What It's About
Zombies, monsters, and aliens—oh, my! A couple in LA take prop making to a whole new level.
Business Model
Skills Required
Complexity
Profit Potential
Words of Wisdom
While they were building their tv meth lab, they had no idea how popular the series would become, but Breaking Bad is now a household name. It taught BJ and Eileen a valuable lesson that's applicable no matter what line of work you decide to go into: you should always treat everyone well because you never know what project or client is going to really take off.
Fun Fact
According to Eileen, the process of prop molding is actually quite similar to baking a bundt cake. They coat the mold with a release agent similar to butter, mix up their ingredients for the polyurethane foam, and then pour it in. After a period of time, they pop it out and start trimming it down so it's ready for fake blood, makeup, and pretty much anything else you've come to expect on a good cake!
Notes from Chris
Episode 304
If it would be at home on a horror set, you can pretty much guarantee that BJ and Eileen Winslow of Dapper Cadaver can carve up whatever it is you’re looking for. Because these masters of the macabre run the world’s most surprising mom and pop shop—a prop shop that serves up masses of mutilated flesh and bone on a silver platter for Hollywood’s most elite. While the name Dapper Cadaver may not ring a bell, you’ve likely seen their work in shows like Breaking Bad, Dexter, Games of Thrones, and Stranger Things. But despite their bloody success, which now exceeds 7-figures in annual revenue, Dapper Cadaver began as a side hustle prop shop with modest beginnings operating out of a garage in Los Angeles, CA. Then, they didn’t foresee their creations being used on mega-popular TV shows and movies, or that the government would one day ask for their help training others in disaster preparedness. Looking back now, they’re just glad they had the guts to follow their dream.
MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
- Dapper Cadaver: Visit BJ & Eileen's website for a look at some of their most ghastly work!
- Wordpress: BJ & Eileen used Wordpress to create Dapper Cadaver, and here you can learn how to install your own Wordpress site in 5 minutes
- Data Scientist Starts Science Fiction Magazine:A Colorado scientist publishes a science fiction magazine and builds it to a sustainable income of $1,800/month, funded largely by his readers
- “Cosplay” Photographer Earns $47,000 from Epic Star Wars Portraits: A Texas photographer combines his love for art and science fiction to add magic to his photography specializing in cosplay and all things geek
- Comic Creator Illustrates His Way to $30,000: A long love affair with the Sci-fi genre helps this side hustler build an empire—both imaginary and real—through his successful comic books and audio drama podcasts
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