Vendor Profile: Atomic Props and Effects

Company: Atomic Props and Effects

Products:  Billboard Props and Special Effects

Address: 895 Hale Ave N, St Paul, MN  55128

Phone: 612-331-1335

Email: stacy@atomicprops.com

Atomic Props & Effects is a full-service design & fabrication company.  Founded in 1980, the brainchild of Mike Pearson – Atomic Props began as a live special effects company and has become a turnkey solution for some of the largest brands in the world. Mike had the foresight to bring on people, including his wife Patricia Punch who serves giving the company direction.  Over the years the company has grown significantly because of their philosophy of hiring people smarter and more talented than they are. The company was the subject of a Twin Cities Pioneer Press March 2019 feature.   Insider talked with Stacy Colson the company’s Director of New Business Development.

Stacy, how did Atomic Props get into the out of home advertising business?

Simply put, we started in a garage in 1980.  As the Creative Director for one of the markets top advertising agencies, Mike started building his own props and live special effects for his own commercial shoots long before computer aided design was a “thing”.  Other advertising agencies caught wind of that and asked Mike to build props for their clients as well, hence the birth of Atomic Props.  Fast forward a few years when Target asked Atomic if we were able to build a giant prop and hang it on a billboard and we said “yeah, you betcha”.  And, that has continued to be the attitude and response that has built the business and kept us engaged.

What’s your favorite Atomic Props project and why?

The current one is usually our favorite but, they are all unique projects and that’s why we love what we do.

Probius prop for Blizzcon 2017

There are certainly projects that have required more bells and whistles than others, the 3-D fabrication of an animated video game character comes to mind.  Probius, was created as a 5’ tall battery operated and RC controlled replica of the game character.  He was built on an articulating wheelchair chassis and was fit with cameras, servos, LED lighting, an mp-3 player and speakers and contained a dedicated 4-G line to Twitch-Stream live POV at Blizz-con.  Game specific sound files and animated lighting created the ability for Probius to live-interact with his audience.  The R/C master could control him from 150’ away, which gave Probius a magical quality. With these effects, he was brought from the digital world into a 3-D living world, giving his fans a great experience.

Trolls The Experience, is another project that we are proud to have been a part of.  Again, it was taking characters from the animated Trolls movie and creating them in 3-D along with fabricating interactive experiences.  This one we got to design elements, fabricate them, ship and install them.  There were many moving parts to this project, and we interfaced with a larger team in keeping all of its elements on track. It was an “all talents used” kind of project with our designers, artists, welders, techies and support staff tapped for their individual expertise.  It filled our shop for a whole summer and is still entertaining families in New York.

Where do you fabricate?

Our projects are all designed and fabricated right here in our 40,000 square foot Minnesota fabrication shop.  We have everything from old fashion pipe benders to computer-controlled routers in our shop.  Come visit, but only if you like dogs.  You’ll usually find a dog, or two, or four running around.

How would you describe Atomic Props today?

Atomic Props & Effects is a partner to agencies and brands who want to push the limits.  We provide engaging and immersive brand experiences for the advertising, retail, sports and architectural industries. Our capabilities stem from our 40 years of experience and our team of world-class designers, artists, techies, craftsmen, and visionaries.  One of the neatest things about our business is no two days are the same, no two projects are the same.  The industry has changed quite a few times over the past 40 years, and we are nimble enough to have changed right along with it.

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