Moa Media is owned and operated by Ben Johnstone, a professional with over 25 years of experience in graphic design, interactive and website development.
Hi, I’m Ben. Originally from Christchurch, New Zealand, I’ve spent the past 15+ years living in the legendary Village of Cumberland on Vancouver Island with my wife and two sons. When I’m not working from my home studio, you’ll likely find me exploring the Cumberland Trail Network or picking tunes on my Martin Dreadnought D-15.
I earned a Diploma in Visual Communications and Graphic Design back in Christchurch, majoring in Illustration. Since then, I’ve worked with several advertising and marketing agencies across New Zealand and Canada as an interactive designer and developer. As the web continues to evolve, I’ve loved keeping up with the latest frameworks and technologies—staying curious and always learning.
I’ve been building websites and brands since the mid-90s, back when “responsive design” meant resizing your browser window and hoping for the best.
Over 25 years in, I still love this work. There’s something deeply satisfying about taking a business’s identity and translating it into something that looks sharp, loads fast, and actually converts.
I operate as Moa Media, a one-person consultancy based in the Comox Valley, BC. I work with two kinds of clients: small and mid-sized business owners who need a trusted partner to build and manage their online presence, and marketing agencies looking for an experienced contract WordPress developer to help deliver their projects.
On the design side, I build custom WordPress themes and brand identities that feel intentional. No cookie-cutter layouts. Just clean, purposeful design built around who you are and who you’re trying to reach.
On the technical side, I go deep. Custom theme development, ecommerce and online storefront builds, WooCommerce and subscription setups, server administration, and performance optimization. I run my own managed hosting infrastructure with 30+ client sites on it, and manage many more beyond that. When issues come up, I’m on it fast.
I’m also a strong believer in self-hosted, open source WordPress over managed platforms like Shopify. The flexibility is unmatched, and it keeps ongoing costs significantly lower without sacrificing quality.
Drop me a line, let’s see if we’re a good fit.