“It’s really by word of mouth,” Harbin said. “So I get these phone calls, and I don’t ask no questions, I just say, ‘it’s God,’ and then we come together and put something together.”
BC Carpenters was tapped to work on the Doechii pieces along with outside talent hired by California-based entertainment company, Live Nation, Harbin shared with The TRiiBE.
“What it sounds like is that they didn’t have a Chicago team. They just had an LA team, and [Live Nation] was gonna bring guys in from LA,” Harbin said. “But now that they tapped me in, they locked me in for all their Chicago [events].”
Harbin said he received a call about the Doechii project just two days before they wanted the installation to go live. They had the two concepts for land and water.
Although most entertainment jobs come at the last minute, Harbin said it doesn’t deter him from getting the job done. “it’s like, no, just put your head down and get it done,” he said.
Through his business, Harbin has done set work for the annual Summer Smash music festival that’s put on by Chicago-based media company Lyrical Lemonade. For this year’s Summer Smash, he was tapped by G Herbo’s team to do a fabricated light pole representing 76th and Essex, the East Side cross streets that the rapper grew up on.
Before starting BC Carpenters in 2023, Harbin was a union carpenter for 12 years. He left the position to follow his calling and showcase his work on a different scale.
Originally, Harbin said he wanted to use the name “Brother’s Construction,” but the name was already taken. Harbin has since transformed the meaning of BC to Bespoke Creations, with the help of his marketing director, Ace Wallace.
“The meaning of [the word] bespoke is creating something from an idea out of thin air,” Harbin explained. “And I’m like, to be honest, that’s perfect.”
Harbin began creating set pieces for entertainers five years ago when a creative director named Andre Taylor reached out after finding his work through Instagram. Taylor does entertainment services for the company All Creatives Welcome. Harbin was asked to build the set of NBA YoungBoy’s video for “AI Nash,” which was shot by Lyrical Lemonade.
“After that, [Andre] liked my work, and he’s just been locking in with me, from doing work with Eminem to doing work with Kanye West to doing work with Lil Durk, and I just been going and going,” Harbin said. “Me being in the union, my time was limited; so I’m like, I have to see what’s out here or I’ma regret it. So I end up quitting the union and starting my own business.”
Harbin works as the solo laborer for his company, bringing in help as each project sees fit. Through BC Carpenters, Harbin touts custom pieces created for Durk’s 2023 Summer Smash performance, which featured a replica of his granny’s house, and pieces for the reality competition TV show “Shark Tank.”