Jason Krzmarzick

"I wanted to design something tangible," says Jason Krzmarzick, Overkill's 31-year-old CEO and lead designer.To do that, Krzmarzick, while toiling away as a graphic designer for local media/design firm CMD, approached co-worker Matt Souther, 32, about busting out a prototype for a table.
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"Yes, that's our 'patented' T-Pin design," jokes Jason.But Overkill is also serious business.Most ambitious is a recent merchandising deal with Fender (you know, the guitar people).Because it takes more than moxie for two rock-'n'-roll desk jockeys to swap Powerbooks for power tools--it takes marketing.

You can design a table based on Fender's trademark headstock shape, but Fender doesn't have to like it.
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Fender was suitably wooed by the image, so Gross, Krzmarzick and Souther packed the table to Los Angeles and waited for the news.
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"This is a dream for all of us, to be doing this on our own," says Jason.In other words, pushing product is great, but Overkill's principals are mostly pleased as punch to be working their own angle--even if it looks like a Stratocaster.

Originally publishedWednesday, September 11, 2002