Werner and the 1200 Instagram Frames
One day in the middle of October, Bobby Hendry gave us a call and said she has been helping out an artist friend, and has an idea where Atkins could help with some edition printing.
Bobby is a long term client and friend, she’s been the subject of a podcast interview, which is well worth listening to.
Bobby had suggested to her friend Werner Bronkhorst (https://wernerbronkhorst.com), a talented painter, that we make some small edition print and frames for him to sell on his successful Instagram feed (https://www.instagram.com/werner_bronkhorst).
The idea is, 12 originals, 100 off each, tested, produced and delivered in four weeks. Woah.
Mandy, our general manager, has never been a fan of our cute little Instagram Frame (https://www.atkins.com.au/instagram). She rightly argues that it is as hard to make one of these as it is to make a big frame. They are fiddly, and hard to price beyond their cost. But seeing the potential of this order, and the opportunity it will afford to improve the way we make them, she quoted a healthy price, which Werner approved! And we were off to the races, immediately delivering a sample set, all printed on archival paper with pigment inks, and framed in a Tasmanian Oak box frame. The team made 300+ each week, fitting the job in and around our Christmas push. It was so exciting, so good to be put to the test like this.
We used some of our new equipment to make custom boxes for the frames, and these were gradually filled over the weeks.
Getting close to completion, I realised that shipping them will be a worry with the tight deadline. So I donned my courier cape and worked out all 1200, two pallet loads, will fit in my new 76 Land Cruiser.
Last week, on Tuesday 19th November, once the sun was off the carpark, I played a game of Tetris, which I ominously called Jenga (in my senility). And it fitted, with barely a change of clothes spare.
Wednesday the 20th I set out driving very gingerly (avoiding a Jenga moment), and 8 hours later was in Hay for the night. Thursday I spent 7 hours on the road and stopped in Bowral, 90 mins out of Sydney. Friday morning I mad my final assault through the morning traffic to arrive an hour early.
Bobby met me at Werner’s studio and with Werner’s dad Frederick we unloaded and made a satisfying stack.
At the time Werner was away with a loan car from Porsche, making use of his Instagram followers for the car company, but he returned to the stack and prepared for the sale to go live.
And live it did go, on the morning of Monday 25th November, all 1200 sold out in 10 minutes….
Wow.
What a ride, four weeks, so much careful hand work, 2800ks and all sold in 10minutes…we have an interesting business.
