Lightwell Creators: Carlton Hickman
Hey there! This week we’re showcasing an incredibly talented creator. Carlton just recently launched his first app made entirely with Lightwell and we couldn’t be happier to share an insight into his process. 👏👏👏
Get to know Carlton and the wonderful world of P’Jamerz below! You can download the first chapter of P’Jamerz on the App Store now.
LIGHTWELL: Where do you live and what do you do? And…Tell us about your app!
Carlton Hickman: I am an internet entrepreneur based in Los Angeles, and have worked in industries from marketing to film production to comic book publishing. One of my dreams has been to create a toy company that sits in both the physical and digital world.
Thinking back to the toys I loved as a child, I realized that cartoons played a significant part. Cartoons gave me a basis for my imagination to leap off into my own adventures. The multimedia world allowed me to see how each character moved, how they sounded, how their world looked and felt. The experience of cartoons helped me play better. When I created my own toy product P’Jamerz, I knew I wanted to bring this experience to my own toys.
That being said, traditional cartoon production cost, time and management are out of the question for a startup. But, technology proved there was another way. If I could create a digital story and incorporate vocals, animation and music, I could create the same experience for P’Jamerz. (Add in a dash of interactivity and you have something that is beyond simply watching an episode!)
LW: How did the idea first come to you?
CH: From the beginning, I had crafted the story so it could eventually be experienced as an interactive story app for the iPhone. I tried dozens of tools to create the feel that I was looking for, but there was a hitch with everything I tried because of a lack of functionality.
When I finally found Lightwell, I was excited because I was able to see what they had created with their own software. With their free trial in tow I jumped in eager to push what could be done. Not only was I able to develop what I wanted, but I also found functionality that allowed me to do more than I had originally envisioned.
LW: Are you up to any other projects right now?
CH: With a feature set this strong, I am dreaming up of new ideas that I can create in Lightwell. I’ve started planning the next chapters of P’Jamerz, and may also use Lightwell with something from my comic book library.
LW: How did you find out about Lightwell? How would you describe it in one word?
CH: I have found that the most important part of any project is to find the right toolset. After digging around on google for nearly a year and testing various products, I finally stumbled upon Lightwell. Finding Lightwell was the final piece of my original vision of creating a toy company that was both physical and digital.
With the right tools you can push your imagination to the limits with what you can create. In this Lightwell can be described as one word — LIMITLESS.
