Hidden Gems: Meet Jonathan Hammel of MadeFirst

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jonathan Hammel. 

Hi Jonathan, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself

Hey, thanks for having me! I am Jonathan Hammel, the owner and creative director of MadeFirst. Years ago, I worked in the theater industry where I soon realized I had a strong passion for custom design and fabrication. Eventually, I decided to change direction and start my own company focusing on experiential marketing. Just like that, MadeFirst was born out of my backyard and kitchen. Over time we have organically grown into a large space as we have exponentially expanded our capabilities. Still based in East Nashville, we recently acquired a second full-service shop in Los Angeles. Today, when a client comes to us, we are able to produce nearly all aspects of the project in-house, including handling all event logistics. We pride ourselves in turning our clients’ wildest concepts into a reality!

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?

As MadeFirst is heavily focused on experiential events, it has not always been a smooth road. The events industry was hit hard over the past two years, requiring us to quickly adapt to new event standards. With this, another obstacle the pandemic has brought the fabrication industry is the serious delay of materials across the board. Wood, fabric, paint, and many other resources we continually need have all been disrupted, but the deadlines and demands for our clients have not, giving us a short window of time to secure the right supplies. Maintaining high stock in our key materials has been crucial to our success when producing work on punctuated timelines. However, with more and more events coming back, I am happy to say that 2022 is looking very promising as we are now busier than ever.

We’ve been impressed with MadeFirst, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?

MadeFirst is a full-service creative design and fabrication company with facilities in Nashville, TN and Los Angeles, California. We are a local shop with international reach, and produce events ranging from music festival activations, pop up events, live staging and lots more. We have become a toolbox brimming with equipment like CNC routers, lasers, hotwire, and state-of-the-art printers for wood, metal foam, and plastic. We are one of the few fabricators with a robotic “Kuka” arm for architectural and foam carving and oversized props. We have created for clients such as Spotify, the Country Music Association, Pinterest, Adidas and many others! Our diverse client and project bases regularly challenge us to create cost-effective methods of planning and fabrication. We pride ourselves with some of the best talent in the industry. The quality and skill sets shown in our artists and craftsmen is like no other, and it is evident in the work we produce!

Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?

My innovative spirit and strong attention to detail has been crucial to the success of MadeFirst. Being able to achieve our clients needs and watch the public interact with the functionality of our work is more than rewarding and is what drives MadeFirst to continue pushing boundaries within the event industry!

Contact Info:

• Email: info@madefirst.com
• Website: madefirst.com
• Instagram: @madefirsttn
• Facebook: @madefirstfab
• Twitter: @MadeFirstTN

Image Credits
Kristina Krug