GRAHAM HENMAN
CO-FOUNDER/OWNER AND DESIGNER
- THE GURU

GRAHAM IS A VETERAN COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR AND THE CO-OWNER OF HELLO! PRODUCTIONS HTTP://WWW.HELLOANDCOMPANY.COM IN LOS ANGELES. IN REALITY HE IS A MINIMALIST, BE IT IN ART OR LIFESTYLE. HE IS THE MEMBER OF THE TEAM WITH THE CONTROLLED STAMINA AND UNENDING ABILITY TO GET THINGS DONE. HE IS FAMOUS FOR BEING THE QUIET IN THE EYE OF THE STORM AND HIS BEST IDEAS MATERIALIZE WHEN HE’S BACKED INTO A CORNER. IN HIS CASE, HIS BARK IS VERY OFTEN AS BAD AS HIS BITE.

GRAHAM STARTED HIS CAREER AS A PHOTOGRAPHER IN ENGLAND AND THEN MOVED TO THE STATES TO WORK WITH BIGGER NAMES AND BIGGER BUDGETS. HE SOON FOUND HIMSELF CATAPULTED INTO THE GLAMOROUS WORLD OF MUSIC VIDEOS AND HIGH END GLOSSY COMMERCIALS. HIS CLIENT LIST READS LIKE A WHO’S WHO OF THE LARGEST GLOBAL ADVERTISERS. GRAHAM HAS DIRECTED MANY FAMOUS NAMES FOR VARIOUS BRANDS OVER THE YEARS BUT TWO NAMES IN PARTICULAR STAND WAY OUT. MILES DAVIS AND ANDY WARHOL. MILES FOR HONDA SCOOTERS AND ANDY FOR DIET COKE. BOTH THESE EVENTS WERE THE ONLY TIME THESE ICONS EVER STEPPED IN FRONT OF A CAMERA TO SHOOT A COMMERCIAL. GRAHAM STILL HAS SIGNED SOUP CANS FROM ANDY AND DRAWINGS DONE BY MILES IN HIS HOME.

GRAHAM ALSO SHOT RINGO STARR FOR DISCOVER CARD. THIS TURNED OUT TO BE A LIFE CHANGING EVENT.

GRAHAM HAS NOW FOUND A NEW PASSION. HE WORKED CLOSELY WITH HIS WIFE PARIS TO DESIGN AND CREATE A NEW BREED OF GUITARS. GUITARS THAT WOULD BE SEXY, MINIMALISTIC AND MODERN. IT WAS A MASSIVE UNDERTAKING AND A HUGE LEARNING CURVE BUT THE END RESULTS ARE SOMETHING GRAHAM IS SUPREMELY PROUD OF.

HE THEN PICKED UP HIS STILL CAMERA AND WENT BACK TO HIS ROOTS TO CREATE AN OUTSTANDING IMAGE BRANDING CAMPAIGN FOR HENMAN GUITARS.

PARIS HENMAN
CO-FOUNDER, DESIGNER
- THE ANARCHIC REBEL, MARRIED TO THE GURU

PARIS IS A TALENTED FASHION STYLIST AND HAS A VERY STRUCTURED IDEA OF WHAT SHE DOES OR DOESN’T LIKE. HER TASTE IS MINIMALIST IN THE EXTREME AND SHE IS FAMOUS FOR EPIC MELTDOWNS IF SHE DOESN’T LIKE THE COLOR OF A PARTICULAR OBJECT. SHE CAN’T PLAY A GUITAR BUT IS PASSIONATE ABOUT HOW SHE WANTS IT TO LOOK AS AN ART PIECE OR FASHION ACCESSORY.

PARIS IS A TRUE LONDONER AND STARTED HER FASHION CAREER THERE, WORKING ALONGSIDE TOP PHOTOGRAPHERS, SHOOTING HIGH FASHION ADS AND MAGAZINE EDITORIALS FOR ELLE, VOGUE, THE FACE, FHM AND I.D.

SHE ALSO MOVED TO THE STATES IN SEARCH OF BIGGER BUDGETS AND OPPORTUNITIES. COMING FROM LONDON, HER STYLE AND FASHION IDEAS SHONE IN THE LAND OF T-SHIRTS AND SHORTS IN LOS ANGELES. SHE SOON FOUND HERSELF WORKING WITH SOME OF HOLLYWOOD’S BIGGEST NAMES INCLUDING JOHNNY DEPP, LEONARDO DICAPRIO AND CAMERON DIAZ. PARIS WAS SOON IN DEMAND AND STARTED WORKING ON MUSIC VIDEOS AND COMMERCIALS.

A TRIP TO VANCOUVER TO SHOOT A COMMERCIAL WITH RINGO STARR INTRODUCED HER TO SOME BRITISH DIRECTOR CALLED GRAHAM HENMAN. IT BECAME A LIFE CHANGING EVENT AND EVENTUALLY THE TWO MARRIED.

SHE BRINGS THE ‘OUTSIDE OF THE BOX’ FACTOR TO THE TABLE IN THIS DUO. WHEN THEY WERE STRUGGLING TO DESIGN THE ULTIMATE TUNING PEGS, PARIS BREEZED BY AND SAID INTUITIVELY “MAKE THEM ROUND”. SHE WAS INSISTENT ON THE GUITAR’S SILHOUETTES BEING CURVY AND SEXY AND PERFECTED THE DESIGN. SHE CHOSE ALL THE COLOR FINISHES AND NAMED THEM AFTER BOND GIRLS. HER INFLUENCE AND AESTHETIC IS EVERYWHERE IN THE BODY DESIGNS AND METAL FINISHES. FOR HER IT WAS AKIN TO DRESSING A SUPER MODEL. SHE INSISTED THAT THE GUITARS SHOULD HAVE A UNIQUE CASE TO BE DISPLAYED IN, THAT THE WHOLE PRESENTATION OF THE INSTRUMENTS WAS AS IMPORTANT AS THE INSTRUMENTS THEMSELVES. INCLUDING THE PERFECT BLACK LEATHER STRAP. SHE KEPT THE MALE EGOS IN CHECK AND WAS ALWAYS ABLE TO STAND BACK AND SEE THE WHOLE PICTURE. A CLASSIC FASHION STYLIST’S PERSONALITY TRAIT. PARIS ALSO WORKED CLOSELY WITH GRAHAM TO DESIGN ALL THE IMAGE BRANDING, ADVERTISING MATERIALS AND NAMM EXHIBITION SPACES. IN THE ABSENCE OF ERIC CLAPTON, JIMMY PAGE, THE EDGE AND JEFF BECK, HER AND GRAHAM’S SON WAS CAST TO BE THE BRANDING ICON FOR HENMAN GUITARS. A BRILLIANT MOVE TO UNDERSCORE THE THINKING AND MODERNIZE GUITAR BRANDING IMAGERY.

RICK TURNER
CLASS ACT AND MASTER LUTHIER
- THE THINKER

RICK TURNER NOW OVERSEES AND QUALITY CONTROLS THE BUILDING OF ALL HENMAN GUITARS AND HAS BEEN A LUTHIER LONGER THAN HE CAN REMEMBER AT THIS POINT, HAVING BUILT A DULCIMER-LIKE INSTRUMENT OUT OF BALSA AT AGE 10.

IN HIGH SCHOOL, HE STARTED TO HUNT DOWN VINTAGE INSTRUMENTS IN NEW ENGLAND ANTIQUE SHOPS STARTING WITH A FAIRBANKS AND COLE BANJO WHICH HE REFINISHED AND RESTORED.  WINDING UP AT BOSTON UNIVERSITY IN THE EARLY 1960S, RICK DECIDED THAT A GUITAR REPAIR APPRENTICESHIP BEAT SITTING IN A 500 SEAT LECTURE HALL, AND SO HE DROPPED OUT OF ACADEMIA AND INTO THE WORLD OF FOLK MUSIC AND INSTRUMENT REPAIR, EVENTUALLY LANDING THE LEAD ACOUSTIC GUITAR SPOT WITH CANADIAN’S IAN AND SYLVIA WITH WHOM HE TOURED AND RECORDED.  AFTER A STINT IN A ROCK BAND, AUTOSALVAGE, RICK MOVED TO CALIFORNIA AND DECIDED UPON A CAREER IN ELECTRIC LUTHERIE. 

HE BROUGHT INSTRUMENT AND PICKUP MAKING SKILLS INTO THE STRANGE BREW THAT BECAME ALEMBIC, INC., MAKING GUITARS AND BASSES FOR THE LEADING FIGURES IN WEST COAST MUSIC, THEN FOUNDED RICK TURNER GUITARS IN 1978 TO MAKE THE MODEL 1 GUITAR NOW MOST CLOSELY ASSOCIATED WITH LINDSEY BUCKINGHAM OF FLEETWOOD MAC.  TWISTS AND TURNS IN THE ROAD TOOK RICK THROUGH A PERIOD OF DESIGNING FURNITURE AND RUNNING CABINET SHOPS, AND THEN BACK TO GUITARS, WORKING FIRST FOR GIBSON, THEN RUNNING THE REPAIR SHOP AT WESTWOOD MUSIC IN LA, AND FINALLY SETTING UP HIS OWN SHOP AGAIN IN TOPANGA CANYON AND THEN SANTA CRUZ WHERE HE, HIS PARTNER BARRY PEARLMAN, AND A TEAM OF THREE LUTHIERS BUILD MANY STYLES OF INSTRUMENTS. 
HTTP://WWW.RENAISSANCEGUITARS.COM

RICK’S PASSIONS COVER THE RANGE FROM TRADITIONAL ACOUSTIC GUITAR AND UKES TO THE MOST MODERN ELECTRIC GUITAR AND BASS DESIGNS.  THAT ECLECTICISM EXTENDS EVEN TO HIS BUILDING TECHNIQUES WHICH GO FROM USING HOT HIDE GLUE IN ACOUSTIC INSTRUMENTS TO CARVING PARTS ON A COMPUTER OPERATED ROUTING MACHINE.  HE IS EQUALLY COMFORTABLE WITH WOOD OR WIRES, ACOUSTIC INSTRUMENTS OR ELECTRIC.  HIS INSTRUMENTS ARE IN THE HANDS OF MANY OF THE WORLD’S TOP FOLK, ROCK, AND JAZZ MUSICIANS, AND HIS WORK HAS BEEN EXHIBITED AT THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION IN WASHINGTON, D.C., THE SAN FRANCISCO MUSEUM OF MODERN ART, THE MUSEUM OF MAKING MUSIC IN CARLSBAD, CA, AND ONE OF HIS EARLIEST GUITARS WILL BE SHOWN AT THE MUSEUM OF ART AND DESIGN IN NEW YORK IN 2011.