Serial Killer Calendar was created by James Gilks and Kristopher Saunders. It has grown to be one of the largest true crime sites on the web, featuring artist's paintings, sketches, and artwork of different serial killers such as Manson, Bundy, and Gein. I recently had the honor to interview co-creator James Gilks for a place in the Dollar Bin Horror Spotlight.Q: How and why did you start serialkillercalendar.com?
A: I also run a design studio called MadHatterDesign.net. Several years ago I met Nico Claux (The Vampire of Paris) and offered to do his personal website in exchange for the rights to reproduce some of his serial killer paintings in a calendar. From there the company grew slowly and began to snowball in to what it is today. Personally I have always been interested in true crime and I think that, deep down, most Americans are too (whether they want to admit it or not). I used to love reading up on serial killers and trying to figure out what made them tick. I was just lucky enough to transform my hobby in to a company and create merchandise that I would love to buy. Honestly, if I did not own the company I would probably spend most of my money buying the products anyway.
Q: Where do you find the amazing artists who create the one of a kind drawing that go into your Magazine, Calendar, and trading cards?
A: At first we hunted down any and all artists who specialized in true crime (Nico Claux, Jack Malebranche, Johnny Machine, Chuck Hodi, etc) but in the last couple of years we have become such a household name (at least in the morbid households) that artists usually approach us to work on future projects. We generally get at least 1 email every two days from someone who wants to make artwork for the company or write for the magazine. We try to never turn anyone down and we are more than happy to give a new artists or writer the kind of world wide exposure that they might not be able to receive on there own.
Q: Could you tell my readers about how they can join the serialkillercalendar.com Street Team, like I am :) ?
A: Just contact me (James Gilks) at madhatterdesign.net. We are always looking for more people to help us spread the word on websites and any other form of media. Remember, without our loyal fan base, we wouldn't be able to create all the gruesome goodies and morbid merch we do today. I cant thank our customers and our street team enough for keeping this company alive.
Q: What's coming up next for serialkillercalendar.com?
A: Well, we recently put in the order for our first case of "MANSON FAMILY CULT-A-COLA". This is our new, professionally produced, limited time energy drink featuring Manson Family illustrations on the can by the amazingly talented Italian artist, Nicholas Raimo. These things look amazing and are definitely going to turn some heads. These should show up on the site for sale by next month. We are also gearing up for issue 8 of Serial Killer Magazine (in Borders, Barnes and Nobel, B Dalton and other major stores now) and a ton of other true crime goodies. So keep checking the site and thanks again for being a fan!
1 comment:
The artwork really is awesome.
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