Our Team

Matt Hoffman

Born and raised in Ashland, Oregon. For two decades, Matt Hoffman has been pushing creative boundaries of advertising and storytelling, directing commercials for the world’s leading brands. Nike collaborations launched his career and resulted in some of the most iconic and beloved films in Nike’s history, establishing his status as a master storyteller. Acclaimed works for Gatorade, Michelob, Nissan, ESPN, and Capital One highlight an awe-inspiring list of celebrities, brands, agencies, and awards. A 360 LED wall installation, featuring Kobe Bryant and Gwen Stefani, helped secure the 2028 Olympic bid for the City of Los Angeles. In 2025, Matt joined the illustrious director roster of world-renowned production company hungryman with offices in LA, NYC, London, and Rio De Janeiro. He lives in Ashland, Oregon, with his wife Noelle and children Desmond and Viva.

Founder/Creative Director

Montana Hauser

Based in Ashland, Montana is driven to bring people together and as an elite Operations Director has spent 15 years turning ideas into live events. She’s skilled at making tough plans work, executing massive big-name events from Coachella to the Preakness Stakes, major Esports events like Immortals Gaming Club and Los Angeles’ Valiant. Her events are smooth, inspiring, and keep clients coming back. Montana’s creative and strategic skills have helped shape famous festivals and events across music, sports, non-profits, and more. Now, she wants to bring her passion and experience to Ashland, Oregon where she now calls home. She tackles each project with resourcefulness, humor, and heart, believing every goal can be reached with the right team, clear focus, and just the right sprinkle of good-natured sarcasm.

Head of Operations

Karolina Lavaningno

Marketing Director

Karolina is a seasoned marketing professional with over 20 years of experience in event production. As the owner of Wild Thyme Productions and the founder and producer of the Oregon Chocolate Festival and FERMENTOPIA, she brings a wealth of expertise in public relations, community and visitor engagement, and integrated marketing across traditional, digital, and social platforms. Driven by creativity and a passion for crafting memorable experiences, Karolina now applies her skills to building and promoting the one-of-a-kind Ashland Sarcasm Festival and all other Storytown events, along with many regional festivals, conferences and community activations.

Susan Elshire 

Bookeeper

coming soon!

Amanda Morgan

Social Media

Amanda has over 9 years of experience in marketing and social media, and 3 years in photography and design, combining these skills to help businesses and organizations like Storytown elevate their brands through social media storytelling.