488 - The Collection with Huck Gee - Part 11: Brooke Wheeler

The Collection explores the company behind the revolution in the marketplace and the world they help build. Brooke Wheeler from Reynolds Advanced Materials joins Huck Gee and Mark Brickey to bring to light the products most makers use on a daily basis to create their empires. From his own past in the creative field to his day to day of working with creatives that use the products he sells, Brooke brings a deep knowledge of what can be done on both large and small scales. Huck and Mark go on to unveil their plans for Designer Con, break down their busy month, and how the upcoming economic changes will affect the designer toy industry that just regained its footing.

Talking Points

  • The MVP that 80-90% of the industry uses to claim their independence.
  • Finding the ultimate Sky Mall Catalog for your industry.
  • Starting in set decorations and themed environments to moving onto the other side of the bucket.
  • What happens when big business shatters into smaller segments?
  • Give away the education and reconfigure your marketing dollars towards what people actually want.
  • Consumer friendly products from the kitchen table user to a professional maker.
  • Making a product your customer can grow with.
  • Life of a digital salesman.
  • Emulating textures and familiarizing yourself with your suppliers products.
  • Relying on the end user to find the next product needed.
  • Is 3D Printing an ally or an enemy to Reynolds AM.
  • The benefit of working with hundreds of creatives and gleaning their ideas.
  • Mark's 1:1 scale dream project.
  • Will The Collection continue?
  • Procrastinating, managing your calendar, and staying three steps ahead.
  • What does Huck have planned for DCon?
  • Bouncing ideas off your friends when you get dealt a serious setback or three.
  • Half ass jobs and admitting defeat.
  • Le Mystique emerges.
  • Small runs that spread across the globe to both old and new faces.
  • Calculating hourly rates and determining your price point.
  • Timed releases, run sizes, and protecting your legacy.
  • Two points on what is to come from He Who Shall Not Be Named and his plans.
  • Approaching your best earning years in an odd economic time.
  • DIY 3D Printing and getting too technical for sculpting.
  • Walking back on your own footsteps.
  • The Three Horsemen of End Times and closing the portal.