Today we’d like to introduce you to Matt Binns.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
After a decade in Chicago designing and fabricating mechanical Special Effects for TV and film, the inroads made by computers were reducing the most profitable areas of my business. About that time, Wrigley Gum asked me to make a 5′ diameter world globe out of aluminum to mount atop a trade show booth. As this seemed simple compared to the complex mechanical mechanisms that I normally work with, I said yes, and promptly lost my shirt. Turns out that making smooth complex curves for the landmasses was harder than it seemed. A year later I had a similar request from Abbott Labs, who wanted five 6′ globes for a similar reason. Refining the process and spreading that cost over multiple globes meant there was a meager profit, and an inkling there could be a niche market for lightweight, rust resistant and meticulously crafted globes.
20 years on, we have completely refigured the process, resulting in stronger and more accurate mapping using our own projections and serving clients all over the world.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Each of our globes is a commission, they are all completely custom made to client specifications, no matter how outlandish. As a result, we may only make a handful every year, and some take several months to build. The result is that our workflow can be very episodic, we are lucky if we have continuous work as we must turn down jobs when we are busy with other commissions, and most of our globes have time-sensitive destinations, such as the opening of a new building or business location.
We are also subject to the vicissitudes of the market when times are hard a company may decide it is not good PR to fire workers and mount a shiny globe on the front lawn at the same time.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Giant Globes – what should we know?
We build giant world globes in aluminum and fiberglass, 10′ in diameter is the largest we’ve done so far but if you want a bigger one we’d be happy to oblige. They are all custom made so anything is possible, LEDs to mark locations, satellite imagery, custom finishes and logos, they spin, hang and have been wrapped around structures. We also do mechanical Special FX and build large action props (practical and fanciful boats, a 34′ long working film camera modeled after a Hasselblad, that kind of thing).
We are either the first or the last people to get called. We get called first when the client knows us already or gets lucky, and last when everyone else has said “By when?” or “You want what?”
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
I worked with an FX guy, Jim Janecek at Personal Effects. who taught me how to analyze problems and solve them by prototyping in minutes not days. My father was a scientist who made tools for woodworking as a hobby and then used those tools to make simple and elegant furniture.
Pricing:
- Our smallest aluminum globe (3′ diameter) starts around $6,500.
Contact Info:
- Website: giantglobes.com
- Phone: 773 316 8079
- Email: matt@giantglobes.com
- Instagram: giantglobesinc
- Facebook: Giant Globes Inc.
Getting in touch: VoyageChicago is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
