Today we’d like to introduce you to Wesley Falk & Corey Green. Them and their team share their story with us below:
Wesley Falk and Corey Green met working as theater carpenters in Austin. Wes had recently arrived from Wisconsin and Corey from L.A. Shortly after Wes got an opportunity to work on a Rooster Teeth production, then invited Corey to work on a subsequent RT project. They continued working as freelancers in the Austin indie film scene until that fateful day in 2018…
Shifts in the film world are often 12-16 hour day. When you’ve spent weeks working with the same crew for that time, conversations can turn towards hopes and dreams. While building the set for a movie that eventually went to Sundance, “Sister Aimee,” Wes and Corey were musing in the benefits of opening a scene shop business in Austin. At that moment, the studio director of operations entered the stage and overheard that conversation. The next day, Wes and Corey found themselves agreeing to rent a space and Lucky Giraffe was born!
Over the next three years, the duo learned a lot about the switch from contractors to a business; and had a ton of help along the way. Wes found opportunities to hone his creative capabilities as a Production Designer. Corey went to school to learn the ins and outs of business administration. John Davidson, who was swooped up from a studio internship, joined the team as an unofficial Giraffe. The projects came more quickly and got bigger! In August 2021, the Lucky Giraffe added four more full-time employees.
Lucky Giraffe now operates as an expandable structure to suit the demands of any size project in film, theater, events, and activations. Employees are encouraged to work sensible hours and make space for self-care and positive mental health. As the business numbers grow, the greatest success is hearing employees exclaim that Lucky Giraffe is the best place they have had the pleasure of working!
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
There have been challenges during our progress. Personal growth into our new roles, for one. Early on, we had our fair share of lessons through hard knocks.
Also, much of the market for indie film and commercial set construction prior to establishing our shop was dominated independent contractors. There are many talented people who have been building sets and fabricating props in Austin for a while! For producers, hiring a vendor over a contractor has been a shift. While we have implemented systems that ultimately streamline process for clients, change is not always easy. Here in our fourth year, we are starting to see the results of developing continued relationships with clients who enjoy the benefits of our structure.
We’ve also learned that each business structure is unique. From the outside, titles like “administrator” and “manager” may give a distinct impression. But people are variables in an organization and sometimes it takes facing challenges to solidify the boundaries of roles, especially when few people are attempting to do the jobs of many until the company can afford to expand the team.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Lucky Giraffe is a fabrication shop for props and sets serving film, commercial, event, and activation! We work with woods, metals, plastics, and foams.
We do A LOT of rooms: living rooms, kitchens, bathrooms… These builds are common because filming in a studio gives space and flexibility for removing walls and other elements that would be permanent in a built home.
What we LOVE to do are genre or styled rooms. For instance, last year we worked with a Twitch streaming group based here in Austin called OTK. They did a game show in a DnD style goblin bar with aged wood and stone carved from foam. Wes designed the room and it came out beautifully!
What truly sets us apart from others is our focus on employee health and wellness. In an industry that demands long days and quick turnarounds, we use our structure and assets to allow tenable work hours. Because of our network, we are able to accomplish the same (if not more!) while working 8 hour days and providing perks like provided meals. I’m proud to say that we’ve had many employees tell us how great it is to be a part of our team!
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
There is quite a list of people to whom we will be forever grateful for the opportunities they provided that allow us to be where we are today. The live action build team in hanger two at Austin studios from 2016-2019 including Travis Eisenberg, Kit Casati, Stephen Fry, Stephanie Ard, and Marcus LaPorte; as well as some of their freelancers: Lindsay Lipscomb, Josh Hawthorne, and Paul Steele. Prior to LG, we both worked on some projects with them and learned a lot about the operations aspect of what our business currently does.
The next step in our growth was facilitated by producer Mindy Raymond and publicist Barry Rogers. While working at the studio where we currently reside, they got us set up with our building and helped create valuable connections with clients.
Since then, we have a whole heap of people who have contributed to the success of Lucky Giraffe: Annie Bradford, Phil Rios, Dakota Millett, Roger Mason, Joscelyne Ponder, Amber Hunt, John Davidson, and of course our current full-time staff: Rachel Kieschnick, Devon Muko, Iakov Doumanoff, and Christy Howell.
Pricing:
- Rentable wall pieces for as low as $88
Contact Info:
- Email: contact@luckygiraffe.co
- Website: www.luckygiraffe.co
- Instagram: @luckygiraffellc
- Facebook: Facebook.com/luckygiraffellc
Image Credits
Joshua Helms took the photo marked with his insta. Action build photo is Lucky Giraffe. Man on steel construction bar is a screenshot from a Door Dash commercial, produced by This & That productions. Woman on bed is a screenshot from a music video designed by Joscelyne Ponder.
