Michelle Tyo‑Johnson says she didn’t really decide what she wanted to be when she grew up until she was in her 40s. Early on, her artist mom and grandmother tried convincing her to go into advertising.
Instead, she majored in recreation group management with an emphasis in tourism at Kent State, diving into a career in hospitality. It was an industry that kept her working 60 to 80 hours a week. She recalls one Christmas when her son asked her, ‘Why are you home?’ and she decided something had to give. That was in 2009, and Tyo‑Johnson found a place with Green Bay‑based NorthCoast Productions, a firm she knew from working with events.
“That really was the best decision I ever made,” Tyo‑Johnson says. And when NorthCoast’s former owner purchased Made Ya Look — which offers live events and productions — it “just tied in perfectly with my background in hospitality. It was really kind of this full circle.”
Tyo‑Johnson purchased the two companies in October 2021 and brought them under one name, NorthCoast Media Group, which is now one of the largest media production companies in the Midwest, she says.
In 2025, President/CEO Tyo‑Johnson also had the opportunity to acquire Appleton‑based Image Studios, “which just seemed like such a great fit. It was great people. It was also owned by a phenomenal woman [President/CEO Donna Gehl], which is rare in our industry.”
Tyo‑Johnson says she grew up with powerful, creative women in her life: Her grandmother was an art teacher; her mother worked as a draftsman in the ’80s. Her aunt went to law school in the ’70s; her stepmother traveled the world with an orthotics career.
“I’ve been blessed to have these women in my life who have broken down barriers, whether they believe they did or not,” says Tyo‑Johnson, who as a result grew up believing she could pursue whatever career she wished. Today, she loves the opportunity in her industry to be creative while telling stories.
Running a business as a creative is about being visionary — having the ability to see things in a different way — as well as having the right people in place, she says. One of the challenges for Tyo‑Johnson as a business owner this past year has been merging two teams, each from long‑established creative businesses, together as a unified whole.
“There were two different systems, two different personalities, different ways of doing things … I learned a lot this past year, more than probably any other point in my career about people and leadership, and what that means,” Tyo‑Johnson says.
She counts Brandon Dziatkewich, who was a senior producer at Image Studios and now NorthCoast’s COO, as a great catalyst for making things happen and a balance to her visionary side, she says. It’s important “to have different voices at the table and listen to those voices,” she says. “Because if you surround yourself with people just like you, you’re not going to be successful, right?”
Tyo‑Johnson shares her work with the community, serving on both the boards of Curative Connections and the Boys & Girls Club of the Bay & Lakes Region. Nominator Johanna Wicklund of the Boys & Girls Club says Tyo‑Johnson “is a community leader who boldly uses her authentic voice, lived experience, and influence as a business leader to positively impact change across our Northeast Wisconsin communities.”
For Tyo‑Johnson, “it’s about being able to use my talents — our team’s talents — and make our community better. Yes, we want to make money … but we want to be able to support the community that supports us.”
* Photograph by Shane Van Boxtel / Image Studios
