Published In: TruckNews.com
Written by: John G Smith
BOLTON, Ont. – Motive Media’s Kate Glassow was among the millions of Canadians who held their breath during the final 0.9 seconds of the Toronto Raptors win over the Golden State Warriors. But the nerves didn’t end there – she and the rest of the team had a deadline to meet.
The fleet graphics house was responsible for wrapping vehicles that would carry the Raptors through downtown Toronto during this week’s victory parade. And in a hurry.
A 53-foot retrofitted trailer to be parked at Nathan Phillips Square was just the beginning. There were five double-decker buses to carry the players, a fleet of 19 Ford vehicles, a retro TTC bus, trolley bus, and even banners for the stage.
“We were informed that there was the potential of this when they got to the final round of the playoffs,” said Glassow, the Motive Media account manager who supports Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, which owns the Raptors. The artwork was prepared, and the 8,000 square feet of material was in stock by Game 3.
Then they waited.
“We got the go-ahead the minute the game stopped,” Glassow said. “I was just so nervous because there was so much at stake for us. It was so nerve-wracking, and it was an incredible opportunity. We had all hands on deck … we’ve got three people in production, and they were basically working around the clock.”
With the help of 15 installers, they had everything ready just before 1 a.m. on Sunday.
Motive Media president Kathy Cartan said she didn’t stop to realize how big the job was until someone from Ford came to the company’s yard to take pictures. “There’s bigger companies, too, but we got a piece of it because we were small. We could pivot,” she said of Motive Media’s capabilities.
“When I saw them start off, I thought this was huge.”
“It was quite the moment. We feel so fortunate that we were able to be included in it,” Glassow says. “We’re a small part of history … I think [the Raptors] have a new Number 1 fan.”
