Episode004-S01-Ep04 – Interview with Denzel Quick, the VP of Product Development at Spellbinders Paper Arts

Highlights and Quotes from the Podcast:

Q: What do you look for in a product to help facilitate communication with an audience?

• “I like teaching people and I like giving back.”
• “I really enjoy helping new artists become better and knowing what it takes to be successful.”
• “Some of the things that we need to look at, to be successful artists in a marketplace, are different now than they were 10 years ago.”
• “Social media is kind of where it’s at when it comes to influencing people educating people, people buy products, and we’re in the business of designing products that empower people to be more creative.”

Q: What do you look for in a piece of art or in a concept that makes you resonate with it and makes you select it?

• “One of the things you have to do as an artist is be your own marketer.”
• “Engagement is everything because the old school marketing just doesn’t turn the dial anymore.”
• “Education is a part of engagement.”

Q: How do you go about producing your products?

• “We work with about 50 different factories all over the world.”
• “We want to come up with a concept.”
• “The best thing to do is to create a collection, an idea, a theme.””
• “If you can, make it so you make it fit the brick and mortar concept, and then you can work with online.”
• “if you have an idea for a line of products, you want to design thematically, it all looks good together and all feels right together and the packaging goes together.”

Q: What is P.O.G.?

• “It is an actual true representation of what is it going to look like.”
• “If you have a product that fits in different aisles, categories you have to find the right buyer and the right fit.”

Q: What kind of activities do you see as most effective for educating and communicating with your market?

• “It’s a lot more work for the artists, but I think ultimately, it gives you greater control.”
• “It also helps you deliver your brand better and it gives you long-term stability helps you carry on your brand.”
• “Education now is key to everything.”
• “Social media really allowed artists to really put their stamp on their brand and be authentic.”

Q: What are your most effective ways that you reach out to your audience?

• “It’s going to depend a little bit on you your style, your personality, what you like to do.”
• “Video is so important now, showing people what you can do, showing your hands.”
• “Don’t worry about production value.”

Q: Advice about licensing and contracts

• “Intellectual property, your ideas, are the same as physical property, you own it, it’s just like owning an apartment building, and you lease it like you would an apartment.”
• “There are three primary ones, you have patents, utility patents, and trademarks.”
• “If you get into business, you will probably file a trademark so you’ll own your business name.”
• “What artists primarily deal with is copyrights.”
• “When you make something, you own the rights to that particular work of art. Then you can rent those rights out, you can lease those rights out, just like you would an apartment building in the terms and conditions that you want to do that.”