Meet Chad Buffett | Prop maker, film producer and special effects artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Chad Buffett and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Chad, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
After years of working at corporate jobs with long hours, internal product conflicts and multiple fires to put out I realized I was good at what I did but I wasn’t getting the satisfaction equaling the level of work I was putting in.

All my life I was a builder and maker and as the hours piled up the hobbies I once loved drifted away, I was beyond burned out and lost my creative outlet. One day I was on the haunted mansion ride at Disneyland trying to detox from long hours and being overworked, when I was looking at the graveyard scene with the talking heads I told myself someone created those years ago and people are still enjoying them to this day decades later. That’s when I decided I need to get back to my roots and start building and making things others could enjoy for years to come.

When I got back from my trip in 2015 I started to work on a game plan to get out of the corporate world and with the help of my amazing partner by 2016 I had left my job and the simple paycheck for the life of a full time artist working out of my garage. It was a struggle for the first few years, I was making props, costumes, commissions and doing indie film work, but I was having fun working long hours and seeing all the joy people would get from the things I was creating for them.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
When I got back from my trip in 2015 I started to work on a game plan to get out of the corporate world and with the help of my amazing partner by 2016 I had left my job and the simple paycheck for the life of a full time artist working out of my garage. It was a struggle for the first few years, I was making props, costumes, commissions and doing indie film work, but I was having fun working long hours and seeing all the joy people would get from the things I was creating for them.

Fast forward to 2022, I have full time artists in a larger studio space, produce indie horror movies, do special effects and supply props to cosplayers and film productions.

Sometimes you just have to be creative even if it’s a struggle, I wouldn’t change a thing.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I would take them to the downtown Seattle area, especially the Seattle pier, lots of great food and entertainment. Definitely bundle up if its winter and bring some rain gear.

The local farmers markets in the Seattle area have some great local artists.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My amazing partner has been very supportive in this journey to be creative again.

Website: https://raptorprops.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/raptorprops/?hl=en

Image Credits
All images taken by Raptor Props LLC.