Born and raised in Robbins, with his
grandson Evan continuing a third generation,
Boswell wanted the name to capture the
historical legacy of his hometown. Long before
Robbins was called Hemp, or Elise, it was named
Mechanics Hill. Home of the Kennedy Rifle
Factory, the largest site of rifle manufacturing
pre-Revolution continuing into the Civil War,
the factory was literally established on the hill
right behind the studio. Alexander
Kennedy, the patriarch, grew what
they called schools, rather than
plants, and branched out all over
North Carolina. With a prior career
in rifle manufacturing and a spark
of hometown pride, Boswell chose
the name Mechanics Hill holding
significance on many levels.
Today, Mechanics Hill is all
about education. Offering an
entire plethora of services from
marketing to consulting, branding,
producing—many words come to
mind, but in reality, “We educate,”
informs Boswell. “We already know
many markets with experience in
manufacturing and regulations,
but as far as branding a business
and introducing a name into a
bigger audience pool, the strategy
becomes very specific to each
customer. There is no rule book;
there is no cookie cutter method to say this will
work. We are an innovation center offering new
ideas, along with new product, new marketing
strategy, and a new business plan for each
client.”
Whether the client’s business is a start-up or
an established company trying to catch up with
the times, the emphasis remains to help small
businesses. Boswell emphasizes, “Educating is
what I do. As we determine business goals, we
normally have to take a step back to ground
zero.”
From marketing to the music studio,
Mechanics Hill is where the magic happens.
INNOVATION con't. p.34
Mechanics Hill Studio, Robbins.
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Those who visit Mechanics Hill immediately
get it once they walk in the front door. From the
artists to the CEOs, everybody loves Mechanics
Hill. Boswell affirms, “The businesses who
come are like, ‘Wow!’ That’s the message! And
marketing is no different; the same rules apply.
If you are going to get the best performance
out of your employees, then you must provide
a creative environment. Ultimately we have
provided a path for small businesses to walk
in our door, develop their idea, capture
content, protect their brand, and distribute
their product. We deliver the total package. It’s
common to hear, ‘The hardest thing in the world
for a marketing company to do is to market
themselves.' However, if a marketing company
can’t market themselves, then why would
anyone use their services?”
Take a music band or a one man show—the
only way an artist will make it in today’s industry
is to operate like a business, otherwise the
music industry simply will not talk to them. So
how does an artist get started? Boswell explains,
“Professional artists are normally not business
people, but unfortunately creatives must be able
to swap hats and learn a little bit about business.
Today artists should have an EPK, electronic
press kit, along with a website, calendar, and
sample music, or they don’t have a chance. To
get an EPK up and running, clients can walk in
without one and leave with everything they need
to thrive in the marketplace. Our innovation
center approach makes this possible as clients
enter with a project and exit with the complete
package—and a plan to continue their brand.”
Boswell smiles, “That’s why I like the
term innovation center. Innovation is ideas.
Innovation is integral to strategy.”
“Old Nashville,” that’s how Boswell describes
the music studio at Mechanics Hill. Following
the same approach to music as to marketing, the
studio offers the best place to record for the best
performance. Boswell explains, “It’s all analog
and all live production. From the mics to the
techniques, we determine how to capture the
tone of the song so that when it comes out of
the speakers, it relates to listeners. To that same
innovation, our approach is beginning to end.
Very popular local musician Jonathan Robinson
obtained a zero to finish product with us.”
The expectation of another local was
completely different. Retired West Moore
Elementary principal and girl’s softball coach,
Bruce Williams has been in education his entire
life. When the industrial sector went down in
Robbins, Williams noticed all of the empty
buildings and lack of traffic as he drove through
town. Out of this experience, a song called
“Memories of My Home” was born. Relating to
not only a local audience but also to thousands
all across America, Williams’ song struck a
chord. Not just about Robbins, “Memories of My
Home” is about all of the little towns in Ohio and
Indiana who are in the same position.
Boswell explains, “Through his song,
Williams was able to capture three key elements
important to successful marketing. Number
one: What is your story and how does it relate
to the consumer? Number two: How are you
going to deliver? For instance, Williams had the
song, but he had no clue how he was going to
deliver it to his audience. He was a point in his
life wherein he needed to do this as the song had
been on his heart for a long time. Number three:
You have to know your audience. If
you don’t know your audience, then
delivery means nothing.”
Bruce did not approach
Mechanics Hill with expectations of
being a star or being worried about
booking a gig, but rather he came
with a dream and with a song he
had written ten years earlier. Boswell
remembers, “He was so nervous
when he came in, and he really didn’t
sound all that great, but I wasn’t
listening to his sound. I was listening
to the story. Because again, in both
marketing and in music, you have to
have relate to your audience. With key
elements in place, we combined his
song with our skill set incorporating
videography, photography, and
delivery methods—and produced
the total package.
A master at the visual, Dan
Ring manages the photography,
videography, website design and development
for Mechanics Hill. Together as a dynamic force,
Boswell focuses more on the business side
as Ring masters the content generation side.
Whether working together or individually, Ring
enjoys the creative challenge. With videography
being his favorite part of design, Ring also
consults with clients about starting their
business, running a blog, or designing their
website. “They’ll ask for advice on how to look
more professional or how to get started with the
website,” says Ring. “About a year ago, we had a
customer who wanted to grow the sales of their
ecommerce website. We completely redesigned
the site, established the brand, and focused
our strategy on how to capture his audience via
the website, social media, e-mail newsletters,
giveaways, etc. In 12 short months, our client
went from bringing in roughly $2,000 to $5,000 a
month to $80,000 a month using strictly market
strategy.”
With clients in LA, Wisconsin, Minnesota,
Florida, and some overseas, Ring thrives at the
creative process. Finding inspiration comes
from a desire to simply, “Be better!” says
Ring. From helping in the studio to designing
websites online, Ring remains a vital part of
Mechanics Hill. Remembering the Jonathan
Robinson project, Boswell and Ring delivered
the total package. Beyond the logo, artwork,
photography, website, and music that was all
produced on site, the Mechanic Hill’s private
label “Songwriters and Gun Fighters” carries
Robinson’s label to his fans.
Raised in church since day one, Boswell has
grown up around music as both parents were
INNOVATION continued
INNOVATION continued
Joey Boswell,
Mechanics Hill Marketing, Owner.
p.32 The Pinehurst Gazette, Inc. No. 134