Michael Layton

Creative Director // Visual Storyteller // Strategic Thinker

I’m a multidisciplinary creative leader with 20+ years of experience transforming ideas into results across brand, digital, video, and experiential channels. I’ve led high-performing teams, both in-house and agency-side, through complex campaigns that drive engagement, conversion, and brand recognition.

My career spans collaborations with multiplatinum artists, Fortune 500 companies, and fast-growing startups, helping each define, elevate, and activate their brand through unforgettable creative. From launching multimillion dollar B2B video initiatives to building visual identities for consumer brands from scratch, my work blends storytelling with strategy to create bold, high-impact campaigns.

I’m as comfortable directing a video shoot as I am building brand systems, optimizing a campaign funnel, or mentoring junior creatives.

Whether overseeing global initiatives or hands-on with a storyboard, I approach every project with creative curiosity, operational efficiency, and a deep commitment to craft.

Leadership Snapshot:

• Team Builder & Mentor: Built and led multidisciplinary teams of designers, developers, copywriters, and producers, balancing high creative output with collaborative culture.

• Cross-Channel Strategist: Integrated branding, video, digital, and print for campaigns across healthcare, SaaS, entertainment, higher education, retail, tech, and so much more.

• Execution-Oriented Visionary: Known for balancing blue-sky thinking with tactical execution—delivering beautiful work that hits business goals.

• Creative Operations Pro: Skilled in managing budgets, timelines, stakeholders, freelancers, vendors, and executive reviews.

A few clients I have worked with

THE ONBASE INTEGRATION FOR EPIC EXPERIENCE

Overview
One of the most impactful campaigns I led was for the OnBase Integration for Epic Experience, a video initiative requested directly by the Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Hyland. The goal was to create a compelling narrative that could influence and close a multi-million dollar deal estimated at $2.3 million with a major healthcare provider.

Creative Approach
As Art Director, I oversaw the entire campaign from concept to execution. We crafted a 3-minute animated video that simplified the technical complexities of integrating OnBase with Epic, focusing instead on how it directly benefited clinicians and IT decision-makers. Through animated UI mockups, motion graphics, and voiceover storytelling, we communicated reduced click counts, improved workflow efficiency, and enhanced user experience—key factors in the purchasing decision.

Results:

• The video successfully helped influence and close the targeted $2.3 million deal.

• It also generated additional sales beyond the customer’s initial deployment, further increasing ROI.

• The piece was leveraged by the sales team across multiple healthcare verticals, and helped position Hyland as a trusted integration partner within the Epic ecosystem.

• It became one of Hyland’s most viewed and repurposed assets, used in conference presentations, pitch decks, and product demos.

This campaign demonstrated the power of creative storytelling to simplify complexity, influence high-stakes decisions, and drive measurable business outcomes.

onbase.com/imaging

Overview
After the success of our original Imaging Services campaign, we were tasked with refreshing the creative to better showcase how OnBase helps organizations go paperless through the “scan, store, retrieve” methodology. While the process itself can feel mundane, our challenge was to present it in a way that was clear, clever, and entertaining, something that would keep viewers engaged while still communicating the core value of imaging and document management.

Creative Approach
I led the creative development of a short, narrative-driven video that broke down each step in the imaging journey with visual storytelling, light humor, and relatable workplace scenarios. Our goal was to humanize the process and bring energy to what is often seen as a dry topic.

To support the video launch, we designed a dedicated microsite at OnBase.com/Imaging, which served as a content hub and lead-generation tool. This allowed us to highlight the refreshed messaging and collateral, while also tracking campaign performance through visitor engagement, video views, and conversions.

Results
The video and microsite reinvigorated interest in OnBase’s imaging solutions and gave the sales team a dynamic, modern tool to use in demos and outreach. The campaign drove measurable traffic to the site and helped reinforce OnBase’s leadership in document management solutions across verticals. Its success also reinforced the value of pairing creative storytelling with thoughtful UX and campaign structure.

chaz hunter campaign

Overview
The Chaz Hunter Challenge was a dynamic internal sales promotion campaign launched to drive awareness and sales of Imaging Services across the entire organization. Built around a fictional character named Chaz Hunter, an over-the-top sales hero, the campaign was designed to inject energy, humor, and competitiveness into the sales process. Our objective was to turn every account executive into a Chaz Hunter by incentivizing them to include Imaging Services in every sales conversation.

Creative Approach
I led the creative direction for the campaign, which included a landing page, a high-energy promotional video, themed sales enablement materials, and a quarterly recognition program. Each quarter, the top three sales reps with the most qualified Imaging Services leads received public recognition and monetary rewards during the company-wide sales meeting.

The video leaned into a tongue-in-cheek action-movie aesthetic, positioning “Chaz” as the ideal closer, someone who never missed a cross-sell opportunity. It helped set the tone for the campaign and made the promotional materials memorable, shareable, and fun.

Results
The campaign had a significant impact, generating $2.3 million in pipeline revenue and influencing over $500K in closed bookings by year’s end. Beyond the numbers, the Chaz Hunter Challenge created internal buzz, boosted cross-team collaboration, and cemented Imaging Services as a key part of the sales conversation. The campaign’s mix of humor, gamification, and clear incentives proved to be a winning formula for sales engagement.

TechQuest Conference

Overview
TechQuest is Hyland’s flagship customer and partner event, an immersive, week-long conference hosted three times annually at the company’s global headquarters in Westlake, Ohio. The event provides hands-on training, previews of new OnBase features, and opportunities for deep engagement with both internal teams and external stakeholders. My role was to lead the creative vision and physical execution of the event experience from the ground up.

Creative Approach
As Art Director, I was responsible for set design, signage systems, and branded environmental assets that transformed Hyland’s headquarters into a multi-day event space. I led concept development, design execution, and vendor coordination across all three iterations of the conference each year. In addition to branding the learning environment, I was also tasked with designing and producing evening events that fostered community and created memorable moments for attendees.

I collaborated closely with internal stakeholders and third-party partners to execute a cohesive, on-brand experience—while managing production timelines, installation logistics, and staying within a tightly defined budget. My leadership extended through pre-event planning, onsite execution, and post-event teardown.

Results
During my tenure, TechQuest saw a 16% increase in year-over-year attendance and generated over $925K in annual revenue. The conference evolved into a must-attend event for customers, partners, and employees alike, with consistently high satisfaction ratings. By elevating the visual identity, improving spatial flow, and creating richer moments of interaction, we transformed TechQuest into a true brand experience—one that left a lasting impression on Hyland’s user community.

onbase.com/premium

Overview
The OnBase.com/Premium campaign was initiated by the Director of Education Services as a strategic push to drive awareness and adoption of Hyland’s subscription-based training platform. The platform provided customers, partners, and employees with access to exclusive learning materials about Hyland’s core product, OnBase. The creative challenge: transform a utility-focused service into an engaging digital experience that felt more like a product launch than a training upgrade.

Creative Approach
I led the art direction and concept development for a branded microsite and promotional campaign that put storytelling at the center of the user experience. To bring the offering to life, we produced a short, entertaining video that highlighted the value of premium content access in a relatable and dynamic way. From storyboarding and pre-production scouting to serving as gaffer and grip on set, I remained hands-on throughout the video production process to ensure creative alignment from script to final cut.

The microsite itself featured clear messaging, updated branding, and a streamlined UX that allowed users to learn about the offering and immediately purchase or upgrade their subscription, right from the landing page. I handled the web design, custom graphics, and overall creative direction to keep the experience visually cohesive and conversion-focused.

Results
The campaign successfully raised visibility for the Premium subscription service, positioning it as a smart investment for anyone seeking to go deeper into the OnBase platform. By integrating an entertaining video narrative with seamless purchasing functionality, the microsite elevated what could have been a dry upgrade path into a polished, engaging product experience. The creative execution became a benchmark for future service promotions at Hyland.

Busch Light Presents: Nate Smith

Overview
When CMT came to Cleveland to film a one-night-only private performance by country artist Nate Smith, Busch Light needed the venue to feel like anywhere—and everywhere. The goal was to rebrand “Welcome To The Farm,” a well-known country bar, into a neutral but immersive Busch Light brand activation experience for both the cameras and the crowd. Woodshed was brought in to help transform the rustic space, replacing all interior venue branding with Busch Light visuals and turning the night into another Busch Country brand activation event.

Challenges
The event called for a complete visual takeover—without any trace of the venue’s original identity. All signage, logos, and familiar marks had to be covered or replaced. The branding needed to feel like Busch Light owned the space, while also giving a nod to country fans and Nate Smith’s presence at the event. Every touchpoint had to look sharp for camera crews, VIPs, and concertgoers alike.

Solutions
Woodshed delivered a wide range of branded materials to execute the transformation, including:

• Large-Format Fabric Banners – Oversized cloth banners were produced to cover up existing venue signage and wrap the space in Busch Light branding.

• Barricade Covers – Custom-printed barricade banners lined the entrance path and stage barricades to ensure a fully-branded experience from the moment guests arrived.

• Credentials – laminates & sticky passes designed for crew, venue staff, media, all-access, and meet & greet designations, creating a consistent and professional access control system.

• Meet & Greet Step & Repeat – A freestanding 10’ x 10’ Standup backdrop featuring Busch Light branding for fan photo ops and press moments.

• Promotional T-Shirts – “Busch Country” branded apparel helped drive home the theme and gave attendees a wearable takeaway.

Execution
From design to print to on-site installation, Woodshed worked quickly and seamlessly to deliver a full venue rebrand on a tight timeline. Every piece was made to look great on camera and even better in person. By showtime, the transformation was complete— Welcome To The Farm was now Busch Country.

Impact
The result was a flawless, immersive Busch Light experience captured on film and enjoyed by a room full of fans. The venue felt less like a Cleveland bar and more like a backdrop for the heart of country music. Busch Light branding took center stage alongside rising country star Nate Smith, creating a memorable night that looked and felt like it belonged anywhere in country music culture.

janet macoska photography

Overview
Legendary Cleveland rock photographer Janet Macoska originally approached Woodshed for help producing a limited-run wall calendar to gift and sell to fans, friends, and clients. But during our initial strategy session, it became clear the opportunity was bigger than a one-off calendar, we saw a chance to build her an elevated, future-proof online brand, that could scale beyond print runs and into a sustainable eCommerce channel.

Creative Approach
We proposed a comprehensive brand refresh and the development of a fully functional eCommerce website where Janet could sell her calendar, books, and prints—all supported by a fulfillment strategy that allowed her to stay creatively focused without getting bogged down by logistics.

Woodshed handled everything from visual branding and site design to user experience and backend eCommerce integration. The result was a polished platform that gave Janet full control over promotions while automating everything from inventory to order fulfillment. With a bold, image-forward design and seamless checkout experience, the new site became the cornerstone of her commercial operations.

Results
In the first three months after launch, Janet’s new website converted at over 10x the industry average for online stores and cut abandoned-cart rates by nearly 50% compared to standard benchmarks. Most impressively, she recouped her design and print investment in just 34 days. What began as a simple print project transformed into a thriving digital storefront, and a brand experience worthy of her iconic portfolio.

You can check out Janet’s website here or check out a more in depth explanation of Janet’s project over at our Woodshed Creative website.

just livin life

Overview
Two best friends came to Woodshed with a dream: to turn their laid-back lifestyle into a full-fledged apparel brand. They had the name and the vision but needed a creative partner to bring it all to life. We helped launch Just Livin Life from the ground up with a turnkey brand strategy, visual identity, apparel curation, and a fully functional eCommerce platform.

Creative Approach
Our team led the charge on developing a cohesive logo and branding system that captured the carefree, aspirational spirit of the brand. From there, we designed a stylish line of apparel and handled printing logistics to make sure quality matched the vision.

We also built a bold, easy-to-navigate eCommerce site that allowed the duo to launch as a fully operational lifestyle brand with little overhead and zero technical headaches. To bring it all together, we scouted locations and directed a professional photoshoot of the branded apparel, giving them a rich library of imagery for both website and promotional use.

Results
In a matter of weeks, Just Livin Life transformed from an idea into a polished, shoppable brand. The fully integrated platform gave the founders everything they needed to hit the ground running—from product design to fulfillment—and left them free to focus on growth, engagement, and spreading their message. The result: a lean, modern apparel business with branding and creative that feels anything but DIY.

You can check out the Just Livin Life website here or check out a more in depth explanation of the Just Livin Life project over at our Woodshed Creative website.