Creative Maco

Photography, film, web, and systems.
From the first idea to the finished work — all in one pair of hands.

A small one-person studio in Madarao Kogen, Nagano, working across web design and management, film, and software. Most work starts from planning and direction for web promotion and marketing, and then the filming, building, and everything in between is handled here too.

About

Creative Maco is the one-person studio of Koichi Makino, based in Madarao Kogen. It works across website design and management, film, and software — and is especially good at planning, advice, and production for web promotion and marketing.

Most projects start from planning and direction, and other people join to help when a project is large. Photography, film, web, and systems are not separate services here — they are tools used together to reach one goal. Being able to plan a whole project across all of them is the strength of this studio.

Makino has worked in the outdoor, action sports, and local tourism fields for a long time. He takes what a brand or business really wants to say and, using what he has seen and heard in person, turns it into something clear and easy to understand.

Services

For each goal, the right tools are chosen and used together. The four below are not separate services — they are all part of the same work.

  • 01

    Film

    Cinematic video. Commercials, promo videos, and concept films. Planning, directing, and filming.

  • 02

    Photography

    Products, locations, and documentary work. Experience with magazine and commercial shoots.

  • 03

    Web

    Planning, directing, building, and running websites — the online face of tourism spots, shops, and brands.

  • 04

    Systems

    Laravel / Vue / TypeScript / WordPress · PHP. Reservation, event, and multi-tenant platforms, core systems, and app development.

Work

Film

  • Major Japanese fishing tackle brand — corporate commercial (60s)

    Major Japanese fishing tackle brand — corporate commercial (60s)

    VideoMajor Japanese fishing tackle brand

    • DP
    • Filming

    A 60-second corporate commercial for the fishing tackle division. Joined as director of photography (DP).

  • Major Japanese fishing tackle brand — flagship reel promo

    Major Japanese fishing tackle brand — flagship reel promo

    VideoMajor Japanese fishing tackle brand

    • DP
    • Filming

    A promo film for a flagship reel. Filmed in Australia, New Zealand, and the USA. Joined as director of photography (DP).

  • Major Japanese bicycle component brand — urban concept film

    Major Japanese bicycle component brand — urban concept film

    VideoMajor Japanese bicycle component brand

    • DP
    • Filming

    A concept film for an urban-concept component group. Filmed in New York. Joined as director of photography (DP).

  • Major Japanese brand — footwear / eyewear / bag concept proposal

    Major Japanese brand — footwear / eyewear / bag concept proposal

    VideoMajor Japanese brand

    • Planning
    • Directing
    • Filming

    A concept proposal for footwear, eyewear, and bags. Filmed near Barcelona, Spain.

  • FROM THE TRAILS

    FROM THE TRAILS

    VideoHiroki Ishikawa

    • Planning
    • Directing
    • Filming

    Released as a pioneering full-scale trail-running film. Made with trail runner Hiroki Ishikawa, it captures the four seasons of the Shin'etsu region. Three years from concept to edit.

    Visit site

Web

  • Major hotel chain — rebrand & site renewal

    Major hotel chain — rebrand & site renewal

    WebMajor hotel chain

    • Direction
    • Production

    A site renewal accompanying a rebrand. Direction and production over roughly two months with a multi-person team.

  • International sports gear brand — Japan official site

    International sports gear brand — Japan official site

    WebInternational sports gear brand

    • Direction
    • Production
    • Marketing

    Handled the Japan official site as marketing advisor and in planning and production.

  • Madarao Kogen portal site

    Madarao Kogen portal site

    Web

    • Direction
    • Production
    • Marketing
    • System Development
    • WordPress

    A hotel and ski-resort site. Handled everything end to end — planning, shooting, production, and the system.

  • Shin'etsu Shizenkyo Activity Center — English site

    Shin'etsu Shizenkyo Activity Center — English site

    Web

    • Direction
    • Production
    • Photography

    An English-language site for international visitors. Handled planning, shooting, coverage, translation, and production.

  • Shin'etsu Shizenkyo — cycling site

    Shin'etsu Shizenkyo — cycling site

    Web

    • Direction
    • Production
    • Photography

    A bilingual (JP/EN) cycle-route guide site. Handled planning, shooting, and production.

  • Resort web maintenance & operations

    Resort web maintenance & operations

    Web

    • Maintenance
    • Operations

    Ongoing maintenance and operations for resort-related sites. An ongoing engagement.

Systems

  • Golf-lesson business — core system development

    Golf-lesson business — core system development

    System

    • Direction
    • Marketing
    • System Development
    • Video

    Japan's first commercialized on-course (round) lesson business. Led the core system direction and produced video.

  • Tsunagi-kyoku — food-truck × vacant-space matching site

    Tsunagi-kyoku — food-truck × vacant-space matching site

    System

    • System Development
    • WordPress
    • PHP

    A matching site connecting food trucks with vacant spaces. Handled system development.

  • Auto-camping ground — official reservation system

    Auto-camping ground — official reservation system

    SystemAuto-camping ground (Nagano)

    • Planning
    • System Development
    • Operations

    The official online reservation system for an auto-camping ground. Built and operated a booking platform supporting membership registration, availability search, and multi-night bookings.

  • Regional reservation & multi-tenant platform

    Regional reservation & multi-tenant platform

    System

    • Planning
    • Design
    • System Development
    • Operations

    A regional reservation and multi-tenant platform operated across a zipline facility network and more. An ongoing project.

  • Nagano6 Powder Dream Pass

    Nagano6 Powder Dream Pass

    System

    • Planning
    • Design
    • System Development
    • Operations

    A shared pass platform for six ski resorts in northern Nagano. Planned, designed, and developed as a season-pass sales system, and still running and operated today.

    Visit site
  • Field Quest

    Field Quest

    SystemCreative Maco2026

    • Planning
    • Design
    • Development

    A location-based outdoor app. An in-house product handled end to end — planning, design, and development. Currently in development!

Profile

Koichi Makino / 牧野 公一

Founder, Creative Maco

Creative director based in Iiyama / Madarao Kogen, Nagano. 20 years in web production.

2001–2003 Programmer
Developed core systems at a staffing company.
2003– Independent / web production
Took on corporate web production, mainly in retail, tourism, and outdoor sectors.
2006–2010 Photographer
Contracted as a photographer, mainly for outdoor and mountaineering magazines.
2011– Film production
A mountain-bike film led to a contract with a major Japanese bicycle parts maker, and commercial and promo work grew from there. Directed, filmed, and produced for outdoor brands in Japan and abroad.
2017– Web consulting
Moved into web marketing and consulting. Work ranged from project manager for a golf-lesson core system, to brand direction for a new overseas tourism business, to web consulting for hotels and shops in Japan.
Present
Brings photography, film, web, and systems together to run local reservation and tourism platforms and to build the Field Quest app.