Michael Epps Utley 
Michael Epps Utley has been in the digital marketing game since its inception. From humble beginnings creating and coding websites for small businesses to leading a digital marketing agency that spans the globe, he’s seen firsthand how the industry has changed and has ideas about where it’s headed.
In this exclusive interview with Michael Epps Utley, GoEpps CEO and Founder, he discusses his experience in the industry, the many hats he wears today, and some of his favorite things about working in this space (and what he likes to do when he’s not in the office).
How long have you been working at GoEpps?
This business sort of began in 1999 when my wife was pregnant with our first son, Jack, and said she wanted to “stay home when the baby comes.” We were living on two meager salaries, and the idea of living on one meager salary was quite a lift. I was working in the publishing industry and bought a 4-inch thick book on my lunch hour titled “HTML.” I started building websites at night and went full-time in 2013. Jack is 25 now, the oldest of four sons, and getting a PhD in Chemistry, so it worked out.
What is your current role at GoEpps, and what does it entail?
The CEO in a company like this has to be both the sales team and the operations lead. We have a really great team in place and mastery of a number of digital marketing channels, but you have to be involved in everything a little bit.
My greatest pleasure in the role is solving client’s problems. Often, it’s about lead volume, gaining more prominence online, but my enjoyment comes from the process of understanding each situation and sharing what digital marketing can and can’t do for our clients.
What is your background in digital marketing?
I had a great start in my career in that the Internet was new when I entered the workforce. In 1998, when I completed a grad school program, we were right at the start of the graphic interface browsers.
My childhood included a TRS-80 Color Computer II. My dad bought it for me, and I started learning Basic. Recently, one of my boys set it up as a workstation and actually retrieved code for a little graphics generator I had created. It had been written and saved using a cassette tape drive in 1984. It ran.
My interest in content and computer systems continued from that point forward. Building websites got me a gig at a Nashville tech company that had been acquired by a big book retailer, and then I went to a sister company to head up digital marketing. The VP there had helped Bezos build the bookstore on Amazon before he came to Tennessee. As a new industry, digital marketing has been a learning curve all the way through, and each role a trial by fire to deliver or else.
What’s a project or campaign you’ve worked on that you’re particularly proud of?
We delivered a really great campaign for a healthcare roll-up that I really loved. The client wanted to run multiple websites off of one CMS install, and we did that.
It powered 15 brands, 100 storefront locations, and got great results. We dominated in search engines for some tough terms like ‘acne.’ So, yes, I am proud of acne.
What most excites you about the future of digital marketing? What are your concerns?
AI (Artificial Intelligence) is changing things, but we use it. It’s kind of a big deal, and we are just at the beginning of seeing what it does well and what it won’t do. No concerns, really — change is a constant.
What’s your favorite thing about working at GoEpps?
My team and our clients. Great group of people on both fronts. I get to talk to people across the country every day. That provides a unique vantage point to what is happening in the world.
What do you enjoy doing outside of work? Any side gigs or unique hobbies?
My wife and four sons are my biggest joy. Life with them has been very full. We have a good bit of family on both sides, so life is full. We’re coming up on 30 years of marriage this year, and it feels like yesterday that I fell in love.
My hobbies are hiking on the AT and biking across states, with a little scuba diving and flying airplanes added to the mix. I’m always training for a long-distance ride or working on some achievement.
Rapid fire: Favorite movie, TV show, book, and/or podcast?
Lawrence of Arabia. I watch it on Father's Day every year. My kids call it “Talking in the Desert” to mock my desire to repeat this ritual with them. It is on the shelf next to The Hunt for Red October, which is snidely referred to as “Talking Under Water.”
Favorite food or drink?
It was anything with the letters “IPA” in the name, but I got fat. So I changed that up and lost 50 pounds. Today, I’m a big fan of protein waffles with peanut butter and a little honey. Honestly, that’s my happy place.
