Here’s the deal, friends. Grizzly Mouse is a merch consulting company run by two women in New York City who are passionate about helping artists create and market unique merchandise. Between the two of us we have five years and hundreds of thousands of dollars of merchandising experience under our belts, so we’ve got a lot to teach someone who is interested in the mechanics of merch. We’re launching a fulfillment division in March and we’re looking for a smart, energetic intern to help us with the day to day tasks of running this ship.

Some sample duties:
- Researching various types of blogs and forums for promotional opportunities for our clients
- Testing our website for bugs
- Writing copy
- Finding new potential products
- Packing and shipping customer’s orders

Organizational skills are a huge plus, but so are artistic ones. If you’re into photography or playing around in Photoshop, we can find a way to work those skills in. If you really like spreadsheets and research, we’ll tailor the internship in that direction. The two of us who are currently making things work are both jack-of-all-trades types and we’d love to find someone with similarly varied skills, but if you’re totally green and super enthusiastic about bands or t-shirts, we’d still love to have you. We’re happy to fill out whatever paperwork you need to get credit for this internship, but at this time we cannot provide a stipend. (We will, however, feed you when you’re on location, reimburse your travel, and give you your pick of obscure band t-shirts.)

Email your resume to info at grizzlymouse.com along with a cover letter that tells us something about why you think you’d be a good fit. Preference given to those who can receive college credit for the internship but all will be considered.

So in the last blog I gave you 5 Reasons to DIY Your Merch. Here’s a sixth one that I forgot: DIY is empowering.

Even just talking about DIY is empowering! I bet at least a few of you read that last blog and responded with a hearty, “Yes! I’m creative and broke and my fans will LOVE things I make personally! I’m going to buy supplies right now!” I also bet some percentage of that group is now surrounded by a pile of thrift-store t-shirts, blank cds, Sharpies and gin, wondering what the hell they’ve gotten themselves into.

The truth is, DIY isn’t for everyone, and here are some excellent reasons to pay a pro to make your merch dreams come true.
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As advances in technology and social networking have made it easier for independent artists to distribute their music, they’ve also brought DIY into the mainstream.  It used to be that punk bands were the only ones screenprinting their own t-shirts in someone’s dad’s basement, but now the DIY aesthetic is booming and many musicians are diving in.

For many, DIY makes a lot of sense, but it’s not the best option for everyone.  This blog will cover some of the reasons to DIY and the next one will take the opposite perspective.
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These past few months I’ve been so focused on being an artist, I didn’t realize how much I was missing being a merch girl.  Luckily since my life tends to ebb and flow, my merch days are coming back.  Last night I helped a friend screenprint her first tees; next month I’m going on tour.

And last night, I called an artist I love out on bad merch.

Bad merch can happen to anyone.  Maybe you forgot about the design until the last minute and just plunked your (square) album cover down on a tee and called it done.  Maybe you had a great concept but you or your hired graphic gunslinger couldn’t make it work in real life.  It’s no one’s fault, precisely; it’s just that merchandise design is not the same thing as graphic design.
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