Today we’d like to introduce you to Derek Boylan.
Hi Derek, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My name is Derek Boylan. I am born and raised in Nashville TN. I have always been into collecting and filming Lego. Ever since I was a child I dreamed of becoming a YouTuber or just someone filming and reviewing stuff. I ended up completely selling most of my collection in high school to buy a pair of shoes and didn’t really think much of it.
2022 when I bought my first Lego set since my childhood. It sparked something in me and I kept getting more sets and buying more figures. I built a pretty decent size collection in about a year and that’s when I started thinking one night. I thought “hey maybe I can make something fun out of it and share my thoughts and collection with the world!” I needed a name and looked over at my Lego “The Daily Bugle” Lego set and thought why not TheBricklyBugle!
I was currently in college studying communications and journalism so I was applying what I learned here to my content through storytelling and reaching larger audiences. I mainly focused on taking pictures and talking about different figures and sets for the first 2 years of my account and built a following of 5,000 followers in my first year.
Also during this first year I this time I met some awesome fellow creators such as, Brandon Clark
@clanbrandolorian, Jack Edwards
CommanderJBricks, Jason Robertson
@commander_broski, Kyle Kelley @meesabrickz, and Will Reyes @ggbrickzz. We formed a group account titled @cantinachaos and created joint content and podcasts.
My second year I started focusing on video content and that’s when things started to change. I started gaining a supportive audience and was able to accumulate 10,000 followers which was a big deal to me. I also connected with lots of custom minifigure companies. Over the span of 1 year doing custom minifigure work I have designed and produced over 300 figures, and it has been a blast!
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?
I would say it was pretty smooth. I was always posting stuff I enjoyed. I definitely felt burnt out sometimes, posting consistently each day 7 days a week it gets tiring. But at the end of the day it’s something I enjoy and I want to put out quality content that people will also hopefully enjoy!
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I specialize in creating custom minifigure designs and graphic design work. I create design templates for other Lego content creators as well as create custom figures of famous people, movie character, you name it. One of my favorite figures I have made is The Human Torch where we used translucent orange pieces to make it appear like he was actually on fire. I feel like what sets me apart from other designers is my style as well as the time and effort in each design. I really put my all into everything I do, and I want that to be shown in my work.
Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
I would not be where I am without my amazing support system Heidi Land (girlfriend) she has been with me through it all!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://TheBricklyBugle.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebricklybugle?igsh=aW0zNG9uYXR0eXk1&utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1CX6X6Zr4c/?mibextid=wwXIfr
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/derek-boylan?utm_source=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=member_ios
- Twitter: https://x.com/thebricklybugle?s=11
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@thebricklybugle?si=DsYUvAEwavJq-2K2
- Other: http://derekboylanmedia.squarespace.com/
Image Credits
TheBricklyBugle
_oakley.media_
