MY STORy

"what's your story... got...wals?!" 

The year was 1989, and a great blizzard befell the land of Bloomington, Indiana, a bustling college town oasis in the middle of a desert of corn and conservatism. The night was dark and full of... Oh hell! That's not what you came here for! 

The Early Years...

My name is Jeremy Gotwals. I was born and raised in Bloomington, Indiana. I was bred into the world of music, entertainment, marketing, and media. My path as a guitarist and media professional began when I was only 14 - as I hosted a talkshow on local radio, wrote for the local paper, cut my teeth as a musician playing shows and serenading college girls, and learned the ways of design via Macromedia before it was acquired by Adobe. I built my first websites from scratch using Dreamweaver and Fireworks before I even started High School. I designed digital art to accompany my musical compositions and the rest, was history, my passion for the digital world only grew with time. During those same years, I was trained in theatre and voice.

Between the ages of 15 and 19 I lost 150 lbs through walking, yoga, and meditation. So needless to say, I understand the meaning of the words hard work and transformation. 

the freelancer & performer

I starred in two internationally airing shows on MTV Networks, "MTV's Super Made, Jeremy & Chelsea Rockers" in 2007, and the Truth Rider Challenge Mini-Series in 2009. I appeared as a contestant on American Idol in 2011, making it to the fourth round, before being told by Jennifer Lopez and Aerosmith's Stephen Tyler that I should leave for Broadway. I didn't leave for Broadway. Perhaps I'll do that later. 

Between the years of 2007 and 2009, I worked a variety of design, sales, and marketing jobs and internships. While attending college at Indiana University, I worked in fundraising for Indiana University, with an 88% percent pledge rate, raising over $130k for IU in three months (in other words, over 88% of the people I made contact with gave to the University - and that was just my average). 

In 2010, at the age of 20, I forged my own path as a freelance graphic design and marketing professional, and learned the very hard lessons of contracts and negotiations. After being swindled out of more completed-work-without-pay than I could afford to withstand, I took a summer off to travel and live off of my street music. I survived... long enough to return to the grind of my digital profession, yet having made it to the fourth round of American Idol and having already performed for audiences large and small around the country. 

Holon Publishing and beyond...

A number of jobs later, In late 2011, after touring as a freelance marketer for a children's author, working in sales for a publishing company, designing ads for a PR firm, and even being paid to model in ads for State Farm and other brands, I founded Holon Publishing. 

The story of how and why I founded Holon Publishing deserves its own space and recognition. Holon is a publishing company and digital agency - publishing and marketing books for authors around the world - and providing branding, design, marketing, and content-related services to businesses of all sizes primarily in the Midwest. 

In 2013 I gave an opening performance for His Holiness the Dalai Lama (while also managing all of the media for the event), and in 2014 I recorded and released my EP Dragonfly. In August of 2015, I traveled across the country with a friend from college to co-host and co-produce a film and travel show called Blazing Thumbs -  where I hitchhiked to Burning Man while running my company from the road - you can read more about Blazing Thumbs here. 

In 2014 I moved to Indianapolis, IN, and in 2015 I moved to Cincinnati, OH, where I now reside with my fiancee.

Today...

In January of 2016 I lost my mom.

After her death, I moved into my new office in downtown Cincinnati, where I plotted the rebranding of my company and personal brand. Now, the marketing and creative agency side of Holon Publishing will be known as the firm Geronimo. Holon Publishing will continue to operate as a publishing and marketing company for books and authors. Morrison Media, my mom's former PR firm, is being reborn with these brands as well. All under the Gotwals Media Group LLC. 

I continue to be a musician, performer, entrepreneur, and multi-disciplinary professional with the intention of building things that make the world a better place. My life has been more exciting and filled with more drama and events than I can even begin to fill on this digital space before losing your attention. I hope that my story can inspire you, or at the very least, entertain you, and I hope that my work makes your life - or at least the life of someone you know - better, happier, and more full.