Barbara Hobart ​has been developing products for clients since 1994 – including her own line which launched HomePlates Worldwide.

It began back in Los Angeles when she was working as a television comedy writer/producer and while on hiatus she started making decorative light switch plates as a hobby.  In 2003, while visiting friends in London, she offered to make them a switch plate to replace their plain, boring, white switch. She was told: “You can’t. UK switches are wired into the wall and are not removable.” “Can’t” isn’t a word in Barbara's vocabulary. And so, a challenge became an opportunity –- and a business.

In 2004, Barbara invented and introduced the first injection-molded decorative light switch cover to the 
UK -- which required no rewiring. 
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Since that time, Barbara has expanded her company and now sources, develops, manufactures, and consults with companies large and small to help strengthen their brand identity and awareness through custom products to reflect and enhance their message.

Some of her clients include Laura Ashley, British Home Stores, John Lewis Department Store, Aspace, BBC America, Live Nation, House of Blues, The Coca Cola Company, Blake Shelton, Netflix, Comcast, Carnival Cruises, Opry Entertainment, Organic Girl, Dark Matter Coffee, Gifford’s Ice Cream, and many others.

In addition to creating products for companies and brands, and teaching others how to do so, in November of 2019, she inadvertently became a food blogger (when bitten by the Instant Pot bug) and created Instant PotLuck. The blog has all sorts of products for the home chef, from food storage containers to Swedish Dishcloths. Today, Barbara is in the midst of updating the site to include her mother, Bernice's recipes, accessories, and passive/aggressive cooking tips. (For those who do not have a sense of humor, DO NOT check out the Motivational Mints.)

Since one of the things she doesn't do: photography, she need to hire photographers to shoot her recipes for her blog. She kept noticing they were lifting ridiculously heavy chunks of wood and marble slabs and they could earn a gold medal in weightlifting. So, in May 2019, she created Best Ever Backdrops™, a line of 100% waterproof, stain-resistant, and ridiculously lightweight backdrops for bloggers, stylists, and photographers -- which didn't break the bank, or their backs. In just a few months, Best Ever Backdrops grew rapidly and now produces its products internationally serving the UK, EU, Canada, Mexico, and Australia.