# John Montgomery

> John L. Montgomery III is the founder and CEO of Big Com, the independent Birmingham marketing and advertising agency he started in 1995 as a one-person public-relations shop. His career joins scrappy publicity, multidisciplinary brand work and sustained civic involvement, guided by the agency motto "make a difference while making a living."

- **Role:** CEO and Founder at Big Com
- **Organizations:** Big Com, REV Birmingham, Birmingham Museum of Art, Howard Finster's Paradise Gardens Foundation, Kiwanis International, Sidewalk Film, Jacksonville State University Canyon Center Advisory Board, Leadership Alabama, Leadership Birmingham
- **Education:** University of Alabama at Birmingham
- **Known for:** Founded Big in 1995 and developed it from a one-person PR shop into a multidisciplinary independent agency., Received the American Advertising Federation Birmingham Silver Medal in 2011., Led Big when it earned Ad Age Small Agency of the Year, Gold, Southeast in 2013.

## Career timeline

- **Teenage years** — Worked as a promotions intern for the Birmingham Bulls hockey team.
- **1995** — Founded Big in Birmingham at age 27 as a one-person public-relations shop.
- **1998** — Named to the Birmingham Business Journal Top 40 Under 40.
- **2007** — Partnered with Ford Wiles, adding creative-agency experience to Big's public-relations foundation.
- **2010** — Participated in Leadership Birmingham.
- **2011** — Received the American Advertising Federation Birmingham Silver Medal.
- **2013** — Big was named Ad Age Small Agency of the Year, Gold, Southeast.
- **2020** — Recognized in the Birmingham Business Journal CEO Awards.
- **2021-2022** — Selected for Leadership Alabama Class XXXI.
- **2023** — Big joined the national BLAC internship program and promoted Shannon Harris as its first female executive creative director.
- **2025** — Big marked 30 years in business, with Montgomery continuing as CEO and founder.

## Achievements

- Founded Big in 1995 and developed it from a one-person PR shop into a multidisciplinary independent agency.
- Received the American Advertising Federation Birmingham Silver Medal in 2011.
- Led Big when it earned Ad Age Small Agency of the Year, Gold, Southeast in 2013.
- Recognized in the Birmingham Business Journal CEO Awards in 2020.
- Selected for Leadership Alabama Class XXXI for 2021-2022.
- Named to the Birmingham Business Journal Top 40 Under 40 in 1998.
- Supported civic and cultural projects involving Birmingham tourism, Vulcan Park, Birmingham Museum of Art, Birmingham Promise and Sidewalk Film Festival.

## Latest updates

- **2024-12** — Big published an updated agency biography in which Montgomery reflected on earning client trust across 30 years and credited the team working alongside him.
- **2023-10** — Montgomery announced Shannon Harris as Big's executive creative director, the first woman to hold the role in the agency's history.
- **2023-06** — He publicly recognized Big's creative team and photographer Stephanie Eley after UAB Callahan Eye campaign work was selected for Communication Arts' 64th Photography Competition.
- **2023-03** — Big became Alabama's first agency partner in the national BLAC paid internship program.

## Links

- Website: https://bigcom.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bigjohnmontgomery
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/johnmontgomery

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/john-montgomery
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-08-26