Matt Baier's Biography

When Muppets Panic…

Matt Baier and his old friend Beaker

It was at the famous Jim Henson Company in New York, where Matt Baier made the move from a lifelong amateur organizer to a Professional Organizer. Starting as an Illustrator at Henson in 1997, Matt was struck by the stress, tension, and downright panic that came from the inefficiencies of the Design Department. It should be the most fun place in the world to work!

In 2002 Matt was promoted to Department Head of Design Services and was given a golden opportunity to bring out the best in this beloved property, but the challenges were great: the department was now half the size it was when he started, yet the daily demands for product corrections and new artwork were bigger than ever. Matt trusted that all these problems could be solved through good organization. He was right.

Matt had already demonstrated his organizing talents by orchestrating a department move from the basement to the third floor, a space half the size. Matt systematically purged all office equipment and supplies by a full 50% and he created a well-executed floor plan, allowing for a greater level of comfort and efficiency in less space.

As Department Head, Matt also brought increased efficiency to the process of product correction by making every step of it digital. Correction comments that once took 2-3 weeks to turn around, now could be returned the same morning the product was received, by email.

Matt addressed the Licensees' growing demand for new artwork by rethinking old conventions and by establishing realistic, but regular production schedules. As a result, more useable Muppet and Muppet Baby artwork was created in Design Services in one year than in the previous TEN years combined.

Despite all his increased responsibilities, Matt also found time to take on a challenge that had grown unchecked for the last 15 years: outside storage. An accumulation of old files and copies of artwork over the years was costing the company thousands of dollars. Working with his team, Matt systematically and carefully went through the hundreds of boxes and portfolios, until 85% of them were purged from the costly storage facility.

Not surprisingly, a by-product of Matt's increased efficiency and productivity was a lowering of stress both inside the department and between other departments. Emergencies and panics still came to his department, but now it was prepared to defuse them quickly.

Now that the Muppets have gone another path, Matt has too. As an independent Professional Organizer he offers the same kind of time-saving, space-saving, and money-saving solutions to all small businesses, homes, and home offices in the New York City and Southern Connecticut area.