About Mint Media

Mint Media is a full service Digital Media Agency that specializes in Creative Web Design, Graphic Design, Video Production, Business Marketing, and Start-up Consulting. 

Mint Media is led by John Gibbs and a hand-picked group of local and talented developers, designers, and artists.  Mint Media is headquartered along the shores of the Chesapeake Bay in Annapolis, MD.  Their offices are located in the Pier Four Marina Complex that overlooks Downtown Annapolis in Eastport. 

About John Gibbs, President of Mint Media

His Father was a Ship Captain.  His Mother was a Teacher and Small Business Owner. His Sister is a Doctor. His Brother is a Teacher and Coach.  Talk about a family of leaders. 

John was the Entrepreneur.  Growing up, John was always focused on business.  Some kids had lemonade stands in front of their houses, while John had a full-service outdoor candy and soda conglomerate on the most highly trafficked piece of land in the neighborhood.  He landed his first real job getting a weekly paycheck at the age of 12 cleaning toilets at the community pool.  He held that job for 3 years and, in retrospect, was highly illegal at his age.

Fittingly, in 2001, John went off to college at Towson University to, well, study Business.  In 2005, he graduated with a Degree in Business Management. He was quickly hired by a local 4-person marketing company.  Shortly after being hired, the company doubled in size and John was now managing a staff.  The company then doubled again, then tripled, then quadrupled, and quadrupled again.  They landed on the Inc. 5000 list and his boss’ book was on the Best Sellers List for Barnes and Noble, Amazon, Business Week, Borders, and USA Today. John was at the helm of the Operations Department and running a 35+ person company that just went from fledgling “small business” to a multi-million dollar “industry leader” in less than 4 years.

Quitting His Job

It got too corporate.  He is a small business guy at heart.  John loved the success and money, but the company had lost the “small business” feel.   He had considered quitting his job, but America was in the middle of a financial and economic meltdown.  Conversations with his father about career changes were always followed with wise words of wisdom, such as “Stay Put” or “Not Yet.”  In his eyes, he was in the perfect position.  He did not have a wife, he did not have kids, and he did not own a home.  He would think, “If you are going to make a stupid decision, now is the time to do it.”  However, he took the words of wisdom from his father and buckled down for another year. 

John visited his parents in South Carolina during the winter of 2010.  He brought with him the business plan that was written on a 5 foot by 5 foot poster board that had been taped to his refrigerator at home for the past few months.  He was ready to prove himself.  He didn’t really NEED his father’s approval to do anything, however it was the blessing that he was really looking for.  Slowly, but surely his father was realizing that there was a sustainable business that could survive, even in this economy.  By the time he was heading back home from his visit the “Stay Put” and “Not Yet” comments had changed to “Go for it” and “Good Luck.”

Shortly after, it seemed as if an unspoken message went out to the rest of his family and friends, as he immediately had everyone’s full support.  So, after much consideration, he was to quit his extremely lucrative and safe job in the middle of the recession to start his own company.

In May of 2010, he left his job at the marketing company (on great terms) at the age of 26 to start the Mint Media Agency.

Best Decision Ever.