Brown & Martin, Inc.

A few weeks ago a picture of my shop was printed on the front page of The Wall Street Journal. And more recently a scene from my shop was featured on the reverse side of the front page of Brown & Martin’s newsletter. It doesn’t get much better than that!

Dale Brown has been a ventriloquist since the age of 12. His dummy, "Chip Martin", is not only Dale’s ventriloquist partner but also Dale’s business partner. The puppet is the "Martin" in "Brown & Martin". Brown & Martin Inc. is a public relations and marketing firm. Dale’s puppets are very popular in the custom newsletters Brown & Martin creates for itself and nine other companies. "Bob Board" (on the far right in the photo) happened to be hanging around my shop getting some minor repairs when the photographer for The Wall Street Journal stopped in and that’s how "Bob" ended up in the picture for the WSJ.

If I made a list of the top ten people who played most important roles in the success of Maher Studios, Dale Brown would be on that list. Not only did he author several of Maher Studio’s best selling publications, but his business advice and support was crucial. His friendship is priceless. So I was excited when I learned a Wisconsin publication, Small Business Times, which has a circulation of about 45,000, is currently recognizing B&M with a cover feature. What a great fun cover photo of "Chip" and Dale (no pun intended). The article is about how, after 22 years, their firm continues to work to keep some "fun" in what can be a very stressful business. It is a delightful and informative read. You can see the cover and read the article here: http://www.biztimes.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=homepage.welcome

Dale told me in a recent e-mail: "We do all this serious and successful marketing for very large companies, but it’s the puppets that always get the media’s attention. The reporters always ask, ‘But why would a company want to use a puppet character to deliver a serious message?’ The answer, of course, is the same as why a reporter comes to my office in the first place ... puppets attract attention and do more than communicate messages. They make things memorable and fun. Small Business Times had decided to put ‘Chip’ on the cover before they even talked to me. I’m sure they thought the puppet would attract attention."

Brown & Martin is located in Waukesha, Wisconsin. Web site: www.bmpr.com . For information on Dale’s keynote programs and banquet entertainment: http://www.dale-brown.com.

# posted by Clinton Detweiler @ Thursday, June 29, 2006

6.29.2006

His hobby becomes lucrative career!