What is your name / organization / title?
Vic / Ursa Major Supply
What motivated you to become a maker?
The drive to create things. There was this rush of designing something and having it made into stickers/art prints and I just kept at it!
Looking back on the early stages of your journey, what advice would you give yourself now?
Learn illustrator. Seriously, just do it.
What is your favorite thing you’ve ever made? Why?
My favorite thing I’ve ever made is probably the sliding Sméagol enamel pin. It was just an idea I had sketched onto a sticky note and kept in my wallet until I finally made design and got it made into a pin almost a year later.
What’s the next evolution for you (or your industry) going to look like?
I really want to establish Ursa Major Supply as a brand that has apparel, patches and other accessories and offer more than just pins. Pins do very well for us and I don’t see the pin game going away anytime soon at all, but it is nice to be able to offer more than just pins.
Who would you partner with (living or dead) for your dream collaboration? And what would you work on together?
Very hard to pin it down to one specific person, but I always say a dream project would be to work on official movie merchandise. Whether it be Mondo, or specific movie studios like A24.
You're on death row and it's time for your final meal. What'll ya have?
Let’s start with a bag of Chester’s Hot fries as an appetizer. Then I’ll have a pepperoni pizza from Mountain Mike’s with a butter beer from Universal Studios to wash it down. Then, let’s end off with a plate of freshly baked peanut butter chocolate chip cookies with a glass of almond milk as dessert. Most of these foods make me feel sick for hours after eating them, so let’s go out with a bang.
In a world where you have two hands, all of your pets and loved ones are safe, and your studio is on fire, what do you try to save?
I’d snatch my 24x36 Fellowship of the Ring art print by Dan Mumford off the wall, my glass case containing all my favorite and rare enamel pins and I’d try to shove my ET plush underneath my arm as well.
What is one piece of pop culture (movie, tv, artwork, song, etc.) that no matter how many times you return to it you still draw excitement, movement, or inspiration?
I feel it should be pretty obvious if you’re familiar with my work, but I’d definitely say the Lord of the Rings is my favorite piece of pop culture. I watch the trilogy every year around fall time and they never get old. I will occasionally still pop in the bonus feature discs for inspiration.
I love useless facts. Impress me with a seriously useless fact!
Did you know that almost every Guillermo Del Toro film has a cheek mutilation scene in it? Characters in his films have had their cheeks sliced, cut, stabbed and shot.
If you could try any profession other than your own, what would you choose to do?
Easy. Filmmaking.
What is your personal strategy/philosophy when it comes to using social media for your work?
Share no more than 3 posts a week, try to have at least one story post a day and I try to never repost the same image twice.
Speaking of social media, where can people find you?
@ursamajorsupply on Instagram!
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