Liv Longin, Founder of Bozeman Media Design

Liv Longin launched Bozeman Media Design four years ago with $400, a logo she made in Canva, and a hunch that nobody in Montana was doing social media marketing at the level it deserved. She was right. Today BMD works with some of the most recognized names in the state — and plenty beyond it. We sat down with Liv to talk roots, risk, and what it really means to build something in Montana.

You grew up here, left for the entertainment world, and eventually came back. What brought you home — and was it a hard decision?

At the time I was living in Philadelphia and the entertainment industry was really uncertain. I had been accepted to study at the Moscow Art Theatre — and that all got shut down. I was working in a restaurant, not very happy, COVID was winding down and my parents were like, just come home. And honestly, because of everything going on, Montana was the place to be — so moving back during that moment made it easier than I expected. I spent that first summer baking cherry pies with my grandma, going hiking, meeting up with old friends, fly fishing, etc. I fell back in love with Montana. I was able to appreciate it in a completely different light after having been away.

You started BMD at 25 with almost nothing. What did those first six months actually look like?

I was living with two roommates I found on Facebook Marketplace. I had just enough money to buy the LLC, buy the domain, and order a quantity of 15 pieces of stationery with a logo I’d made in Canva. I’d go work in the Barnes and Noble cafe and just start reaching out to people. It was wine from water those first six months. But I got my first client within six weeks, and from there it took off.

You talk a lot about being a sixth generation Montanan. What does that actually mean for your business?

I grew up not even really thinking about it — Montana wasn't cool to me growing up. But now, in Bozeman especially, where most people are from out of state, it's become a rare badge of honor. Companies coming into this state want the trust of locals. If a generational Montanan is helping market their brand, there's a credibility that comes with that. And I genuinely love the growth of this state. I always say I’m the girl that will have flown in from Cali the night before, wake up to drive to Fort Benton, make a pit stop into a Town Pump to eat a hot dog and then have a small town weekend in my old boots. My parents own and operate the Grand Union Hotel, Montana's oldest operating hotel, so Fort Benton really is a home away from home. I love living in both of those worlds.

BMD works with everyone from a global luxury resort brand to a real estate group in Havre. Is that range intentional?

Completely. If you’re going to come build a business in Montana, use local Montanans — and I want to be accessible to Montana businesses at every level. We’re also working on a tourism project for Destination Fort Benton, which is a passion project for me personally. That range is important. It’s who we are.

Four years in, it sounds like BMD is just getting started. What's coming next?

Every business goes through seasons, and I think the last year has really been about figuring out what the next chapter of BMD looks like. I’ve built an incredible team and trained them to the point where I can step back from the day to day and focus on the work that lights me up, and that clarity has been everything. The doors that have opened in the last few months have been insane. We’re also launching a podcast very soon that I’m incredibly excited about. We’ve spent three months building it out properly with a real studio, a sound engineer, and a composer writing our intro. What started as a social media company has grown into a full digital marketing agency, and I think we’re just seeing the beginning. There is no better time to be an entrepreneur in Montana than right now. The American dream lives strong here.

Find BMD's work at bozemanmediadesign.com. Follow the agency at @bozemanmediadesign and follow Liv at @livlongin