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 LMC:
How have the fans reacted to your trophy pieces?
DB:
I
have gotten a great response from people at the shows. With
original designs it is hard to compete with all the great movie kits
out there. But I think that there is a big trend toward original
designs happening right now. There are just so many times you can
do a movie character before it starts to get ridiculous, and that is
what is happening. The cow has been milked dry on some of the
famous characters out there and people want to see something new. I
know my business seems to have picked up, and I have began to
notice more and more original items on the market, so it has been
really positive. Plus people have run out of shelf space! They
need to collect a few trophy heads to hang on the wall! I am doing
my best to make that crossover to mask collectors! hint, hint,-
wink, wink. LOL.
LMC:
Have you found a sizable customer base from the mask collecting
community interested in your resin pieces?
 DB:
I
have sold to a few mask collectors, but mostly to resin kit
collectors. Many mask collectors do not paint, so they want
more pre-painted heads, and it usually doubles the cost. I
would say most mask collectors have never even seen my trophy heads
or heard
of Headhunters Studio.
LMC:
Do
they typically buy them unpainted or finished?
DB:
Typically unpainted at the shows I attend. But I do sell quite a
few painted heads as well. People always want to buy my display
pieces at the shows I attend. I have also sold quite a few
painted heads on Ebay.
LMC:
What
design elements do most customers look for (what draws them to a
piece)?
 DB:
That
is a really tough question, I guess everyone has different things
that draw them to a design. I just try to make something that I
would be drawn to. I am drawn to pieces that are original and have
a realistic familiarity to them. Something that looks like it could
be anatomically feasible. I am not as much into scary things as I
am into curiously real looking things. I try to detail every little
crack and crevice and put in the extra effort to produce a quality
work of art. I sculpt because I love to sculpt and people who know
the process and the time involved appreciate that.
LMC:
How is the business doing? Do you find
conventions lead to a lot more new customers?
DB: It
is doing well, but this is by no means my only income, it is an
expensive hobby that pays for itself! LOL! and I am satisfied with
that. It allows my wife and I to travel to conventions and meet
some really great people, and see some great work by other artists
that I admire. I am just happy to be able to do what I love to do
without being really stressed out about it. When someone goes to
these conventions they can see your stuff up close and examine it,
and that really helps. Pictures can only show so much.
 LMC: What are some conventions that really
generate a lot of customers?
DB:
I
have been going to these conventions for around 5 years, I have a
lot of repeat customers, and I get a few more every convention as
well. I really like Wonderfest in Louisville Kentucky. That is
always a really great show. The Imaginations Expo in Vegas is also
a lot of fun.
LMC:
Do the sales generated at conventions typically pay for the trip?
DB:
Yes, I usually don’t have a problem at least breaking even,
sometimes I even make some good money! I have had a couple slow
shows though. If your stuck in a corner somewhere or the show is
lacking in attendance. You never know, but it is still always a
good time.
LMC:
Where
do you see your studio in 5 years? 10 years?
DB:
At
some point, I would like to hire other artists to do there own
original trophy heads and produce them through Headhunters Studio.
I would also like to train and hire a couple of talented people to
help with production within the next couple years, then begin market
my trophy heads pre-painted to a wider population. I will probably
be in the same place with a lot more heads on my wall.
 LMC:
You would like to grow the business? Would your primary motivation
be to get more profit out of it?
DB:
My
motivation is more out of a desire to get better at whatever I do.
I always want to be learning and growing as a person. . I would
like to hire other sculptors to keep things fresh, and add variety
to the collection. I also would like to spend more time coming up
with new ideas. The moldmaking and casting process takes a lot of
time and energy and I would rather be sculpting. More profit is
always good, but it is more of a desire to refine the idea to an
even better quality, and create a new collectable.
LMC:
Do you
use any other methods to advertise?
DB:
I
really do not advertise much at all. I have a really great website
(headhuntersstudio.com) people seem to tell other people about it.
I don’t think I am that well known, I guess I am sort of
underground right now, I don't want to grow so fast that I cannot
keep up with the quality. I have done a couple advertisements in
some of the model magazines like Modelers Resource and Amazing
figure modeler. I have also had a quite a few how to articles that
magazines have done on my kits. That is about it. I don't really
sell my stuff locally at all. I guess I could use a marketing
agent, LOL!
 LMC:
What
are some of your pet peeves?
DB:
I am a
very laid back kinda guy, not too many things bug me. I do not
like when people assume that I am evil or demented in some way
because of the things I make. I am constantly asked if I have
nightmares which is very annoying. I think it is ridiculous that
some of the stuff out there is called art, and monsters and masks
are not even considered by most galleries to be displayed.
LMC:
That’s
a good point. Creature creating definitely gets a back seat as a
true art form when you look beyond the fans.
DB:
That
is for sure!
LMC:
What
makes you happy?
 DB:
Spiritual fulfillment, Spending time with my wife and my kids.
Learning, seeing and making new things. Doing anything outside.
Traveling and meeting interesting people. Watching the Discovery
channel. You know all the good things in life.
LMC:
If you
had 5 million dollars, what would you be doing?
DB:
My
family and I would probably move to Hawaii, and I would spend years
building some extreme weird home in the jungle. I would have like
10 kids and travel all over the world, hunting and collecting exotic
creatures from the far corners of the earth. I would still be
making monsters as well. No amount of money would change that!
check out Dave's studio:
www.headhuntersstudio.com
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