Published In: YorkRegion.com
Written By:
When the Toronto Raptors basketball team entered the final round of the NBA playoffs, Maple Leaf Sport and Entertainment, a longtime customer of Caledon digital printing company Motive Media, gave the heads up that they had a big project in mind.
If the Raptors won, they would need the company to produce large format wraps and decals for vehicles for the players as well as coaches, managers and owners of the team for a Toronto parade.
The company, which has been in Bolton on Parr Boulevard for three years and in business for 20, started printing images on its 60-inch large frame printer when the Raptors won Game 3.
When the team won the championship in Game 6 beating the Golden State Warriors in the series, the staff at Motive Media kicked into high gear.
They had 72 hours to get the job done.
“We’re used to crazy deadline,” explains Kate Glassow, account manager with the company, “but this was particularly crazy.”
The company had to design the wraps and decals under MLSE’s direction using images and logos provided. It took 30 hours to print everything and then it had to be laminated and put in kits for installation. All the vehicles being used in the parade were measured for size but also measured for where vents and windows were located.
It took 20 staff from the company going full tilt for three days to get the job done.
“MLSE came to us because we’re a big enough company that we can handle the job but small enough that we can pivot when necessary,” Glassow said. “I’m so proud of our team and company and feel so fortunate that we had a small part in this historic moment for Canada.”
It didn’t hit Glassow how huge the experience was until she was watching the parade on the big screens in Nathan Philip Square on Monday.
“I got goosebumps,” she said. “It was an incredible experience.”
Here’s what the Bolton company decorated for the parade, by the numbers:
- five wrapped double-decker buses
- 19 Ford vehicles with decals
- one TTC retro bus decal
- one trolley decal
- all the banners for the stage
