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When Grammy-nominated producer, songwriter, and mixer Bryan Wilson, also known as “Boom Dice,” sits down to speak with Willful in late summer, his Toronto office is filled with the markings you'd expect from a successful music career. Platinum records and industry awards cover the walls, but one plaque marking 10 billion streams stands out from the rest.
“This is my summary,” he says. “When I look at it, I'm like wow, I actually did that.”
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With Wilson's many accolades, it might come as a surprise that when we broach the topic of legacy, his eyes shift to a box of comic books and action figures sitting on his desk. The collection started when Wilson, as a third-grader, made what most would consider an impossible decision for a child: not playing with his toys.
“I would keep this stuff in the box and just look at them,” Wilson recalls, “thinking, when I'm 25, which is forever away at that age, I'm going to sell this for a lot of money.”
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That eight-year-old's investment thesis was proved correct. Wilson's collection, encompassing comic books inherited from his mother's 1950s Fantastic Four obsession, mint-condition Nintendo games, and wrestling memorabilia, is worth roughly $50,000 today, he estimates.
Today, the collection represents more than monetary value, but a solitary pursuit spanning more than 30 years. It’s become a meditation on what to keep, and what to pass down. Some people hold forever, he says, but his approach is more pragmatic: sell items as nostalgia peaks, and hold onto what can transcend generations. He suspects the cultural relevance of his comics, for instance, will outlast his wrestling figures and video games, with each new Marvel release renewing the narrative. “Stories keep being told,” he says.
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Now with two young children, Wilson faces the collector's eternal dilemma. He's begun selling pieces—a complete wrestling card set with autographs, listed for $800, or vintage Super Mario games at $350 each—but feels pangs of regret after some transactions.
There are similarities to the streaming business, he adds, where royalties must be carefully accounted for to hold value to the next generation. As Wilson itemizes his contributions as an artist and a collector, he’s redefining how creatives might think about legacy. Not just the plaques on the wall, but the careful curation of what survives, what appreciates, and what tells the story of a life spent preserving culture—one song, or unopened action figure, at a time.
What’s in your “keep forever” box?
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Interview and story by Sarah Bartnicka
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