From a Wisconsin studio to the national news. Local wood artist Isaac Wynter Weins — known as Ike Wynter to his massive social media following — was featured on “NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt” Tuesday.
Weins’ medium is reclaimed wood and his go-to tools are a scroll saw, band saw and sander. The Mequon resident cuts all the pieces to fit together almost like a puzzle. And, he never uses stains or paints. His muses? Nostalgia and mental health awareness.
The piece that helped launch Weins’ social media career a couple years back was the one he made for former boxing champ Mike Tyson. Since then, he’s constructed a custom piece for Brewers legend Robin Yount to commemorate the 50th anniversary of his MLB debut; a replica of the NHL’s Stanley Cup to raise funds for former professional hockey player Brent Sopel’s nonprofit; a “Hoan Town Lager” for 414 Day; a Polaroid camera with interchangeable photos; Legos; a depiction from “Giannis: The Marvelous Journey”; a Father’s Day surprise for “Power Ranger” and singer Chance Perez, and more. He’s also the artist behind that giant wooden Crayola crayon box that was making its rounds on social media this summer.
Mara Stein, an associate producer for “Nightly News,” came across one of Weins’ videos when she was scrolling TikTok, the artist told the Journal Sentinel in a phone interview Wednesday.
She messaged him about wanting to pitch his story for the program. And, just a couple weeks later, Weins was informed the segment had gotten the green light.
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In late September, NBC News correspondent Maggie Vespa, Stein, a cameraman and an audio person traveled from New York and Chicago to meet Weins at his studio in Butler.
“It was pretty wild,” Weins said. “Bringing them to our city because of something that I have going on, it was a really cool and humbling experience. … It’s honestly just been kind of hard to put into words.”
The just over 1½-minute segment that came out of the about six-hour visit aired Tuesday and was also shared on the show’s social media platforms.
On filming day — which Weins described as “easy going” — Vespa did a 1½-hour sit down interview with him. He said it felt comfortable, like he was “talking to an old friend,” and not-so-much like he was being interviewed for the national news.
Then, the cameraman filmed a variety of shots with the artist, including him working in his studio, as well as picking up wood from the side of the road and out of dumpsters — a common practice in his process. Weins even let Vespa try her hand at cutting wood.
At the end of “Nightly News” Tuesday, Holt himself introduced the package, highlighting Weins and his work: “Finally, there’s good news tonight about a visionary who is stunning social media by finding artistic greatness in the garbage.”
“To be introduced by him, holding the credibility and the weight that he has. And, I feel like he has a lot of respect from America in general and the viewers. To have him introduce my story is pretty legendary,” Weins said.
The video began with a voice over from Vespa: “In this Milwaukee shop, stacked with millennial memorabilia, 31-year-old Ike Wynter works without brushes, paints or any standard art supplies. Recreating childhood memories to the delight of millions.”
Footage was shown of Weins cutting wood and clips from his viral videos, including him constructing Tommy Pickles from “Rugrats,” showing Tom Kenny (the voice of SpongeBob SquarePants) his rendition of Bikini Bottom, and more. Fun fact: Kenny purchased a piece from Weins for Rodger Bumpass (the voice of Squidward Tentacles).
“If someone were to ask you, what do you do for a living, what would you say?” Vespa asked Weins.
“I just get to cut wood all day and listen to music,” replied Weins, repping an Unfinished Legacy T-shirt and throwback Bucks hat. “And, that’s, that’s my joy.”
The feature highlighted how Weins’ process is centered around sustainability. Vespa also talked about how Weins’ art has “resonated far and wide,” noting that he even has a piece hanging in a private art gallery at the New York Stock Exchange. And, while several of Weins’ pieces sell for thousands of dollars, Vespa said, he gives others away.
“If I can have somebody and they’re just randomly scrolling on social media and they see or hear stuff from their childhood and it brings back a simpler time, it just makes people feel good at the end of the day,” Weins said in the segment.
Weins watched the airing of the feature live with his dad in the house he grew up in, at the kitchen table where the family would tune into the news around dinnertime back in the day. So, the segment mentioning that Weins is the son of a carpenter made the moment even more special.
Since his “Nightly News” debut, Weins said he’s sold three major pieces of his art. That included his most expensive piece to date — a neutral-tone film canister seen in the segment — which was purchased by a brand new customer within 10 minutes of the spot airing, he said.
“It aired and then my phone just blew up,” said Weins, who woke up to over 500 Instagram DMs Wednesday. “Friends and family texting, calling. And then, obviously, the world of social media, new followers.”
And, this wasn’t even the first time Weins was in the national spotlight. He was previously featured on “Pattrn” on The Weather Channel.
You can read more about Weins and his remarkable journey here.
