Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1538245
spacesuits, muscle suits, weapons or so goods like cloaks and walkabouts (mascot costume). "I try to generally hire specialists because we can get to the finish line faster. Generalists are good when you have big, crazy things going on, but I like specialists a lot more. Most of my Paern Makers out there are just going to be doing so goods. They're not worried about any of the sanding and painting and priming. But there is a lot of crossover just in what these jobs are. Having that interchange clause in my contract was super important, because being in a facility is way different than being on set where every tiny, nuanced task is very segregated. Currently (as of May and June of 2025), the shop is working on a Borderlands 4 promo character statuees that will tour through video gaming conventions before landing to display at Gearbox Soware headquarters in Texas. Walking through the shop, there are several freelance employees working on building the bodies of the characters, paerning and draping the clothing and shoes that will be worn by the MOTIONPICTUREC O S T U M E R S .O R G 41 the scale of projects that we normally do." He adds, "We also do the 3D scanning where we can generate body forms, so our Paern Makers have a body form to paern on." Thingergy became a union Signatory shop in 2019 and performs covered work within Local 705, Local 44 (scenic and props), Local 892 (illustration and design), and Local 729 (paint). Ippolito, who is also a Local 892 Assistant Costume Designer, says, "The reason that I got multiple unions involved when I signed and I said to all of them, I need to have an interchange clause, because today, somebody might be gluing EVA foam together, but tomorrow, maybe they're sanding a part. Or maybe the next day, they're pouring rubber on something. There's a lot of people that do a lile bit of everything." In his shop, many of the Specialty Costumers have multiple skills that Ippolito utilizes for all kinds of projects, whether it's armor pieces, "There's a million ways to make a helmet, a million ways to make a suit of armor, a million ways to make all kinds of different things, and … picking and choosing where those things are is where my specialty is because I've got the experience in all the different departments and I comprehend everybody's workflow really well." —FRANK IPPOLITO