Mary Blackmon explains what Farm Star Living is about, as well as her inspiration behind creating the brand and elevating farmers & making farms more accessible!
Launched January 2013, Farm Star Living was the very first website to create a ‘farm to table’ lifestyle that both spotlighted the farmer and farms to the consumer public by making this often misunderstood world of farming more personable, relatable, accessible and even entertaining! This was and has been a ground-breaking, creative, purpose-driven business launched by Mary Blackmon.
MARY BLACKMON - BIO 
Mary Blackmon has been an expert in digital media for 28 years. She began her career as a SAG actress, with roles in an Emmy Award-winning TV series, feature films, national commercials, and stage productions. Mary then found her true calling in advertising, working for magazines in NYC before joining WIRED in 1996, where she helped introduce the 'ad banner' to agencies and clients across the country. She later worked for the Walt Disney Internet Group and Vivendi-Universal Internet until she launched her first groundbreaking internet business in 2003, a precursor to the Groupon model.
Since then, Mary has continued her entrepreneurial journey, launching three more innovative media businesses inspired by her evolving passions and professional interests. The first brand, Spa-Addicts, focused on empowering a lifestyle of self-care with affordable spa, wellness, and beauty services. Her next venture, Farm Star Living (currently in its twelfth year), promoted a healthy lifestyle by elevating farms and farmers, showcasing farm-fresh foods as the central theme of life. This was inspired by her own role as farmer when she took over her family rice farm’s operations. Most recently, she created a brand integrating wellness travel with a farm-fresh twist, offering profiles on spas and resorts that provide spa and wellness services using organic, fresh ingredients in their cuisine and spa treatments.
Mary's website businesses' lifestyle content and video services have attracted clients including Procter & Gamble, Johnson & Johnson, General Motors, Green Giant Fresh, and Kimberly-Clark. She has been featured in numerous national publications, including O, The Oprah Magazine, Self, Cosmo, Women's Health, Health, Forbes Traveler, and more. Mary has also appeared on Extra TV, TV Guide's Fashion TV, Fox & Friends, CBS NY, and has hosted hundreds of videos.
Mary also launched a boutique advertising agency, Blackmon Media Group, to assist a select few clients with their marketing and creative needs beyond her website offerings. Her agency creates groundbreaking programmatic media campaigns with AI, digital and urban billboard campaigns, and shoppable inventory campaigns on networks of 200+ grocery shopping apps. This includes all creative production: writing, producing, and filming TV commercials, as well as producing, filming, and editing on-location videos, composing and recording jingles, and creating on-air audio spots. Blackmon's theatrical background allows her to assist clients with on-air messaging, and she has hosted or appeared in many videos and TV commercials.
Today, whether clients are participating in her digital platforms or widespread messaging across the USA, Mary integrates her passion and expertise to help clients tap into their unique positions, attract new audiences, showcase their products, and tailor their messages in creative and trend-setting ways.
Farm Star Living is run by a team of talented editors, internet marketers, designers, researchers, and programmers all over the USA and headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.
John Reynolds - CFO
John D. Reynolds serves as CFO for Farm Star Living after a career as an Investment Advisor for A.G. Edwards and Sons and Portfolio Manager for First Commercial Bank in Little Rock, which was acquired by Regions Bank. He has also been involved in economic development in Arkansas and currently serves as Executive Vice President and on the Board of Directors of the El Dorado and Wesson Railway Company, Natural Resources Inc., and Triangle Industries Inc. He is also a tree farmer. In his spare time, Mr. Reynolds has served on numerous boards and committees such as Arkansas Special Olympics, Arkansas Children's Hospital, and the Arkansas Repertory Theatre. He received an award as one of the Outstanding Young Men of America in 1989.
Michael Machat - Legal Department
Graduate of Duke University and UCLA Law School, Michael Machat has had a long career in law, from music entertainment to trademark and IP. In the music industry, he followed his father's footsteps, who was the first ever music entertainment lawyer with incredible clients including Phil Specter, Leonard Cohen, the Who, Rolling Stones, E.L.O, the KINKS, Herman Hermits, Phil Specter, Leonard Cohen, the Platters and more. Michael's clients have included New Edition, James Brown, Genesis, John Waite, Sister Sledge and others, but he found his true calling in Trademarks and Intellectual Property. In fact, he brought one trademark case to the Supreme Court, tried it and won. He serves as Farm Star Living's counsel and defends all trademark and IP initiatives for the business.
Brieanna Moore - Recipe Developer & Photographer
Brieanna (aka Brie) joins the team after spending many years in the restaurant industry, customer service and event coordination. With a passion for people, fresh food, and the #livegrounded lifestyle, she’s helping Farm Star Living by bringing her strong work ethic and detail-oriented approach to the team, and managing all recipe operations. Brie is also in charge of creating video reels of these recipes, developing and photographing them, and helping Farm Star Living clients with their unique needs.
Aubree SchillerAubree has joined as Social Media & Brand Director. She has brought more than a decade of experience in digital marketing, social media and brand management to Farm Star Living and its clients. She has helped create the vision and strategy for Farm Star Living, as social media has become more critical to messaging and creating relationships across all platforms. Her can-do approach, discerning eye and penchant for brand elevation has helped Farm Star Living and its clients find more engagment and enthusiasm across new audiences on all digital outlets.
Carole Ann Padgett - AccountantCarole Ann Padgett has been in practice for 30 years and serves as Farm Star Living's Accountant, Bookkeeper and Accounts Receivable. She received her Masters in Taxation from Georgia State University and keeps Farm Star Living books up to date and all accounts in good standing.
Jason Byron Nelson - Creative Graphics, Web Designer
Jason Byron Nelson is our creative designer and guru and follows his own styles and passions. It wasn't until after college, where he majored in fine-art, that Nelson began to follow the path created by the illustrators that inspired him years earlier. Today, Nelson works as an art-director for an advertising agency and is our point person for our creative design and graphic illustrations. Focusing on illustration and design, as well as his own fine-art, Nelson dives in head-first. A touch of the unconventional, a bit confrontational, but always engaging, Jason Byron Nelson tries his best not to bore his audience - and we at Farm Star Living are never bored with what he creates!
Joe McGinley - Programmer
Joe McGinley began programming at the early age of 10 years old. At the age of 13 he started programming in c++ and enrolled in courses. Joe realized his passion at an early age and has since established himself as a respected software developer with proficiency in C#, Java, HTML, LAMP, JQuery (JavaScript), Objective-C, among other languages and technologies. Joe specializes in applying his mobile app design and development skills in iOS, Android, and Windows Phone to mobile initiatives. Joe was also awarded first place in the FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America) program in 2009.
If you are interested in interning with us, please email us with your resume to hello@farmstarliving.com.