I get this questions frequently, so I thought I'd explain a bit about how The Local Manatee has some about. 

Many of you know my day job is working in animation, digital media, theme parks and  all things "Hollywood Magic". It's great work and I enjoy (almost) everything one I work with and we all take pride in the work we create. You're no doubt seen at least one thing I've worked on. 

But I am also passionate about my roots far for Los Angeles in Manatee County. And I am committed to saving and protecting the 'locals' there -- the wildlife. Just donating cash did not seem like enough to effect the change I'd like to see in the world. So, I created The Local Manatee company in an effort to bring positive attention to Manatee County, Bradenton, the islands and most importantly the Manatees, turtles, fish and wildlife.

So to start generating money for I thought i'd start with shirts. I have experience in apparel and generally in 'making stuff', so I liked that for 2018 I could get started quickly with products I'm already familiar. 

So for the shirts, I've personally created all the designs. (I'll get into the process in another post soon) as well as sourced the materials (ie the highest quality blank shirts, the custom tags, etc), selected and worked with my printing vendor. With the help of my tiny team,  we took photos of the shirts on location in manatee county and from that I've put together this website myself.  We also did a lot of hidden business stuff like incorporate, setting up the appropriate bank accounts and the licences and whatnot needed. I'm a strong believer in process, so I was focused on starting The Local Manatee strong so that I could continue this for years to come. 

Together, with you, my goal this year is to sell one shirt for each wild manatee.

There are currently 6131 manatees-- so that's 6131 shirts.  $30,655 that you and I can give directly to helping the manatees this year!

The shirts make great gifts and will be shipped in plenty of time for the holidays, so take advantage of the shipping deals I've put together for you.  Remember these designs are only for 2018 and after I ship out the shirts, the silk screens will be retired.