For nearly two decades, JMatt has navigated the ever-changing world of media—starting behind the microphone, then embracing the fast-paced rise of TikTok, and now guiding others as a digital coach.
Today, he leads HashtagMKE, a hub where Milwaukee’s content creators and social media enthusiasts connect beyond the screen. In this conversation, he shares how his past roles shaped his coaching style, the mission behind HashtagMKE, and the lessons learned while turning a passion project into a thriving business.
You've had a variety of roles from on-air personality to TikTok influencer to digital coach. What's your elevator pitch that describes what you do?
I’m a social media coach. Typically I just leave it at that and expand upon it based on the setting.
What skills have you taken from your past roles and careers to get where you are today?
Everything I know professionally are the skills I’ve developed along the way and I’m certainly still a work in progress. I think think one of the more important skills is learning a variety of ways to effectively communicate with others as there’s no one-size-fits-all approach.
What's your current mission and goals with HashtagMKE?
HashtagMKE is intended to connect Milwaukee area content creators and social media enthusiasts in person through a variety of networking events. Beyond that, we provide small businesses and individuals with social media support. We exist to be a local resource for social media knowledge.
How have your in‑person HashtagMKE events complemented your digital growth on platforms like TikTok and Instagram, and what unique value does that live community bring?
From the first event, we wanted to take conversations offline and provide a safe environment for people to meet in person. While ‘digital growth’ certainly comes with it, we know we have a pretty specific focus, which is social media marketing and content creation. We’re still in the quality over quantity mindset - sure, we could increase event attendance with a more broad category, but that would change who we want to be for our community.
What were the biggest challenges you faced when officially incorporating HashtagMKE as a business, and how did you navigate the uncertainties of turning a side project into your primary focus?
HashtagMKE became an LLC in February 2020 as we were reaching a point where we wanted to take on event sponsors and who we had our eye on wouldn’t take a meeting with us without being more ‘official’ as a company. We all know what happened a month later… and I still think the LLC was the right move.
The LLC is more something that exists behind the scenes and helps when I formulate contracts with clients. It feels necessary, but I don’t think about it much.
My goal wasn’t to make HashtagMKE my sole source of income until about 3 years ago (I’ve been self-employed for just shy of 2 years). After enough people mentioned that they thought I already was self-employed, I started thinking of it as a possibility. Clearly my community saw something in me long before I saw it for myself.
You have worked to raise mental health awareness, especially with your 22 push up challenge. How has this fit into your personal and professional goals?
There aren’t that many men that talk about mental health publicly (especially men who don’t work in health care or have some professional affiliation to it). Beyond adding my voice to the narrative, it provided me more ownership and control over my own struggles. The 22 Pushup Challenge is just one of the few daily awareness campaigns out there (frankly, it’s the only one I can think of). Unfortunately in November 2024 I broke my collarbone and took a break for 4-5 months… and then I broke my ribs in July, which I’m still recovering from as of mid-August. Setbacks are just part of the journey.
Working as a content creator and consultant requires coordinating and planning of a lot of day-to-day activities. What's your advice for keeping on top of everything?
Hire someone to help with tasks that you can take off your plate. I’m slow to respond to emails and messages, so my Assistant will often reply on my behalf… when I loop them in (haha). Staying on top of everything is still a weakness of mine, but I’m finding new strategies all the time to try.
What advice do you have for someone exploring a similar career in the influencer and consultant space?
I didn’t set out to be an influencer or a consultant. Both came with time spent in the social media industry. I’m 18+ years in and while I’ve bounced around from media to non-profit to corporate, social media has been a percent or majority of the role. If I did it all over again from the start, I’d go about it very similarly, there’s a lot of value in working for a variety of employers. Plenty of professional skills to learn from different coworkers and supervisors; plus, in social media, plenty of different brands to try content on. Work for others as you learn what’s best for you.
