Ask any member of our staff what the best thing about working at LunaGraphica is and odds are their answer will be “we all genuinely like each other”. Along with their obvious talent and professionalism, every single member of our team (lovingly called “The Lunatics”) is kind and good-humored. It is a rare work environment that we are all thrilled to be a part of. To celebrate our phenomenal team, and give all of you the opportunity to get to know each member, we have decided to start featuring staff here on the blog. Every few weeks you can look forward to meeting a new staff member and not only learning what they do here at LunaGraphica, but a little about who they are as a person. We are very excited to kick off our featured staff series with Martha Gonzalez.
Featured Staff: Meet “Magic” Martha Gonzalez
Meet Martha
Martha Gonzalez
, a.k.a. “Magic Martha”, a.k.a. “Super Martha”, is our Senior Web Designer. She came to LunaGraphica ten years ago with a Bachelors of Science in Interactive Media, seemingly limitless patience, and smile that could melt the heart of even the scroogiest of scrooges.
We depend on Martha for an impossible number of things around here and she continually wows us all with her skill and accuracy (not to mention her ability to juggle a staggering number of projects at once). In a recent conversation with Cindy, our President and Creative Director, she told me some of her favorite things about working with Martha.
It may seem like a bit of an exaggeration when Cindy says “Martha can juggle knives, bowling balls and live tigers, and still keep a smile on her face.” but no one would be surprised to walk into a room and find her in this very scenario (okay… we might be a little surprised). In all seriousness, Martha “has managed to teach herself an amazing number of technical skills over the years she’s been with us and there is no one I trust more in the position of Senior Web Designer.”
During our conversation I asked Cindy what she counts on Martha for the most and she told me “She has a wonderful ability to take on multiple challenges in an insanely fast-paced environment and knock out her work quickly and accurately”. Cindy also “appreciates her grace and amazing work ethic”.
“Martha is the kindest and most patient person I know… She makes time for everyone. She is SUPER smart and never makes you feel like you are asking a dumb question. She is always up for some kidding around, even though I know she is beyond busy she never lets on. We LOVE Martha!”
Deb Fisher – Production Manager
Martha At Work
Martha loves working at LunaGraphica as much as we all love having her here. I asked her what her favorite thing about working here is and she said she loves “the fun and relaxed work environment that allows us to express our creativity and individual personalities, but at the same time, has enough structure and organization to keep everyone on track and things running smoothly.” Martha also loves “working with such a smart, funny, and talented group of people that never fails to bring small ideas to life in big ways.”
After chatting about some of her current projects, like the new Pizza Rock and Slice House websites we have been working on, Martha expressed how much she loves being challenged by her work. I asked her if she has an all time favorite project and after some thought, she told me about an Anaglyph 3D project she did about a year after she started here. It was a marketing piece we were sending new clients at the time and our VP of Technology, Bob Nicholson, taught her to create 3D graphics and animate them. She was able to work with graphics and animation, and was particularly thrilled with being able to incorporate both music and sound effects. Looking back on the project now she feels it allowed her to add some very impressive skills to her repertoire.
I thought it would be interesting to ask Cindy about her favorite project Martha has done during her time here at LunaGraphica and she told me about a “proud work momma moment” that stood out to her. Though there are way too many jobs to choose from because Martha is an incredible talent, it was the time we subcontracted with another marketing firm and worked on a company website for a very large Fortune 500 company. “It was truly a frightening job and probably one of the largest we have ever undertaken. Martha was able to patiently take the project to the finish line with grace under fire.”
“Martha is the best of the best. She is able to solve any problem you put in front of her and can do anything. That’s why we call her “Magic” Martha! She’s also the nicest person you’ll ever meet and very precise and hard-working when it comes to working on projects.”
Jennifer Meyer – Senior Designer
“She is very cool, helpful, diligent, and a good problem solver. I have been working with her for two years and have never seen a day she gets angry for any reason. She is just a good person. We love you so much Martha.”
Saumen Laha – Web Developer
Martha At Play
When she isn’t here, working her magic like the super hero she is, Martha enjoys traveling. We keep her busy, but she makes sure she has time to explore new places and cultures as often as possible. We all enjoy living vicariously through the photos she shares with us when she is taking time off.
The only thing Martha loves more than traveling is hanging out with her nieces and nephews. She must be the best Aunty in the world because we have never seen a photo of her with the kids without smiles on everyone’s faces. (Seriously Martha, can you adopt us and take us to fun places and bake cookies with us?)
She is so busy being awesome it is hard to believe she has time for much else. It’s a good thing she is able to multitask so well because she also likes photographing her adventures; reading psychological thrillers, interior decorating, couponing, and taking our Chief of Security, Ellie, to the park.