Dotted with Hearts were very happy to Interview Anthony Muzikar of MetalDogz'My wife Deann and I launched our company and Web site MetalDogz.com on Halloween night 2008. We both have been major metal heads and horror fanatics since we were kids and have been immersed in the hard music scene for 28 years. I spent 10 years of my life working for a metal music marketing company in NYC and my wife is a long time communications and media specialist. If there was one thing we had in common besides music and horror movies, it is our love of animals.
We got our very first dog in early '08. One day I told my wife to search the net and order him some cool rock or metal tees. I was sure there was somebody out there doing them. She found very little. There were a few parody tees and a couple of band logos, which I'm sure the company didn't have the licensing rights for, and that was about it. Sure there were plenty of skull and bones and guitars, but nothing cool or original. You can buy those types of shirts in a Wal-Mart. So I thought there was a market for dog tees, bandanna's, etc. for head bangers and their pooches. One thing we were sure of is people will do anything for their pets. I sketched out some ideas, did some trade marks, came up with a business plan for K9 world domination and MetalDogz was born.
MetalDogz is based in New Jersey, USA. We are approaching this like any young band would. Start in the basement with long hours and alot of hard work, become known locally and then move on from there. We vend our merch at concert festivals, pet expos and hip flea markets. We also do consignments or wholesale, basically whatever it takes. We have recently set up shop on dates of Music As A Weapon, M3 Rock Fest, Mayhem, and Uproar Fest, as well as horror conventions such as Chiller and Rock & Shock. Someday I would love to do a whole tour.
85% of our customers are women, which I guess should come as no surprise. I would have to say our most popular design by far is our Metal Doggie "Paws Up" logo followed by the Death Metal Doggie "Pentagram in dog bones" logo.
We have one dog who has been our total inspiration, a Papillon named Ville who loves wearing our tees. We also have 3 cats, but we have no plans for MetalPussy as of yet. LOL
In 5 years I would like to see us progressing into more and more products, getting our stuff out to more bands and artists, growing the business and being able to quit our day jobs and make a living at this.
Check us out at http://www.metaldogz.com/ and
Twitter @metaldogzrock '
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