Meet Shamus Lahman of PufCreativ

Today we’d like to introduce you to Shamus Lahman. 

Hi Shamus, so excited to have you on the platform. So, before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Today I’m the Creative Director and Co-Founder of PufCreativ and proud to say we just celebrated our 5th year as an agency. We’ve grown from a team of 3 to now a team of about 30. I get to be creative and work with amazing companies and people every day and I know I’m super lucky to be in this position. I have an amazing wife and a giant dog and we’ve been traveling the US for the past few years living in cool parts of every region such as Santa Fe, NM the PNW, Colorado Mountains, and Monterey, Cali. In between these places, we’ll make sure to take a few weeks and get a trip in-between places. I just got back from Puerto Rico for a week and it was amazing. I’m very fortunate to be able to work on the road and see and do things other people dream of seeing. 

I am a first-generation Korean and Irish immigrant child. I was born in Korea and my sister was born in Guam then we moved to Las Vegas where I lived for 9 years. I then moved to Atlantic City, NJ where I finished out my high school and college and consider my hometown. My mom is a single mother because my dad passed when I was young. So, I learned a lot from her on work ethic and being creative. She can also out garden and out interior design the best of them. She was always rearranging our home layout and things like wallpaper and furniture to create a better design or whatever she wanted at the time. She also took a ton of photos and always had a camera around, which is something I took hold of and it started my creative journey. It wasn’t a direct correlation to my creative career today but I was unconsciously influenced by her growing up. 

I grew up as the skateboarder/snowboarder teen also into punk rock music and everything that goes with that. But since I had an interest for cameras and filming, I was always the one making videos or taking pics out my group of friends. I started with doing photos and videos for local companies, local agencies, and my friends’ brands. Then I learned how to create custom websites, and along with learning graphic design, I was able to freelance making money and supporting myself. I did attend college and was looking at becoming a financial advisor but knew the long office hours weren’t for me and I ended up dropping out to focus on my freelancing business. 

I moved to Breckenridge in 2012 where I had fun living in the mountains and while living in Colorado I knew if I wanted to go further or build something bigger, I’d need to partner up. I partnered up and we created our company PufCreativ. 

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The first main struggle was dropping out of college. You live your whole adolescent life thinking you need college and you have to get a degree. I dropped out of college because I couldn’t justify the debt and I didn’t have a passion to continue working in finance. So, dropping out was a low point but it was a good move, saved me from more debt, and I can gladly say I still use the knowledge I gained but glad I took this path. 

The other struggle was starting PufCreativ. I was trying to make ends meet with freelancing, I was helping my mom out and moved her to live with me, and I just started dating someone who is now my wife. That was a time when I could barely afford to pay rent and food. I was transitioning from one job to kick off PufCreativ. Things were slow in the beginning and had to make a ton of sacrifices but I knew it would work out and it did. I am happy to say I married my wife, got my mom into her own place where she’s comfortable, and PufCreativ is now 5 years old. 

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about PufCreativ?
PufCreativ is a full-scale digital marketing company for the cannabis industry. We help brands navigate the ever-changing and sometimes frustrating world of cannabis. Everything from creating your brand and logo, to custom web design, and advertising strategies, we help companies bring their brand to life. We work with all sectors of the industry, from dispensaries to manufacturing, small mom/pop shops, and everything in between.

We’ve worked with so many great companies and partners including Last Prisoner Project, Terrapin Care Station, Rebel Spirts, and the NACB. We have clients all over the USA and some parts of the world. 

We were voted this years and last year’s Agency of the Year by AdCann. 

I’ve very proud of the fact we have full-time employees, a bunch of contractors, and we’re able to support such a wonderful group of people. Getting to work with amazing humans every day and see them strive and prosper motivates me to want to keep going and do my best day in and day out with them. 

Contact Info:

• Email: hello@pufcreativ.com
• Website: pufcreativ.com
• Instagram: sha.moose