Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Ian Terry. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Ian, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What was it like going from idea to execution? Can you share some of the backstory and some of the major steps or milestones?

I’ve always been a big believer that some of the best ideas combine two great things. One of the best live shows in Denver is Lucha Libre & Laughs, which combines pro wrestling with a comedy show…which is something that no one had tried before and has been amazingly successful. I’ve drawn a lot of inspiration from that train of thought. In 2021 I was sick with Covid and had been thinking about what the next thing I would do would be. I played in pop-punk and hardcore bands for a decade and then was in the comedy world for nearly a decade and I had been struggling with what I would do next. I started to think of what I loved, which was going outside. I love the outdoors and have found hiking to be a tremendous mental health resource throughout the nine years that I’ve lived in Colorado. The only problem was that most outdoor brands seem to be very generic or over-represented by people that are more wealthy and of a very specific background. This led me to think about another thing that I’ve always loved, Nordic Black Metal. I’ve always loved the music and the aesthetic and I realized I hadn’t seen a heavy metal outdoor brand and how that was something that I could really put my heart and soul into. I started by brainstorming some name ideas and font choices and ran them by some of my friends who gave me some input. I settled on DoomWood because I really love the mirror image aspect of the name/logo and added Outfitters to make it clear that this was an outdoor brand and not a cool new band (lots of people think it’s a band). From that point, I started working with a printing company in California that specialized in print-on-demand to keep initial costs down and to have the freedom to experiment. I found a few designers whose work I really liked who were based in Indonesia (probably one of the top heavy metal locations in the world) and worked on a few designs myself. A lot of it was thinking of what people like me would enjoy, but also thinking of what people who weren’t like me at all would enjoy. It’s been a constant work in progress.

Ian, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Our current goal with DoomWood is to create a brand that supports the outdoors and people who don’t feel represented by other brands. It combines the grim and evil aesthetic of black metal/doom metal with a love of our world’s natural beauty. For the first year, we’ve been operating very small with only myself and mostly friends and family helping and modeling. The goal for the next year is to pivot to having almost everything printed locally and shipped out of my home to create a better experience. We want to eventually grow our product line into more than just shirts and get really into making some interesting outdoor gear and apparel. We’re also looking to participate in more local markets and have been having a blast meeting people around Denver and seeing the reaction to DoomWood in person. It’s incredible to see an idea come to fruition in real-time. The ultimate goal for DoomWood is to eventually be able to use the business to contribute to the protection of our National Forests and other wildlife areas that are in danger of being destroyed.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I feel like life is all about constantly pivoting. Every new chapter leads to another and so on and so forth. I think the important thing is sticking to your guns on the things that you think are extremely important but being able to evolve and listen to others.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

Local markets have been an excellent place to meet new people and spread the word. We’ve worked with Learned Lemur, Creature Arcade, Horrid, and Jade Mountain Brewery in the Denver area and have met so many great people. It’s always a thrill when someone recognizes us from Instagram or has no idea what we are and loses their mind over our designs. Looking forward to doing more great things this next year.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.shopdoomwood.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shopdoomwood/