Ernie began his career in 1993 as a storyboard artist for an ad agency in SLC, UT after studying illustration at Utah State University. Two years later he founded a creative production studio called 8fish that built a reputation for illustration, animation, video production, ad design, writing, and brand development for a variety of clients. Ten years later he led Maverik’s marketing and branding efforts as their Exec Dir of Marketing which catapulted Maverik into a $3 billion dollar brand.