearted way to ask for my five-year plan and it really got in my head. What does it even mean to "grow up"? I've always been a curious kid at heart and have never measured my personal success by forcing a square trajectory into a round goal. Analogies are drawn between the business world and nature all the time. Ever seen an infographic with a company’s structure in the shape of a tree? Does a tree have a five-year plan, or does it get its unique shape by setting its roots and growing branches in different directions for the best exposure in order to grow stronger and weather the storms? A five-year plan would have never allowed me the freedom to travel, work in crazy and awesome jobs, meet equally crazy and awesome people, and learn valuable lessons that inform me to this day. My roots were set while earning a BFA in Film and Video Production - with a heavy emphasis on the "A". I entered a very technical industry as an art school grad where my career began as a jack of all trades for a small production house. I overcame the technical hurdles by relying on the skills I'd honed in critical thinking, adaptability, and problem-solving DIY mindset. I later branched out to head up a digital media division producing content for Fortune 500 clients, to a director role leading audiovisual teams in the events industry, to a commissioned sales role in the retail space, to a sales operations and producer role in live events, to a contracted AV Systems Engineer tasked with the deployment of a unified visual communication platform for thousands of people in the middle of a pandemic. That’s fifteen years of experience along a path that I could have never predicted, which has provided the opportunity to grow a diverse skillset. It wasn’t a plan, but that doesn’t mean that it wasn’t successful. I thrive on finding new and creative ways to deliver results by working in a collaborative environment that encourages taking the road less traveled. I don't know if I will ever grow up, but I will always continue to grow.