For most companies, working with a well known face is something to get excited about. So you can imagine how excited the team at Promain got when had the opportunity to work with David Gray. A popular musician with an excellent reputation!
For those of you that haven’t heard of Promain, they are one of the UK’s leading distributors of industrial paints and coatings. As their normal working day doesn’t tend to involve celebrities, we’d agree that they have something to brag about.
Here’s how they told their story.
Promain’s Musical Experience
It was just like any other normal day in the technical department when the phone rang. I was swift to pick it up and delve into the normal conversation that would usually consume my weekly afternoons.
Upon picking up the phone however, I knew that this wasn’t a normal conversation involving technical advice or product guidance. They explained to me that they were looking to recreate a ‘Jackson Pollock’ painting. It was to be filmed for an upcoming music video – how very exciting!
The issue they were facing was sourcing period accurate enamel paints in larger tins, as so far the only success they had was sourcing the right type of paint, but in tiny model painting size containers. These would not be nearly big enough to complete this exciting project.
The paint our customer was trying to source was an industrial enamel gloss paint. They had clearly done their research and found out that Jackson Pollock used industrial grade enamel paint to create the iconic pieces of art he was famed for.
Teamac’s Claim to Fame
Because of my experience from working in the paint industry for many years, I was quickly able to direct our new customer to Teamac Tractor Enamel Rapidry in Historic Colours. Although these coatings did not contain lead, the customer was delighted we were able to help him source the paints. He was even more delighted with the colours on offer where available in historic colours. The paint in question was formulated for the renovation of agricultural equipment. The colours on offer had been matched to the type of tones and shades used in the 1940’s. Apparently the product also has some of the ‘best colour names on the market’. This includes ‘Rotavator Orange’, which was much to our customers amusement.
I then went on to advise our customer on how best to work with the paints. I also explained the type of thinners he would need to thin the paint to the right consistency. Also for clean up after completing his creation.
More about the Project
During the course of our conversation with David Gray, he mentioned that he had a successful career in music, best known for his 1998 smash hit album White Ladder, featuring hits tracks such as the unforgettable Babylon and Sail Away. The upcoming music video in question was for the new track ‘Enter Lightly’, featured on his latest album ‘The Best Of David Gray‘.
David had previously studied fine art. He was looking to incorporate all his of creative talents and rekindle his love for fine art and painting that he had studied years before. Coupling both of his deep passions for art and music, the video was something that you could tell David was looking forward to. He informed us over the phone that the project itself was due to take place within a few days. We had to ensure the paint arrived on time.
The Promain sales team naturally went the extra mile to ensure the paint was produced to the required range of colours David was insisting upon. These were then dispatched from the manufacturer on time to ensure the video shoot went ahead without a hitch.
We were truly delighted when we heard that David gave a special mention to the paints in a recent interview on BBC Radio 2 with D.J. Jo Whiley. All the staff were excited to see the final video for ‘Enter Lightly’ once it was officially released and to hear that David was delighted with not only the paint we sourced for him, but with ‘the extremely professional and personal service he received from all the staff at Promain’ who made this video possible. A special thanks was given to Antony from the technical support team for his help.
David Gray was a pleasure to work with.
Passionate about Paint?
Are you are experiencing any difficulties sourcing any type of paint or coating? Do not hesitate to call the Promain technical department on 01462 421 333. They will be more than happy to assist you.
