Plastic Monsters of Phoenix: 100 Creatives

Phoenix is brimming with creativity. And every other year, we put the spotlight on 100 of the city’s creative forces. Leading up to the release of this year’s Best of Phoenix issue, we’re profiling 100 more. Welcome to the 2014 edition of 100 Creatives. Up today: 3. Plastic Monsters.

Plastic Monsters are a package deal.

Alex Benson, Justin Humbert, and Scott Chaffee founded the Phoenix-based “collaborative, fluid video team.” You can’t have one without the others, and the trio of friends is always on the hunt for new collaborators. “Each of our projects ropes in our various other creative friends from all different fields — design, illustration, sculpture, comedy. . .” Benson says. “So it’s an ever-changing gaggle of passionate creatives making fun videos.”

See also: Tempe Artist Amy Radcliffe: 100 Creatives

Plastic Monsters’ main project is Peachy Keen Moon Machine — a web series that blends the sensibilities and styles of Pee Wee’s Playhouse, Tim And Eric, and The Mighty Boosh. It also happens to be the only variety show on the moon. Benson says they’re working on the next episode, which “guest stars a disheartened werewolf.”

The group tackles its “weird projects” during its members’ free time. “Food and video games happen at some point in there, too,” Benson says.

Soon, they’ll bring Peachy Keen Moon Machine to the masses. A special live episode of the show is coming to The Clarendon Hotel during the fall 2014 edition of ARTELPHX on September 25, 26, and 27.

Beyond that, Benson says, “We also have music videos planned for two of our favorite local bands that we’ll be making in the next month or two that we’re really excited about!”

Peachy.

We came to Phoenix with an umbilical cord attached and gunk in our eyes. For most of us, anyway – almost the whole team was born and raised here in Phoenix. It’s a weird place, which is perfect to grow up in. Then you make weird stuff.

We make art because it’s fun. At this point, making things is how we hang out. We’re just a big group of friends with various skill sets mushing together to make fun things. If it’s not fun, it’s not worth doing.

We’re most productive when we’re all together, which is why most of us live in the same house. We’re each usually working on a different aspect of the same project at once, so we’re all used to popping into each other’s rooms and getting feedback on a monster costume idea, a weird edit or effect, or a goofy song for a soundtrack. It allows us to be more adventurous and divide and conquer.

We all come to the table with different inspirations. Aesthetically, we’re inspired by Pee-Wee’s Playhouse art direction, Wes Anderson’s shot composition, kooky Japanese video games and tokusatsu shows, The Gong Show‘s awkward energy, and Michel Gondry’s in-camera practical effect style. We also geek out about a lot of really great designers and illustrators doing bright, fun, playful work, like Kate Moross, Jon Burgerman, Oliver Hibert, Katsufumi Takihana, and loads of others.

We’ve learned most from doing things ourselves. We’ve all learned so much more from just jumping headfirst into ambitious projects than any of us ever got out of any class or schooling. A DIY budget and crew from the get-go taught us to be super resourceful about how we use our time and money. We all met by playing in bands together in the Phoenix DIY music community, so those values and perspectives are what keep us going.

Good work should always be fun for everyone involved. If we aren’t having fun, we either change it drastically or scrap it. A playful perspective is super important, too. Every project should be approached with a perspective of play. It’s important activate the imaginative kid-version of ourselves in each project. The moment that something is being done ‘by-the-books’ or ‘industry-standard’ is the moment the personality of the project dies. Everything can be inventive and unique in some way!

The Phoenix creative scene could use more collaboration! It’s disheartening when the pockets that pop up in arts & music communities stick to a self-serving way of working and communicating. Reach out! Get different! The designers should be hanging out with the bands, and the writers should be hanging out with the sculptors, and the painters should be hanging out with the video guys. Let’s all make some really great stuff together.

See the 2014 edition of 100 Creatives:

100. Bill Dambrova
99. Niki Blaker
98. Jeff Slim
97. Beth May
96. Doug Bell
95. Daniel Langhans
94. Nanibaa Beck
93. Nicole Royse
92. Ib Andersen
91. Casandra Hernandez
90. Chris Reed
89. Shelby Maticic
88. Olivia Timmons
87. Courtney Price
86. Travis Mills
85. Catrina Kahler
84. Angel Castro
83. Cole Reed
82. Lisa Albinger
81. Larry Madrigal
80. Julieta Felix
79. Lauren Strohacker
78. Levi Christiansen
77. Thomas Porter
76. Carrie Leigh Hobson
75. Cody Carpenter
74. Jon Jenkins
73. Aurelie Flores
72. Michelle Ponce
71. Devin Fleenor
70. Noelle Martinez
69. Bucky Miller
68. Liliana Gomez
67. Jake Friedman
66. Clarita Lulić
65. Randy Murray
64. Mo Neuharth
63. Jeremy Hamman
62. La Muñeca
61. Kevin Goldman
60. Emily Costello
59. Kerstin Dale
58. Vara Ayanna
57. Nathaniel Lewis
56. Ruben Gonzales
55. Lisa Poje
54. Bobby Zokaites
53. Frances Smith Cohen
52. Julie Rada
51. David Miller
50. Xanthia Walker
49. Kyllan Maney
48. Cary Truelick
47. Constance McBride
46. James D. Porter
45. Allyson Boggess
44. Abigail Lynch
43. Ashley Cooper
42. Jaclyn Roessel
41. Brandon Boetto
40. Melissa Dunmore
39. Gavin Sisson
38. Rossitza Todorova
37. Monica Robles
36. Josh Kirby
35. Jesse Perry
34. Yai Cecream
33. Nathan Blackwell
32. Carley Conder
31. Ben Willis
30. Nicole Michieli
29. Brian Cresson
28. Tyson Krank
27. Mikey Estes
26. Anwar Newton
25. Sarah “Saza” Dimmick
24. Tato Caraveo
23. Jorge Torres
22. Laura Spalding Best
21. Shawnte Orion
20. Mike Olbinski
19. Christina You-Sun Park
18. Jon Arvizu
17. Anya Melkozernova
16. J.B. Snyder
15. Damon Dering
14. Rebekah Cancino
13. Liz Warren
12. Timothy Brennan
11. Mimi Jardine
10. Rosalind Shipley
9. Nic Wiesinger
8. Kendra Sollars
7. Dan Hull
6. Elizabeth Maria Naranjo
5. Cody Nathaniel Johnson
4. Amy Radcliffe

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