Team Profile: Michael Bodnar
Michael is Raison’s triple-threat—writer, web developer, and photographer—who tends to get himself involved in all types of projects. He’s a weird dude, father to a super cute baby, and a very consistent type of guy.
Everyone at Raison wears lots of hats. And not the beret type. What’s your favorite hat?
I do the most switch-hitting around here—I do copywriting, web development, photography, technical staff training, and content management. My favorite thing to do is something random, technical, and has a whole bunch of industry terminology. Being able to figure out what a company does, learn about it from a technical standpoint, and communicate to that industry and audience is cool.
For example, FG Clean Wipes comes from a surprisingly technical industry. When we went on-site to their manufacturing facility in Massachusetts to lead a seminar, I was giving a presentation on clean wipe attributes and branding correlations. I could tell I was boring the hell out of everyone in the room except for their lead sales guy. He said he lived and breathed the stuff and he loved what I had to say, so it was really cool to talk to someone who has been in the industry for 25 years and really speak their language. That’s my favorite part about what I do here.
What is the biggest influence and inspiration for your personal craft?
It really depends on the tasks of the day. I guess my biggest source of inspiration is when I see other people, in any field, killing it. It makes me want to try harder and do better. I love when I see hard work pay off for people.
Explain your dream client using only 3 words.
Loves my copy! Haha.
Raison d’etre is some fancy French-ness. What’s your favorite fancy and French thing?
I have a great vintage watch that I really like. It’s an old-school Russian windup and looks very odd. As for French things, that would have to be brie.
What’s the weirdest task you’ve done with Raison?
New Kent Wastewater Treatment was an interesting project, coming up with an interactive kiosk that projects to a TV. There were lots of technical challenges: going to an industrial facility and learning how it works, then writing scripts, and doing a video shoot with an external team and drones.
I did have to smoke a cigar for the “Will It Filter?” video too. I’m not surprised to be in several others’ weird work stories—I’m naturally an offbeat kind of guy.
Do you know how to jump rope? How confident are you?
Yes, very well. I boxed for a while and do martial arts so I can rock a jump rope. I can also do splits! But not while jumping rope.
Recently, Aaron came back from a trip to Peru and gave us all coca candies. What did yours taste like to you?
It was not good. I don’t have a sweet tooth to begin with so it was eh to me.
What overused industry buzzword do you hate the most? Why?
“Purpose-built”—it’s not super overused but it’s still annoying. Yes I get it, it wasn’t adapted from a different application. But still, of course it’s built for purpose. “We intend for it to work” just seems like a weak value proposition.
What’s your favorite playlist to play in the office?
Generally speaking, people don’t like my music here! I like weird, sad country music and a small handful of rock bands. Daniel Romano is probably my favorite artist. He comes to town every so often, and he’s spectacular. I play music on my own time, too.
How do you feel about the color pink?
I like it a lot for our brand, it’s highly differentiated and has a really nice tone and feel for our attitude as a company.
What’s your favorite thing about working here?
The attitude. Everyone genuinely wants us to do great work for clients and have a pleasant work environment. It shouldn’t be, but that is difficult to find.
People here aren’t worried about money, they’re worried about being genuinely good and helping clients.
What do your friends and family know you for?
I’d say they know me as a very solid, predictable guy. I’ve known my closest friends since I was a little kid. My two best friends today are from kindergarten and middle school. I offer no surprises! What you see is what you get and I say what I’m thinking, usually in a polite way. I avoid BS in all facets of my life.
What one thing about work keeps you up at night?
If there are problems when there isn’t a clear path to resolution, I hate leaving things hanging. Even if the path to resolution is challenging, that’s okay. I just have to be able to figure it out in my head.
