August 21, 2023 • 29 mins
Just imagine a journey through time, revealing the captivating story of a renowned company in the art supply industry, Speedball. We have the pleasure of hosting David Valliere, VP of Marketing and Business Development at Speedball, whose insights are sure to pique your interest. David recounts Speedball's evolution from its quaint origin in 1899 as the Hunt Penn Company to its impressive expansion under Walt Glazer’s ownership, focusing on US manufacturing.
Ever wondered how a company can successfully branch out into various product lines while maintaining its core competence? Speedball has done just that. Growing exponentially over the past 15 years, the company's offerings now cater to an array of consumers, from budding artists to seasoned professionals. David gives you a close look at how their products, coupled with resources such as catalogs and a user-friendly website, are designed to be easily understood and discovered.
Art and craft lovers, prepare to be delighted by the secret behind Speedball's unique demo artist program. This ingenious initiative not only supports art communities and retailers but also facilitates better consumer engagement. Find out how you can contribute by showing your support for the art and craft supplies industry. Explore the exciting ways you can connect with Speedball, from locating their store to experiencing their factory tours. Join us on this fascinating journey and discover something new and exciting at every turn.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Jeff (00:06):
Welcome back to Art Supply Insiders.
My name is Jeff Morrow andtoday we're talking with David
Valliere, who is the VP ofMarketing and Business
Development.
David, did I butcher your lastname?
David (00:21):
I've heard it every which way you did splendid.
Jeff (00:25):
Okay, thank you.
Well, david is with Speedball,and Speedball is a company that
we have been chatting back andforth with for quite a while,
and we are really, really gladto have you on.
So, david, tell us a little bitabout Speedball's history and
who and where you are today.
David (00:46):
All right.
Well, thank you so much forhaving me.
First of all, I'm excited tospend some time with you and
your listeners, and hopefullywe've got some fun stories to
tell about Speedball.
Jeff (00:58):
Cool.
David (00:59):
The interesting thing about Speedball's history is
there are kind of two histories.
The company dates back,actually, to 1899 with the Hunt
Penn Company and for the firstcall it well 90 years of
existence we were part of aFortune 500 company.
We ultimately grew and westarted.
(01:19):
Our roots are with calligraphyand writing and through the
years we expanded into thingslike block printing.
We were pioneers in water-basedinks, with block printing in
the 1930s, water-based screenprinting inks in the 1970s.
And then, when we got into the1990s and we were part of Hunt
(01:42):
Corporation, they were lookingto spend the company off and
they had identified formulas andsuppliers and they were
packaging the deal, the sell-offof the art supplies business,
as something that could beturnkey and run overseas.
Well, we were purchased by ourcurrent ownership.
(02:04):
We were purchased by Mr WaltGlazer in 1997 and he said why
would we want to move everythingoverseas?
He wanted to maintainmanufacturing in the United
States, here in North Carolina.
So he purchased the company in1997, kept the manufacturing
here in North Carolina and hebelieves, and we believe, that
(02:26):
that is the best way to serveour retail customers and,
ultimately, artists throughoutthe world, in North Carolina, in
North America and all aroundthe world.
Jeff (02:36):
So you manufacture all of your products here in the United
States.
David (02:42):
Not quite all products, but the vast majority.
Where there are gaps in ourmanufacturing capabilities, we
do source some items, but we areprimarily a manufacturer.
Our core competency is in lightmetal working, dating back to
the calligraphy nibs in ourearly days.
Of course, a lot of folks arevery familiar with our linoleum
(03:05):
cutters and other such lightmetal works, and then of course
you have our expertise in inkformulation and so we devise the
formulas and produce and mixand fill.
Here in North Carolina andrecently we've made a lot of
investments and focus onconverting paper, so taking big
(03:28):
forms of paper and convertingthem to artist friendly formats
rolls pads, journals etc.
Jeff (03:34):
You know speedball as I look at them, from where they
were to where they are today,you have a lot of different
product lines, it seems like.
So before we get into that soI'm sure you have a website Tell
us what the website is.
David (03:52):
Yes, the website is wwwspeedballartcom.
Jeff (03:58):
So that's S-P-E-E-D-B-A-L-L-A-R-T dot com.
Right, correct.
I was looking at your in factI'm looking at it right now your
website, and boy, you have alot of information on that site,
don't you?
David (04:18):
It keeps us busy and it's exciting when we recruit new
folks, whether it's in marketingor R&D or shipping.
I tell people it's a blessingand a curse, but mostly a
blessing because we are welldiversified and from a business
(04:38):
perspective it's superchallenging and a lot of fun.
We have different competitivepositions, as you can imagine,
in printmaking versus ceramicsversus paper.
It's really fun, most of all,to get to know, ultimately, our
consumers On the marketing sideof things.
(05:01):
I challenge our team.
We are an artist-led company.
We're a consumer-led company.
If we can figure out what theyneed and develop the products
that fit their needs and developthe programs that fit their
needs, then everything else willfall into place.
It's so much fun getting towork with all the different
kinds of artists and thecreativity that they exhibit and
(05:21):
the different mediums.
It's fascinating to see howthat changes from category to
category.
Jeff (05:26):
Isn't it a great industry.
How tough is it.
We have to get up every morningand go.
How darn it, I got to go workwith artists.
David (05:36):
I'll tell you.
In a previous life, one of themain categories I was
responsible for was cleaningsupplies.
As crazy as it sounds, thereare people that are very
passionate about cleaning andthey love talking about it.
It is nothing like art.
It is so much fun, whether it'sa hobby, or whether it's a
profession or you're an arteducator.
(05:58):
Oh my gosh, it is so much funto be able to work in this field
work on product solutions forartists and hobbyists alike.
Jeff (06:10):
I'm looking at your website now and go down the
different brands that you have.
If you don't mind, Just give usa 40,000-foot view of all the
different things you offer.
David (06:23):
Okay For doing a 40,000-foot view.
I'm going to apologize inadvance if I forget one.
Jeff (06:30):
That's fine.
David (06:31):
The company brand of Speedball.
That's our heritage brand.
That was founded on calligraphy, but the Speedball brand is
very well known, of course, inprintmaking as well, so block
printing and screen printing.
Through the years, we'veacquired a number of other
wonderful brands, primarilythrough acquisition, one of
(06:52):
which would be the Beanfangbrand, which dates back many,
many years as well, so acomplete line of artist papers.
In 2011, we acquired the Akuabrand, which is a wonderful,
wonderful story.
That was a brand that wasdeveloped by a professional
(07:13):
printmaker, susan Rostow, andshe developed the Akua Inc
essentially in her kitchen.
It was just a wonderful story,where her friends started asking
her for it and she startedproducing it in larger formats.
Next thing, you know, she's inthe largest art retailers across
the country and she didn't havetime to be an artist.
(07:33):
She was trying to run thebusiness.
When we acquired that brand, itallowed Susan to be an artist
again and she remains part ofthe Speedball family, but it is
a wonderful, wonderful brand.
More recently, we've acquiredthe fluid line of watercolor
papers, watercolor blocks, so anamazing range of watercolor
(07:55):
paper that is artist grade at aphenomenal price point.
Of course, the best test brand.
Jeff (08:03):
Oh yeah.
David (08:03):
Many people may be familiar with that, the Little
Red Can another almost 100 yearsof history.
So we really acquire brands.
We really feel like we have atrack record of nurturing and
appreciating the history that isin the brands and folding them
into the Speedball family,taking care of them, growing
(08:27):
them and, as I said, serving theartist.
Continuing to serve the artistas part of our company is
something we take great pride in.
Jeff (08:35):
Yeah, as I'm looking, I see also pink soap.
That's a brand everybody outthere seems to know, right.
David (08:43):
Yeah, pink soap, the Mona Lisa brand with metal leaf and
brush cleaners.
Pink soap is we call it ahidden gem?
Maybe it's not so hidden, Ihope it's not so hidden, but it
is just an absolute wonderful,wonderful, all-purpose cleaner.
Great on brushes, but really onany art supply need.
(09:03):
We've used it on many a rollerfor block printing, so a
wonderful product as well.
Thank you for reminding me onthat omission.
Jeff (09:13):
Well, no, in a former life , my business partner Dave and I
owned a company called theBrush Guys, and pink soap was
probably one of the best sellingproducts that we had, and also
the Mona Lisa line with themetal leaf.
(09:33):
I mean, I guess we're used tocalling it gold leafing, but
metal leafing is that the samething as gold leafing?
David (09:42):
It is.
The cool thing about that isthere are numerous usages for
the metal leaf everything fromhome decor.
But from our perspective welove it when folks work across
techniques.
So we see people screenprinting the adhesive and then
applying the metal leaf as partof screen printing.
Metal leaf is extremely popular, is part of ceramics world on
(10:08):
clay, so it's a really neatmedium that goes across
categories in many instances,augmenting our roots in
calligraphy and printmaking.
Speedball in the last 15 yearsor so has really established and
grown our presence within theceramics world.
So we acquired a company calledCreative Industries which got
(10:30):
us into the line of potterywheels and then, around the same
time, we developed and launchedour own line of speedball
underglazes.
Jeff (10:41):
There are so many cool product lines and for those of
you listening out there, youreally have to go to
speedballartcom to see all ofthis.
David (10:55):
And then, in addition to the brands that we have acquired
over the years, we've alsoestablished relationships with a
number of companies where weare the exclusive distributor in
North America.
So, for example, the PH Coatline of Charcoal, and we work
with Viarcho out of Portugal astheir North American distributor
(11:18):
.
So, for those of your listenerswho are familiar with the
artcraft brand, just an amazing,amazing line of products,
beautifully made, with a great,great story, that can be spread
with wet media.
Jeff (11:32):
Wow, this is, I'm looking at it.
I see you're right, putty Wow.
David (11:39):
The word playful comes to mind when you see an artcraft
demo at NAMTA.
Our friends from Viarcho wereat NAMTA and it's just a demo
that you have to see and we'reworking on ways to bring that
brand to life even more.
It's a brand that is playful.
It just allows artists to usetheir imagination in ways that
(12:05):
obviously they use theirimagination a lot in all their
creations.
But this line just really lendsitself to hey, what are new
possibilities for all of thesewonderful materials?
Jeff (12:17):
So as I'm going across, I see a category called Classroom
and it underneath it it sayslesson plans.
I'm assuming that they can goto your website and get a lesson
plan to teach on a specificproduct category.
David (12:34):
Yes, so that's another way that we feel we are very
diversified, not only from abrand perspective and a product
perspective, but we really serveeverything from beginners
students we have a rich heritageagain with our water soluble
(12:54):
ink solutions in schools all theway to the professional.
So, yes, as it relates toschools and education, we have a
number of resources and thelesson plans are a great example
that help people get intoproject-wise block printing,
screen printing, ceramics, etcetera.
So those are available fordownload directly from
SpeedBullArtcom.
Jeff (13:16):
And you really made it easy.
So if somebody's in gradeschool, you've got on here like
under gel printing, naturalprinting, grades three through
four, but you go as high asgrades eight, as high as high
school, so you make it simplefor them to be able to relate
the product to the student right.
David (13:37):
We certainly do, and that's not isolated to our
school business.
Specifically when it comes toblock printing and screen
printing, to some extentcalligraphy, those are mediums
that sometimes can beintimidating.
We get so many questions fromour retailers and from artists
(13:59):
alike.
Oh, I remember doing screenprinting in college and I did
block printing, but it's been along time and one of the things
that we put a huge focus onwhether it be the lesson plans,
instructional videos, all of oursocial media content is very
driven on breaking down thebarriers that may exist,
(14:19):
specific to some of our mediumsthat may be intimidating, and we
try to inspire beginners orfolks that don't have a ton of
experience or confidence withideas to get started.
So, everything from a full-onproject plan to just idea
starters and inspiration on, youcan do a tea towel In addition
(14:40):
to t-shirts, you can do teatowels or curtains, and really
just a good combination, I feellike, of instruction and
inspiration.
Jeff (14:48):
Boy, the website is just kind of like a one-stop shop,
regardless of where you are.
None of it is.
It's kind of like me If I waslooking at this stuff.
A lot of this stuff just goescompletely over my head and I'm
going what?
But you've broken it down sothat when you look at your
(15:08):
website you don't walk awayscratching your head wondering
what the heck that I just lookat.
David (15:13):
Well, I appreciate you saying that, and our teams
worked really hard to presentour products in a way that makes
sense and are understandable,and the fun and the results that
you can achieve with them.
We try to make them as evidentas possible and we've worked
hard as well translating thatonto the packaging.
So, whether it's the physicalpackaging, when you're looking
(15:36):
at a shelf in store or a listingon an online product listing,
we try to be very clear aboutwhat's included, for example, in
a kit and how this kit isdifferent from that kit.
In screen printing, there'sdifferent methods to create a
screen.
(15:56):
It can be as simple as making astencil out of paper, and then
what people most associate withscreen printing is the photo
emulsion method and, withoutgetting into too much detail,
that involves a light, sensitiveemulsion, but it's super
popular and once you learn theprocess it's a multi-step
(16:17):
process it really is quite easyif you follow the instructions
and really allows you to createincredible imagery, incredible
detail, in a reproducible way.
Jeff (16:28):
And then, for those people that like to look at a catalog,
you have a heading set calledcatalog and you literally have
copied every single page of yourcatalog onto your website so
that our audience can go andfind exactly what the product
(16:49):
skew is.
David (16:49):
Right, that's right and we broke it out by section and
by brand to some extent.
So I appreciate you kind ofwalking us through the website a
little bit, because it's alwaysfun when we hear from an artist
or a new user saying oh my gosh, I didn't know Speedball had
ceramics, so I didn't realizethey had gel plates, and so we
(17:14):
try to make it all as easy aspossible to find, and we do.
We're really proud of theassortment of products that we
have and hopefully yourlisteners will have a look and
maybe find something thatsurprises them and they can have
some fun with.
Jeff (17:28):
Oh, believe me, when you're listening out there, you
must go to this website becauseyou will find something new that
will probably excite you to tryit.
So now you know where to get it.
Speaking about where to get it,do you sell direct to the end
user?
Do you basically go throughbrick and mortar?
David (17:51):
We essentially go through brick and mortar and
traditional retailers.
Of course, many of ourretailers have very
sophisticated and excellente-commerce options as well.
Jeff (18:03):
Yeah, If you go to your retailer and you do not see a
speedball product that you knowyou and your friends will be
purchasing, talk to themanagement at that retail store
and ask them to bring it inright.
David (18:17):
Absolutely.
That is something that we tellpeople all the time.
There's a limited amount ofspace.
Obviously, the retailers areconsumer focused as well, and I
can tell you that in a lot ofour categories, more and more
people are learning about blockprinting and screen printing and
a lot of retailers have beengrowing their assortment because
(18:39):
people are asking for it.
Jeff (18:42):
You know, something else that artists, grafters, are very
much wanting to understand isto understand how safe the
products are, and many caseswant to know what's in those
products you offer on.
It looks like all of yourproducts the MSDS sheets for
(19:07):
everything.
Is that right?
David (19:10):
Absolutely yeah.
We put a lot of work into ourregulatory compliance and making
sure that all the products aretested on a regular basis.
All the new products are tested, and then we share all of the
associated documentation rightthere on our website for people
to check out for themselves.
The vast majority of our inksor fluids do carry the AP seal,
(19:33):
which means they're certifiednon-toxic for their intended use
, and so, as I mentioned earlier, that is something that really
is at the roots of our companyin a lot of ways.
Jeff (19:47):
Yeah, because you know, we're very, very eco-conscious
and we're conscious about how itwill affect our health and
especially our children's health.
And I have to tell you I've notbeen to a website that takes
the time to give all of thisinformation, to keep you
(20:11):
informed.
That's amazing.
So tell me a little bit aboutwhere do you see Speedball going
?
You know right now we are inthe middle of summer 2023.
You got any cool new productsyou can give us a look behind
the curtain on or kind of tellus a general direction Speedball
might be going in.
David (20:33):
Absolutely.
One of the things I'm mostexcited about today is that,
like everyone else, we've beenbattling the challenges that
have been going on in our world,from the pandemic to supply
chain and just making materialsavailable.
We're at a point now wherewe've been able to spend a lot
more time forward looking ratherthan trying to react to the
(20:54):
current environment, and for usthat means really getting back
onto the new product train.
We've invested in our researchand development team and we are
working on many, many newproducts A couple that come to
mind that will be available inthe coming months.
We have a new line of screenprinting inks that are coming
(21:17):
out.
This new line of screen printinginks is going to be the most
opaque and the most adaptive toall of the new materials that
are out there.
It's not just about 100% cottonshirts, all the synthetic
blends, etc.
Those have very different theytake ink in very different ways,
(21:41):
and so our core ink iswonderful on white fabric and it
does well on some fabrics, butnot all, and particularly with
these new fabrics that stretch alot.
This new Flex Ink is going tobe extremely opaque.
It's our most opaque ink forscreen printing that we've ever
(22:03):
launched and it's going tostretch with those kind of new
modern, stretchable, breathablefabrics, so that's something
that we're extremely excitedabout.
Jeff (22:13):
I know that you guys are very much into helping people
reach their full potential,whether it's from the artist or
the teacher to the art materialdealers.
Talk a little bit about that.
David (22:28):
Yeah, we talked a little bit earlier about the lesson
plans and the educationalmaterials that we have available
.
One of my favorite programsthat kind of touches on, I guess
, both aspects of the end useras well as the retail trade is
our demo artist program.
So, as I mentioned earlier, weget a lot of questions from
(22:51):
consumers and retailers alikeabout screen printing, about
block printing, and so the powerof the demo is extremely
important.
We can't be in all places atonce.
So in late 2019, we put out acall for artists and we
(23:15):
ultimately hired or consultedwith about 25 block printing and
screen printing artists allacross North America and we've
got a nice dispersiongeographically and we use this
primarily as a service to ourretailers.
So if they want to have anin-store event that features
(23:36):
block printing or screenprinting, they can go to our
website and they can requestthat a speedball demo artist
come out to their store.
Speedball compensates theartist and it's kind of a
win-win-win.
It's great for the artistbecause they're compensated,
it's great for the store theycan offer a wonderful service to
their community and to theirconsumers.
(23:58):
And it's a win for consumers tolearn these great new
techniques.
And I guess selfishly forspeedball, more people are
printing.
We love to spread the gospel ofprintmaking.
So that's one of my favoriteprograms now and encourage our
retail customers to takeadvantage of that program.
(24:20):
And for your listeners,hopefully you'll have an
opportunity in your area to comeout and experience a speedball
demo through the Speedball DemoArtist program.
Jeff (24:32):
When our listeners, when you go into these retail stores,
I highly encourage you to talkto the management team and, if
you want to see demo artists inthat brick and mortar, ask for
that, because that's the onlyway that these brick and mortars
(24:53):
understand what it is that youguys have an interest in, right.
David (24:57):
Yeah, absolutely.
I wouldn't even limit it to theretail store.
For any of your listeners whoare involved in an educational
or studio or somehow otherwisein the art community, reach out
and submit an inquiry toSpeedball, because we can make
the demo artists available toreally any organization that
(25:21):
wants to infuse some printmakinginto their community.
We want to be there to supportyou.
Jeff (25:27):
Okay.
So if they wanted to make thatinquiry, would they do it right
through the website?
David (25:35):
So if someone's interested in having a speedball
demonstration in their area,they can always email us at info
at speedballartcom and mentionthat they're interested in
having a demo artist in theirarea and we'll do the best we
can.
Depending on circumstances, wemay not have someone extremely
(25:57):
close, but we will absolutelyrespond and see what is possible
.
Jeff (26:01):
The other thing that I see , which is a really cool feature
, is that you list all of yourstores, at least here in North
America.
Is that correct?
David (26:17):
We do try to keep our store finder as updated as
possible.
It is a challenge with the widevariety of products.
We can't go down to theindividual item level, so we do
try to maintain the database atthe category level.
So the store has block printingor screen printing.
So I would recommend for yourlisteners to check with the
(26:41):
store locator.
It's a great first place tostart.
If they have a particularspecific product in mind, it's
always a good idea just to calland see if they stock it.
Most of our retailers againback to what we were talking
about earlier if you ask about aproduct, maybe they won't stock
it on the shelves permanently,but most retailers would
certainly be happy to make aspecial order and we're happy to
(27:02):
fulfill special orders as well.
Jeff (27:05):
David, we're coming towards the end of our time
together here.
Is there anything that Ihaven't asked you about that you
wanted to chat about?
David (27:17):
No, it's been a lot of fun.
I appreciate you using thewebsite as your guide.
I guess the one thing I'd leavefor your listeners is another
cool thing to check out to get afeel for our company.
It's the company video that ison our website and on YouTube.
It's called Together we Make.
It gives what I feel is a verygood representation of who we
(27:42):
are as artists-ins-ourselvesmanufacturing products for
artists.
There's an open invite to reachout to us if you're ever in the
Statesville North Carolina area.
We love to do factory tours.
We love for people to see howeverything's made and see a
little bit of what we think isthe magic of speedball.
(28:03):
We hope to see some of yourlisteners in North Carolina as
the opportunity arises.
Jeff (28:11):
I got to tell you I love factory tours.
You walk around and it seemslike somebody has to remind you
to close your mouth.
As you're looking at it.
You just look and your mouth isopen and I didn't know you did
that and I didn't know that wasdone.
Please take them up on thisoffer.
It's not something that youwill ever regret, david.
(28:36):
Thank you again.
What a wonderful interview andwhat a great company.
As you come out with new things, think about us and if you have
interest in coming back onagain and talking about it, boy,
we'd love to have you back.
David (28:54):
Well, I appreciate you having us on and I appreciate
everything you do for theindustry and I would love to
come back and chat in the future.
Jeff (29:04):
Thank you, and it's just as a reminder it's
speedballartcom.
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craft supplies.
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(29:27):
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Now go out and create something.
Welcome back to Art Supply Insiders.
My name is Jeff Morrow andtoday we're talking with David
Valliere, who is the VP ofMarketing and Business
Development.
David, did I butcher your lastname?
David (00:21):
I've heard it every which way you did splendid.
Jeff (00:25):
Okay, thank you.
Well, david is with Speedball,and Speedball is a company that
we have been chatting back andforth with for quite a while,
and we are really, really gladto have you on.
So, david, tell us a little bitabout Speedball's history and
who and where you are today.
David (00:46):
All right.
Well, thank you so much forhaving me.
First of all, I'm excited tospend some time with you and
your listeners, and hopefullywe've got some fun stories to
tell about Speedball.
Jeff (00:58):
Cool.
David (00:59):
The interesting thing about Speedball's history is
there are kind of two histories.
The company dates back,actually, to 1899 with the Hunt
Penn Company and for the firstcall it well 90 years of
existence we were part of aFortune 500 company.
We ultimately grew and westarted.
(01:19):
Our roots are with calligraphyand writing and through the
years we expanded into thingslike block printing.
We were pioneers in water-basedinks, with block printing in
the 1930s, water-based screenprinting inks in the 1970s.
And then, when we got into the1990s and we were part of Hunt
(01:42):
Corporation, they were lookingto spend the company off and
they had identified formulas andsuppliers and they were
packaging the deal, the sell-offof the art supplies business,
as something that could beturnkey and run overseas.
Well, we were purchased by ourcurrent ownership.
(02:04):
We were purchased by Mr WaltGlazer in 1997 and he said why
would we want to move everythingoverseas?
He wanted to maintainmanufacturing in the United
States, here in North Carolina.
So he purchased the company in1997, kept the manufacturing
here in North Carolina and hebelieves, and we believe, that
(02:26):
that is the best way to serveour retail customers and,
ultimately, artists throughoutthe world, in North Carolina, in
North America and all aroundthe world.
Jeff (02:36):
So you manufacture all of your products here in the United
States.
David (02:42):
Not quite all products, but the vast majority.
Where there are gaps in ourmanufacturing capabilities, we
do source some items, but we areprimarily a manufacturer.
Our core competency is in lightmetal working, dating back to
the calligraphy nibs in ourearly days.
Of course, a lot of folks arevery familiar with our linoleum
(03:05):
cutters and other such lightmetal works, and then of course
you have our expertise in inkformulation and so we devise the
formulas and produce and mixand fill.
Here in North Carolina andrecently we've made a lot of
investments and focus onconverting paper, so taking big
(03:28):
forms of paper and convertingthem to artist friendly formats
rolls pads, journals etc.
Jeff (03:34):
You know speedball as I look at them, from where they
were to where they are today,you have a lot of different
product lines, it seems like.
So before we get into that soI'm sure you have a website Tell
us what the website is.
David (03:52):
Yes, the website is wwwspeedballartcom.
Jeff (03:58):
So that's S-P-E-E-D-B-A-L-L-A-R-T dot com.
Right, correct.
I was looking at your in factI'm looking at it right now your
website, and boy, you have alot of information on that site,
don't you?
David (04:18):
It keeps us busy and it's exciting when we recruit new
folks, whether it's in marketingor R&D or shipping.
I tell people it's a blessingand a curse, but mostly a
blessing because we are welldiversified and from a business
(04:38):
perspective it's superchallenging and a lot of fun.
We have different competitivepositions, as you can imagine,
in printmaking versus ceramicsversus paper.
It's really fun, most of all,to get to know, ultimately, our
consumers On the marketing sideof things.
(05:01):
I challenge our team.
We are an artist-led company.
We're a consumer-led company.
If we can figure out what theyneed and develop the products
that fit their needs and developthe programs that fit their
needs, then everything else willfall into place.
It's so much fun getting towork with all the different
kinds of artists and thecreativity that they exhibit and
(05:21):
the different mediums.
It's fascinating to see howthat changes from category to
category.
Jeff (05:26):
Isn't it a great industry.
How tough is it.
We have to get up every morningand go.
How darn it, I got to go workwith artists.
David (05:36):
I'll tell you.
In a previous life, one of themain categories I was
responsible for was cleaningsupplies.
As crazy as it sounds, thereare people that are very
passionate about cleaning andthey love talking about it.
It is nothing like art.
It is so much fun, whether it'sa hobby, or whether it's a
profession or you're an arteducator.
(05:58):
Oh my gosh, it is so much funto be able to work in this field
work on product solutions forartists and hobbyists alike.
Jeff (06:10):
I'm looking at your website now and go down the
different brands that you have.
If you don't mind, Just give usa 40,000-foot view of all the
different things you offer.
David (06:23):
Okay For doing a 40,000-foot view.
I'm going to apologize inadvance if I forget one.
Jeff (06:30):
That's fine.
David (06:31):
The company brand of Speedball.
That's our heritage brand.
That was founded on calligraphy, but the Speedball brand is
very well known, of course, inprintmaking as well, so block
printing and screen printing.
Through the years, we'veacquired a number of other
wonderful brands, primarilythrough acquisition, one of
(06:52):
which would be the Beanfangbrand, which dates back many,
many years as well, so acomplete line of artist papers.
In 2011, we acquired the Akuabrand, which is a wonderful,
wonderful story.
That was a brand that wasdeveloped by a professional
(07:13):
printmaker, susan Rostow, andshe developed the Akua Inc
essentially in her kitchen.
It was just a wonderful story,where her friends started asking
her for it and she startedproducing it in larger formats.
Next thing, you know, she's inthe largest art retailers across
the country and she didn't havetime to be an artist.
(07:33):
She was trying to run thebusiness.
When we acquired that brand, itallowed Susan to be an artist
again and she remains part ofthe Speedball family, but it is
a wonderful, wonderful brand.
More recently, we've acquiredthe fluid line of watercolor
papers, watercolor blocks, so anamazing range of watercolor
(07:55):
paper that is artist grade at aphenomenal price point.
Of course, the best test brand.
Jeff (08:03):
Oh yeah.
David (08:03):
Many people may be familiar with that, the Little
Red Can another almost 100 yearsof history.
So we really acquire brands.
We really feel like we have atrack record of nurturing and
appreciating the history that isin the brands and folding them
into the Speedball family,taking care of them, growing
(08:27):
them and, as I said, serving theartist.
Continuing to serve the artistas part of our company is
something we take great pride in.
Jeff (08:35):
Yeah, as I'm looking, I see also pink soap.
That's a brand everybody outthere seems to know, right.
David (08:43):
Yeah, pink soap, the Mona Lisa brand with metal leaf and
brush cleaners.
Pink soap is we call it ahidden gem?
Maybe it's not so hidden, Ihope it's not so hidden, but it
is just an absolute wonderful,wonderful, all-purpose cleaner.
Great on brushes, but really onany art supply need.
(09:03):
We've used it on many a rollerfor block printing, so a
wonderful product as well.
Thank you for reminding me onthat omission.
Jeff (09:13):
Well, no, in a former life , my business partner Dave and I
owned a company called theBrush Guys, and pink soap was
probably one of the best sellingproducts that we had, and also
the Mona Lisa line with themetal leaf.
(09:33):
I mean, I guess we're used tocalling it gold leafing, but
metal leafing is that the samething as gold leafing?
David (09:42):
It is.
The cool thing about that isthere are numerous usages for
the metal leaf everything fromhome decor.
But from our perspective welove it when folks work across
techniques.
So we see people screenprinting the adhesive and then
applying the metal leaf as partof screen printing.
Metal leaf is extremely popular, is part of ceramics world on
(10:08):
clay, so it's a really neatmedium that goes across
categories in many instances,augmenting our roots in
calligraphy and printmaking.
Speedball in the last 15 yearsor so has really established and
grown our presence within theceramics world.
So we acquired a company calledCreative Industries which got
(10:30):
us into the line of potterywheels and then, around the same
time, we developed and launchedour own line of speedball
underglazes.
Jeff (10:41):
There are so many cool product lines and for those of
you listening out there, youreally have to go to
speedballartcom to see all ofthis.
David (10:55):
And then, in addition to the brands that we have acquired
over the years, we've alsoestablished relationships with a
number of companies where weare the exclusive distributor in
North America.
So, for example, the PH Coatline of Charcoal, and we work
with Viarcho out of Portugal astheir North American distributor
(11:18):
.
So, for those of your listenerswho are familiar with the
artcraft brand, just an amazing,amazing line of products,
beautifully made, with a great,great story, that can be spread
with wet media.
Jeff (11:32):
Wow, this is, I'm looking at it.
I see you're right, putty Wow.
David (11:39):
The word playful comes to mind when you see an artcraft
demo at NAMTA.
Our friends from Viarcho wereat NAMTA and it's just a demo
that you have to see and we'reworking on ways to bring that
brand to life even more.
It's a brand that is playful.
It just allows artists to usetheir imagination in ways that
(12:05):
obviously they use theirimagination a lot in all their
creations.
But this line just really lendsitself to hey, what are new
possibilities for all of thesewonderful materials?
Jeff (12:17):
So as I'm going across, I see a category called Classroom
and it underneath it it sayslesson plans.
I'm assuming that they can goto your website and get a lesson
plan to teach on a specificproduct category.
David (12:34):
Yes, so that's another way that we feel we are very
diversified, not only from abrand perspective and a product
perspective, but we really serveeverything from beginners
students we have a rich heritageagain with our water soluble
(12:54):
ink solutions in schools all theway to the professional.
So, yes, as it relates toschools and education, we have a
number of resources and thelesson plans are a great example
that help people get intoproject-wise block printing,
screen printing, ceramics, etcetera.
So those are available fordownload directly from
SpeedBullArtcom.
Jeff (13:16):
And you really made it easy.
So if somebody's in gradeschool, you've got on here like
under gel printing, naturalprinting, grades three through
four, but you go as high asgrades eight, as high as high
school, so you make it simplefor them to be able to relate
the product to the student right.
David (13:37):
We certainly do, and that's not isolated to our
school business.
Specifically when it comes toblock printing and screen
printing, to some extentcalligraphy, those are mediums
that sometimes can beintimidating.
We get so many questions fromour retailers and from artists
(13:59):
alike.
Oh, I remember doing screenprinting in college and I did
block printing, but it's been along time and one of the things
that we put a huge focus onwhether it be the lesson plans,
instructional videos, all of oursocial media content is very
driven on breaking down thebarriers that may exist,
(14:19):
specific to some of our mediumsthat may be intimidating, and we
try to inspire beginners orfolks that don't have a ton of
experience or confidence withideas to get started.
So, everything from a full-onproject plan to just idea
starters and inspiration on, youcan do a tea towel In addition
(14:40):
to t-shirts, you can do teatowels or curtains, and really
just a good combination, I feellike, of instruction and
inspiration.
Jeff (14:48):
Boy, the website is just kind of like a one-stop shop,
regardless of where you are.
None of it is.
It's kind of like me If I waslooking at this stuff.
A lot of this stuff just goescompletely over my head and I'm
going what?
But you've broken it down sothat when you look at your
(15:08):
website you don't walk awayscratching your head wondering
what the heck that I just lookat.
David (15:13):
Well, I appreciate you saying that, and our teams
worked really hard to presentour products in a way that makes
sense and are understandable,and the fun and the results that
you can achieve with them.
We try to make them as evidentas possible and we've worked
hard as well translating thatonto the packaging.
So, whether it's the physicalpackaging, when you're looking
(15:36):
at a shelf in store or a listingon an online product listing,
we try to be very clear aboutwhat's included, for example, in
a kit and how this kit isdifferent from that kit.
In screen printing, there'sdifferent methods to create a
screen.
(15:56):
It can be as simple as making astencil out of paper, and then
what people most associate withscreen printing is the photo
emulsion method and, withoutgetting into too much detail,
that involves a light, sensitiveemulsion, but it's super
popular and once you learn theprocess it's a multi-step
(16:17):
process it really is quite easyif you follow the instructions
and really allows you to createincredible imagery, incredible
detail, in a reproducible way.
Jeff (16:28):
And then, for those people that like to look at a catalog,
you have a heading set calledcatalog and you literally have
copied every single page of yourcatalog onto your website so
that our audience can go andfind exactly what the product
(16:49):
skew is.
David (16:49):
Right, that's right and we broke it out by section and
by brand to some extent.
So I appreciate you kind ofwalking us through the website a
little bit, because it's alwaysfun when we hear from an artist
or a new user saying oh my gosh, I didn't know Speedball had
ceramics, so I didn't realizethey had gel plates, and so we
(17:14):
try to make it all as easy aspossible to find, and we do.
We're really proud of theassortment of products that we
have and hopefully yourlisteners will have a look and
maybe find something thatsurprises them and they can have
some fun with.
Jeff (17:28):
Oh, believe me, when you're listening out there, you
must go to this website becauseyou will find something new that
will probably excite you to tryit.
So now you know where to get it.
Speaking about where to get it,do you sell direct to the end
user?
Do you basically go throughbrick and mortar?
David (17:51):
We essentially go through brick and mortar and
traditional retailers.
Of course, many of ourretailers have very
sophisticated and excellente-commerce options as well.
Jeff (18:03):
Yeah, If you go to your retailer and you do not see a
speedball product that you knowyou and your friends will be
purchasing, talk to themanagement at that retail store
and ask them to bring it inright.
David (18:17):
Absolutely.
That is something that we tellpeople all the time.
There's a limited amount ofspace.
Obviously, the retailers areconsumer focused as well, and I
can tell you that in a lot ofour categories, more and more
people are learning about blockprinting and screen printing and
a lot of retailers have beengrowing their assortment because
(18:39):
people are asking for it.
Jeff (18:42):
You know, something else that artists, grafters, are very
much wanting to understand isto understand how safe the
products are, and many caseswant to know what's in those
products you offer on.
It looks like all of yourproducts the MSDS sheets for
(19:07):
everything.
Is that right?
David (19:10):
Absolutely yeah.
We put a lot of work into ourregulatory compliance and making
sure that all the products aretested on a regular basis.
All the new products are tested, and then we share all of the
associated documentation rightthere on our website for people
to check out for themselves.
The vast majority of our inksor fluids do carry the AP seal,
(19:33):
which means they're certifiednon-toxic for their intended use
, and so, as I mentioned earlier, that is something that really
is at the roots of our companyin a lot of ways.
Jeff (19:47):
Yeah, because you know, we're very, very eco-conscious
and we're conscious about how itwill affect our health and
especially our children's health.
And I have to tell you I've notbeen to a website that takes
the time to give all of thisinformation, to keep you
(20:11):
informed.
That's amazing.
So tell me a little bit aboutwhere do you see Speedball going
?
You know right now we are inthe middle of summer 2023.
You got any cool new productsyou can give us a look behind
the curtain on or kind of tellus a general direction Speedball
might be going in.
David (20:33):
Absolutely.
One of the things I'm mostexcited about today is that,
like everyone else, we've beenbattling the challenges that
have been going on in our world,from the pandemic to supply
chain and just making materialsavailable.
We're at a point now wherewe've been able to spend a lot
more time forward looking ratherthan trying to react to the
(20:54):
current environment, and for usthat means really getting back
onto the new product train.
We've invested in our researchand development team and we are
working on many, many newproducts A couple that come to
mind that will be available inthe coming months.
We have a new line of screenprinting inks that are coming
(21:17):
out.
This new line of screen printinginks is going to be the most
opaque and the most adaptive toall of the new materials that
are out there.
It's not just about 100% cottonshirts, all the synthetic
blends, etc.
Those have very different theytake ink in very different ways,
(21:41):
and so our core ink iswonderful on white fabric and it
does well on some fabrics, butnot all, and particularly with
these new fabrics that stretch alot.
This new Flex Ink is going tobe extremely opaque.
It's our most opaque ink forscreen printing that we've ever
(22:03):
launched and it's going tostretch with those kind of new
modern, stretchable, breathablefabrics, so that's something
that we're extremely excitedabout.
Jeff (22:13):
I know that you guys are very much into helping people
reach their full potential,whether it's from the artist or
the teacher to the art materialdealers.
Talk a little bit about that.
David (22:28):
Yeah, we talked a little bit earlier about the lesson
plans and the educationalmaterials that we have available
.
One of my favorite programsthat kind of touches on, I guess
, both aspects of the end useras well as the retail trade is
our demo artist program.
So, as I mentioned earlier, weget a lot of questions from
(22:51):
consumers and retailers alikeabout screen printing, about
block printing, and so the powerof the demo is extremely
important.
We can't be in all places atonce.
So in late 2019, we put out acall for artists and we
(23:15):
ultimately hired or consultedwith about 25 block printing and
screen printing artists allacross North America and we've
got a nice dispersiongeographically and we use this
primarily as a service to ourretailers.
So if they want to have anin-store event that features
(23:36):
block printing or screenprinting, they can go to our
website and they can requestthat a speedball demo artist
come out to their store.
Speedball compensates theartist and it's kind of a
win-win-win.
It's great for the artistbecause they're compensated,
it's great for the store theycan offer a wonderful service to
their community and to theirconsumers.
(23:58):
And it's a win for consumers tolearn these great new
techniques.
And I guess selfishly forspeedball, more people are
printing.
We love to spread the gospel ofprintmaking.
So that's one of my favoriteprograms now and encourage our
retail customers to takeadvantage of that program.
(24:20):
And for your listeners,hopefully you'll have an
opportunity in your area to comeout and experience a speedball
demo through the Speedball DemoArtist program.
Jeff (24:32):
When our listeners, when you go into these retail stores,
I highly encourage you to talkto the management team and, if
you want to see demo artists inthat brick and mortar, ask for
that, because that's the onlyway that these brick and mortars
(24:53):
understand what it is that youguys have an interest in, right.
David (24:57):
Yeah, absolutely.
I wouldn't even limit it to theretail store.
For any of your listeners whoare involved in an educational
or studio or somehow otherwisein the art community, reach out
and submit an inquiry toSpeedball, because we can make
the demo artists available toreally any organization that
(25:21):
wants to infuse some printmakinginto their community.
We want to be there to supportyou.
Jeff (25:27):
Okay.
So if they wanted to make thatinquiry, would they do it right
through the website?
David (25:35):
So if someone's interested in having a speedball
demonstration in their area,they can always email us at info
at speedballartcom and mentionthat they're interested in
having a demo artist in theirarea and we'll do the best we
can.
Depending on circumstances, wemay not have someone extremely
(25:57):
close, but we will absolutelyrespond and see what is possible
.
Jeff (26:01):
The other thing that I see , which is a really cool feature
, is that you list all of yourstores, at least here in North
America.
Is that correct?
David (26:17):
We do try to keep our store finder as updated as
possible.
It is a challenge with the widevariety of products.
We can't go down to theindividual item level, so we do
try to maintain the database atthe category level.
So the store has block printingor screen printing.
So I would recommend for yourlisteners to check with the
(26:41):
store locator.
It's a great first place tostart.
If they have a particularspecific product in mind, it's
always a good idea just to calland see if they stock it.
Most of our retailers againback to what we were talking
about earlier if you ask about aproduct, maybe they won't stock
it on the shelves permanently,but most retailers would
certainly be happy to make aspecial order and we're happy to
(27:02):
fulfill special orders as well.
Jeff (27:05):
David, we're coming towards the end of our time
together here.
Is there anything that Ihaven't asked you about that you
wanted to chat about?
David (27:17):
No, it's been a lot of fun.
I appreciate you using thewebsite as your guide.
I guess the one thing I'd leavefor your listeners is another
cool thing to check out to get afeel for our company.
It's the company video that ison our website and on YouTube.
It's called Together we Make.
It gives what I feel is a verygood representation of who we
(27:42):
are as artists-ins-ourselvesmanufacturing products for
artists.
There's an open invite to reachout to us if you're ever in the
Statesville North Carolina area.
We love to do factory tours.
We love for people to see howeverything's made and see a
little bit of what we think isthe magic of speedball.
(28:03):
We hope to see some of yourlisteners in North Carolina as
the opportunity arises.
Jeff (28:11):
I got to tell you I love factory tours.
You walk around and it seemslike somebody has to remind you
to close your mouth.
As you're looking at it.
You just look and your mouth isopen and I didn't know you did
that and I didn't know that wasdone.
Please take them up on thisoffer.
It's not something that youwill ever regret, david.
(28:36):
Thank you again.
What a wonderful interview andwhat a great company.
As you come out with new things, think about us and if you have
interest in coming back onagain and talking about it, boy,
we'd love to have you back.
David (28:54):
Well, I appreciate you having us on and I appreciate
everything you do for theindustry and I would love to
come back and chat in the future.
Jeff (29:04):
Thank you, and it's just as a reminder it's
speedballartcom.
You've been listening to theArt Supply Insiders.
Check back with us often as wetalk about the world of art and
craft supplies.
If you'd like to hear more ofthese podcasts, please hit the
subscribe button on yourpreferred podcast platform, and
we'd really appreciate it ifyou'd go out and tell a friend.
If you'd like to show yoursupport, please consider going
(29:27):
to our website and hitting thesupport button at
wwwartsupplyinsiderscom.
Now go out and create something.
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