Shutter Bombs Featured in Local News Story
Published Last updated
Last updated
The KRQE Story: A Student Founder in Albuquerque
From the archive — this story first ran in early 2018.
In February 2018, KRQE News 13 in Albuquerque featured Shutter Bombs founder Kyle Guin in a story about the young entrepreneurs trying to revive New Mexico's economy. At the time, Guin was a junior at the University of New Mexico and a fixture of the university's Venture Lab — a live/work/play space for student founders inside the Lobo Rainforest building in downtown Albuquerque.
The hustle started early.
“When I was in middle school, there are pictures of me ditching books out of my backpack and then filling it with candy bars to sell it,” Guin told KRQE.
By his junior year, Guin had launched two companies. The first was Pencil-In, a mobile app that turned a photo of any printed schedule or event flyer into an entry on your phone's calendar. The second was Shutter Bombs — the shop you're reading right now — selling colorful smoke grenades to photographers.
Guin made the case that Albuquerque was the right place to build both.
“There hasn't been anything out of my reach in Albuquerque. I've been able to do everything that I've needed to do with ease here,” he said. “Why not Albuquerque? I think that's the question.”
The KRQE piece also caught the city's political mood at that moment. Former Albuquerque Mayor Richard Berry, interviewed for documentary footage filmed in November 2017, struck an optimistic note: “Every mayor in the country is worried about where young people are moving.” His successor Tim Keller, newly in office when the story aired, was blunter: “I want us to be honest with ourselves. We have many challenges and we can't ignore those... it is true that where we really lag behind is folks early on.”
Guin's closing line held up: “What we're doing now is going to be good for the future.”
Source: KRQE News 13, “Young Albuquerque entrepreneur featured in national documentary” (Feb. 2, 2018)
The PBS NewsHour Connection
The KRQE feature ran days after Guin appeared in a PBS NewsHour documentary on how New Mexico was investing in young entrepreneurs to restart its economy. “It's a place that's still down in the dumps a decade after the recession began,” anchor Judy Woodruff said in the segment — 2018 framing of the slow post-2008 recovery, and the backdrop for the state's bet on student founders like Guin.
We covered that national feature in its own post — read Shutter Bombs Featured on PBS NewsHour for the full story.
Where Shutter Bombs Is Now
The candy-bars-in-a-backpack instinct grew into a real catalog. Shutter Bombs today carries Enola Gaye smoke grenades in all nine colors — black, blue, green, orange, pink, purple, red, white, and yellow — across five formats:
- EG25 — compact micro can with a ~25-second burn; the entry point and best per-can value.
- WP40 — the best-selling workhorse; ~90-second burn for sustained portrait clouds.
- WP40-D — ~60-second burn at the lowest per-can price in the 40mm family.
- TP40 — ~60-second burn with a top-pull cap for fast one-handed redeploys between takes.
- Twin Vent II — vents from both ends at once, releasing the entire charge in ~25 seconds for the densest instant cloud.
Not sure which can fits your shoot? The model comparison guide breaks down burn times, output, and ignition styles side by side.
Logistics remain the hard part — and the moat. Every order ships ground-only as certified hazmat via FedEx or UPS to the contiguous US, excluding Massachusetts; there's no shipping to Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, international addresses, or PO boxes. Orders of $225+ ship free, most orders leave the warehouse in 1–3 business days, and every can is backed by the 100% Product Guarantee.
Safety
Use smoke grenades outdoors, hold the can by the base (it gets hot during and after the burn), and keep it away from anything flammable. Rules vary by state and municipality — check the state legality and hazmat shipping guide before you light anything, and note that national parks generally prohibit smoke devices (see the national park rules). 18+ to purchase.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why was Shutter Bombs featured in local news?
KRQE News 13 profiled founder Kyle Guin in February 2018 as part of its coverage of New Mexico's push to grow young entrepreneurs, days after Guin appeared in a PBS NewsHour documentary on the same theme. The hook was a student founder taking smoke grenades — gear with roots in film, tactical, and event production — and selling them directly to photographers and creators, a niche almost no retailer served at the time.
Has Shutter Bombs been featured in any major media outlets?
Yes. Beyond local coverage, Shutter Bombs appeared in a PBS NewsHour documentary on New Mexico's startup economy, its smoke showed up in Travis Scott's “Sicko Mode” music video, and the brand became the official smoke bomb of New Mexico United.
Where can I buy Shutter Bombs smoke grenades?
Directly at shutterbombs.com, a US retailer of authentic Enola Gaye smoke grenades. The shop carries all nine colors across five formats: the compact EG25 (~25-second burn), the best-selling WP40 (~90 seconds), the value-priced WP40-D (~60 seconds), the top-pull TP40 (~60 seconds), and the dual-vent Twin Vent II (~25 seconds, double output). Orders ship ground-only as certified hazmat via FedEx or UPS to the contiguous US excluding Massachusetts — no Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, international addresses, or PO boxes — and shipping is free at $225+.
Are Shutter Bombs smoke grenades legal?
Shutter Bombs smoke grenades are CE Approved and ATF Compliant — no license is needed to buy or use them in most states, and buyers must be 18 or older. They aren't fireworks: no open flame, no explosion, smoke only. Rules still vary by state and municipality, so check local regulations before use — the state legality guide covers the details — and remember that national parks generally prohibit smoke devices.
Ready to Get Started?
The same cans that put Shutter Bombs on the news are the ones photographers shoot with today. Every order ships from our US warehouse in 1–3 business days.
Shop the WP40 — 90-Second Burn Shop Photography Smoke
Related Articles
- Shutter Bombs Featured on PBS NewsHour
- Shutter Bombs Featured in Travis Scott's “Sicko Mode” Music Video
- Shutter Bombs Becomes the Official Smoke Bomb of New Mexico United
- Working with @iambkarma
- EG25 vs WP40 vs TP40 vs Twin Vent II: Full Comparison Guide
About Shutter Bombs
Shutter Bombs is a colored smoke grenade company shipping Enola Gaye products since 2017. We've put smoke grenades in the hands of photographers, event planners, gender reveal parties, and creative professionals across the US. Learn more on our About Us page, or email hello@shutterbombs.com.