Who is Doyle Martin?
Thank you for taking the time to visit. I am Doyle Martin, the founder, principal, lead designer, and driving force behind Martin Designs. In essence, Martin Designs is an extension of myself. So why should you choose to work with me? Allow me to share my journey and expertise to give you a better understanding of who I am, where I come from, and what I can bring to the table.
I'm a 35+ year veteran of the live events industry. I've been a part of the live event industry longer than I've been involved with anything else in my life. In all those years, I've done many different things and had experience in every area of the event and meeting industry.
- I've toured with live music acts, doing concerts that allowed me to travel all over the world. I was a lighting tech, dimmer tech, and crew chief early in my career. I later evolved into a programmer and lighting director/designer.
- As a lighting designer, director, and programmer, I've lit numerous US Presidents (in and out of office) and international dignitaries. I've done lighting and production for debutante balls, charity luncheons, backyard parties, and the entire Ft. Worth Zoo for nighttime charity events. I've lit runways for some of the most prominent fashion designers in the world and stages for the top CEOs in the business world. I've designed and programmed T. V. studios for news broadcasts and live televised events.
- As a production manager and technical director, I've spent years managing corporate meetings, product announcements, events, parties, and trade show stands for companies of all sizes in almost every industry. I've even provided all the production services for a UN Convention in Monterrey, Mexico.
- I've done everything in the AV world, from setting break-out rooms to managing area-sized main tents. I have practical knowledge in all AV disciplines, special effects, and cutting-edge show technologies.
Outside of the AV world, I've experience with web development, design, and SEO. My experience comes from what started as a simple hobby. You see, back in the early '90s, when the web was new, I wanted a fishing website. I bought the domain name "LakeTawakoni.com" and created a hobby website. From those humble beginnings, I taught myself HTML coding and basic javascript. As I already had experience in graphic design from working with film and digital projection, it was easy to transition to web graphics. As the site grew, so did my skills, as I added an open-source PHP shopping cart and classifieds. I developed the LakeTawakoni.com community site into a self-sustaining, profitable business. I sold it to another web developer in 2003 when it had outgrown the time I could devote to its upkeep and management.
I spent all my time between 2013 and 2021 as part of the executive management team at TLS Productions, Inc. I was part of the management/ownership group that purchased the company in 2013. We immediately rebranded the company and created a corporate culture of servitude and success. As COO, it was my job to lead and grow our sales and marketing teams, improve our production operations, and provide strategic guidance to all our teams in Ann Arbor, Las Vegas, and across the country. Our efforts were rewarded in 2019 when the Hibino Group out of Japan purchased TLS productions making us part of the Hibino USA family. After the challenges and changes hoisted onto our industry during the Covid19 pandemic, I found it necessary to retire from my COO position in late 2021 and move on to something different with my mindset to get back to the "show" side of show business.
I missed being in the thick of the high pressure - it must be right - no second chances world of live events. The knowledge I gained in company operations, sales, marketing, team building, culture building, corporate finance, and mergers and acquisitions has given me a new set of skills and a broader appreciation of the business world. However, after weighing my options and seeing how the landscape of the live events industry has changed (is, in fact, still evolving), I've decided to focus my talents on helping planners and producers with affordable consultation, design, and CAD services.
On a more personal note, in my spare time, I enjoy creative writing, mostly poetry and short stories, but I'm always threatening to write a best-selling novel. In the last few years, I have also begun the journey of becoming a farmer. I'm planting and caring for a pecan orchard as part of my family-owned farm in NE, Texas, where I make my home. The learning experiences continue, and at least I'll never be bored.
Doyle W. Martin Jr.
Principle
Martin Designs
