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Description
Shirt Show deep dives into all things screen printing and apparel decoration with shop hacks along the way. Hosted by Dylan Gilligan of Upstate Merch.
276 Episodes
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The times really are giving us all a hell of a time right now, and marketing is on the mind as a result. Elisa crushes it with DLH's socials, so getting her story and discussing content and marketing strategies seemed like a perfect recipe for a great pod. Adding in Angel from Halo Print Co. in the co-host seat for a little extra seasoning, the conversation/workshop/therapy session that followed was chef's kiss. Topics of discussion include: CRM, branding focus in marketing, being true to yourself, marketing to your clients and not your industry, not feeding the algorithm, knowing your value, SEO, google reviews, Discounts, content workflows, and sparking joy.
Travis Calhoun is a stunt biker turned printer. Needing to fulfill his own clothing brand’s needs, he took printing into his own hands and has really hit it off thanks to knowing his customer base and niching down into his own community. Topics of discussion include: Getting started, paying dues, building the right team, social media marketing, SEO, building out a new shop, Facebook marketplace, branding, and 90s kid ish.
A day one listener of Shirt Show, Chris Fahrbach got bit by the print bug back in high school, but came into his own through the world of skateboarding and snowboarding. Now looking back on 22 years of business, it's clear that Mixture really hit it’s stride by following tried and true business practices. Topics of discussion include: Door to door sales, building longterm relationships vs sales funnels, choosing the right shirt for the right job, getting bitter with age, seasonal depression in business, volunteering, satellite locations, bringing buttons back, efficiencies, and a brand new shop hack.
Josh Wells is a longtime printer, though you may recognize him from his educational videos with Ryonet. He’s got decades of print knowledge and experience under his belt, and he’s got a hell of a story to show for it. Mr. Timboslices is in the co-host seat again, a designer who’s still pretty fresh in his print journey. Getting these two together made for some great conversation on getting into this trade, education, and finding our own paths along the way. Topics of discussion include: Screen Printing Reality TV, content creation, early print jobs, starter kits, when and when not to DIY, building trust, cover songs, and Dylan’s top 10 movies of all time.
Angel gave us a peak behind the curtain into the chaos of tour merch. He began his journey by going on the road with Taking Back Sunday, and has since worked his way up to touring with the biggest bands, artists, and public figures like Oprah and Michelle Obama. Topics of discussion include: getting into touring, the different levels of the merch guy role, The Delicate Genius, Gildan acquiring Hanes, sustainability, forecasting, lack of accountability, best shirts, shirt collections, venue merch cuts, wildest merch items, and the best and worst venues.Jared Mendelewicz of AKT in the co-host seat!
It’s been a long time since episode 2 of Shirt Show, and from the outside looking in, Juan seems to have cracked the code on work life balance. Between crushing it with Squeegee Prints, and giving his time to the things he loves outside of the shop, Juan is the perfect role model to any shop owner who is feeling overwhelmed. But through our conversation we learn of the hard changes he had to make in order to reach this point, and it didn’t happen overnight. This was a much needed therapy session, so let’s talk feelings. Topics of discussion include: intentional growth, running a self audit and knowing your numbers, slow season, self discipline, improved printing methods, managing sales, different viewpoints on digital printing, the value of quality, and chickens.
Tidalwave was born out of bringing production in-house for their e-commerce brand. While Bradley & Matt may have underestimated the gravity of this endeavor, they found greater value in the opportunities that came with it, propelling them to becoming the 37th fasting growing business in 2025. Topics of discussion include: grass being greener on the other side, having sales before skills, 3PL & fulfillment, utilizing twitter/X, focusing your customer profile, automations and equipment, print on demand, box robots, managing your PnL, and the value of friendship.
Screen printer turned apparel manufacturer, Josh has been designing his own graphic tees since elementary school. After college and a brief stint in the corporate world, he went back to printing and even ran a shop of his own, but he found the perfect fit for himself once he’d created his own garments. Topics of discussion include: sourcing, finding your lane, shifting from a service business to a product business, saying no, finding good partners, manufacturing in the USA, dye houses, tariffs, longterm goals, the value of good storytelling, and shrinkage.
Zach is a longtime listener, and let’s just say he’s been taking notes over the years. We got his story of starting from the ground up, to eventually buying his local print shop. At about the halfway mark, armed with a long list of questions for your favorite screen printing podcast, the roles are reversed, and Dylan gets in the hot seat. Topics of discussion include: college fraternity and sorority markets, buying a print shop, hiring consultants, work life balance, weaknesses, error rates, shop visits, seminars, and comedies.
Here to provide a reality check on our outbound sales strategies, we brought in the master himself, Kevin Baumgart from Sales Ink. Brad Oliver from Culture Apparel, and Shirt Show’s very own Dylan Gilligan are sharing their experiences and strategies that were born out of personal experience, and developed through consultation with Kevin. Topics of discussion include: The Brat Boys, what’s special about the printing industry, outbound and inbound sales strategies, implementing CRM systems, getting leads, virtual assistants, scripts and prompts, timing, and Wild Hogs.
Brad Czarnowski is back, now with his new shop, Industrious Print Studio. Nick from Forward Printing is in the guest-host spot, and we’re talking fresh starts, and brighter futures. Topics of discussion include: Stepping your game up for dream clients, the clean slate that comes with starting over, transitional stresses, local sales strategies, finding your place in your community, and baseball.
People’s perception of OSHA falls somewhere between a guardian angel and the boogeyman. Gary is here to give it to us straight, and help us in walking the path of OSHA compliance. Topics of discussion include: Sustainability, osha misconceptions, injury procedure, inspections, common violations, make ready, the danger of ‘real quick’, ergonomics, electrical safety, health tests, respirator and face mask requirements, inspection etiquette, what to do if you receive a citation, and a whole lotta missing fingers.
Former litigator turned HR superhero, Adriane is here to school us on everything HR, and what we can do to set our shops up for success. Topics of discussion include: Best practices for implementing HR, culture, disciplinary policy, data and documentation, Printing United Alliance, hiring practices, managing toxic employees, conflict resolution, wage compression, managing expectations, and Terminator.
Megan & Ryan are the third generation behind P&M Apparel. While they didn't plan on taking over the family business, the sibling duo is building upon P&M's legacy and navigating their way towards a bigger and brighter future. Topics of discussion include: Growing up in a print shop, Flyover Con, corporate accounts, in-person sales tactics, building community, profitability, shop owner struggles, vulnerability, and 3am panic attacks.
Sean's been printing for well over twenty years, and adapting to new technologies for just as long. Whether it's with his digital squeegees, dtf printing, or the og screen printing we all know and love, Sean and Print Hybrid are only interested in producing one thing for their customers... Solutions. Topics of discussion include: Pyramid schemes, living by the ‘If you build it, they will come’ philosophy, having too much or to little shop space, getting into digital printing, the progress of tech, contract work, the digital printing boom on the horizon, business plateauing, implementing robots, adapting your business strategies, contract printing, racing to the bottom, and a near death experience on press.
After founding a company specializing in custom on demand tech products, Jason went on Shark Tank, sold his business, and retired… for about 6 weeks until boredom sent him onto his current venture: Rupt. Hell bent on disrupting the promo product space for goodness' sake, Jason's victory lap in this industry is bound to leave a lasting and positive impact. Topics of discussion include: The clutter in the promo industry, developing new tech and product, second life packaging, having global production facilities, digital and laser printing, why they have one piece minimums, consciously limiting your product offerings, selling solutions, battling greenwashing, venture funding, and Heisenberg.
Drue Nickerson was last on Shirt Show nearly 200 episodes ago. After 15 years of flying the 320 flag, he decided to fully rebrand to Riptide. We dug into reasons why, and how things are looking on the other side of this overhaul, and where he plans to be in the future. Topics of discussion include: our outbound sales strategies, being perceived as too big for small orders, virtual assistants, trademarking, LinkedIn, embroidery, learning to use new equipment, having your shop run without you, setting goals, culture, robots and ai, preparing for exit, and trilogies.Co-Hosted with wonderful Shirt Show alumnus, Mr. Jarrod Hennis of Rockford Art Deli.
Shawn Wright is not your average guy from small town Idaho, and Brigade is not your average business (or businesses) either. A seasoned electrician turned surfboard shaper, has found himself on the front page of many news publications for standing behind one idea: Everyone is welcome. Topics of discussion include: Hats, small towns, the entrepreneurial bug, the addiction of running a business, taking orders that are out of your league, Nonnas, family first policy, managing production of a viral shirt, honest pricing, offering promo, merch trucks, and white boards.
When it comes to printing at Heck Press, the more difficult the job, the better. Sarah is truly in this for the love of the print game, and the victories waiting on the other side of the stresses that come with it. Topics of discussion include: Hiking, janky first presses, being head strong, touring America, working with bands, printing and growing a shop while pregnant, Norway, the incredible Mel, letting go, printing water based, dabbling in plastisol, getting vibrant prints, trains, separations, shop visits, and print therapy.
After finding interest in printing through his biking community, Graeme hopped into the craft, and has been cruising through the print life at his own comfortable pace ever since. Topics of discussion include: Government grants, business difficulties in Canada, applying the discipline of cycling into printing, lists and time management, setting communication boundaries, marketing strategies, due dates, making your shop work for you, defining success, and Canada’s finest.
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