Our latest 'Spotlight on...' feature focuses on Hollywood Monster - winner in the ‘Best Wide Format Printing Company’ category at the Sign & Digital UK 2011 awards.
West Midlands-based Hollywood Monster has been making waves since its inception as Hollywood Signs in 1991. Founded by Tim Andrews and his father, the creation of the company fulfilled their dream of setting up their own business and provided a vehicle for Tim to promote his creative flair.
In 2009, Tim identified another gap in the West-Midlands market and created Monster Digital to supply digital print to the signage and display industries. With the subsequent amalgamation and relocation of both businesses – now known as Hollywood Monster – to larger premises later that year, the company really upped the ante.
Hollywood Monster’s vision is to become the number one graphic and signage business within the UK through excellence and dedication to its clients and employees. Specifically, the company aims to build on its success and reputation by delivering comprehensive corporate identity branding services across the UK to the construction, retail, development, exhibition and events industries.
It currently employs 70 people who primarily work from the company’s 30,000 sqft factory in Tyseley on the edge of Birmingham. With an annual turnover of £6million, the company is rapidly gaining recognition and was pronounced winner in the ‘Best Wide Format Printing Company’ category at the Sign & Digital UK 2011 awards held earlier this year.
Hollywood Monster’s team of skilled craftsmen includes graphic designers, draftsmen, structural engineers, model makers, traditional signwriters, welders, painters, civil engineers, decorators and carpenters. The business operates 24/7 and as a result of its success has this year alone increased its workforce by 40% and continues to expand with a view to becoming a £10million business by 2015.
Tim Andrews, Managing Director of Hollywood Monster, comments, “A key factor in our success is the level of commitment and dedication from our employees. Our staff retention figures speak for themselves - with many of our staff originating from the early days. Our business is built on five core values - Service, Quality, Creativity, Integrity and Passion. Although we are a family business with ambitious targets, our business is built on trust and we will continue to grow whilst maintaining this ethos.”
In order to remain at the top of the game, the company has heavily invested in a vast array of digital printing and finishing equipment to enable it to meet its customers’ requirements. Its most recent purchases include the Vutek QS3200 and Vutek GS3200 UV flatbed printers which allow the creation of output up to 3.2m wide. Ideal for POS, the GS3200 in particular enables Hollywood Monster to offer higher precision graphics as well as the ability to print white ink.
Hollywood Monster’s premises also house the latest NUR Expedio 5000 and the NUR Revolution (both now HP) UV roll to roll printers that can print up to 5m wide. These, combined with the new Zund G3 digital cutter, allow for greater efficiencies within the business and higher outputs overall.
This veritable arsenal of wide and superwide format printing equipment ensures that Hollywood Monster can meet the demands for enormous high quality banners and advertising hoardings at high profile sites. Earlier this year, Hollywood Monster won the huge Olympic site contract to produce the UK’s largest ever digitally-printed banner at Westfield Stratford City mall – opposite the new Olympic Stadium – measuring some 350m by 14m. The company also produced 85 hoardings for the site, 40 vinyl glass wraps and 45 fabric hoardings. A creative team worked for 20 days to produce the vast banner at Hollywood Monster’s HQ and an installation team of 20 positioned it at the Westfield Stratford site.
According to Simon McKenzie, Sales Director at Hollywood Monster, “It was a huge coup for us as Westfield Stratford is the retail development of the moment. It is part of the UK’s most ambitious regeneration project in the run-up to the 2012 Olympic Games and of course it’s one we’re really excited to be involved in.”
Other interesting projects the company has worked on include large format digital print for events across the UK for top artists including Rihanna, Justin Bieber, N-Dubz and Diversity. The company was also heavily involved with the latest film premiere, Water for Elephants, starring Robert Pattinson and Reese Witherspoon. Hollywood Monster printed and installed all the staging elements including backdrops, floor graphics, banners, posters and press backdrops.
As well as focusing on the retail and entertainment industry, Hollywood Monster has secured contract extensions over the last ten years with some of the construction industry’s biggest names - including Morgan Sindall and Carillion - to meet all their signage and graphics needs throughout the UK. The company has been integral in the rebranding of these companies following various acquisitions within the industry.
Most recently, the business was appointed as preferred supplier to Barratt Developments, which includes Barratt Homes, David Wilson Homes and Ward Homes. This new two-year agreement will see Hollywood Monster producing sales and marketing signage across the whole of the UK for one of the nation’s largest house-builders.
On these impressive and successful projects, Tim Andrews says, “Thanks to the continuous investment in high tech equipment and investment and training of our staff, we are in a strong position to manage and implement projects of all sizes. Hollywood Monster has gained a reputation for delivering great quality output, within budget and on-time.”
With regards to the future, Hollywood Monster has a number of plans up its sleeves. Tim Andrews reveals, “In order to grow and maintain our competitive edge, we will be looking at new markets and technologies. In particular, we will be focusing on LED and are actively looking to find suitable businesses to partner with.”
He summarises, “As with all businesses, it is important to continuously evaluate business processes to eradicate inefficiencies. This ensures we maintain profitable growth – whilst continuing to expand into the retail and POS market – and will help us to achieve our business objectives for the long term. Most importantly, we will be maintaining and building those relationships with our loyal, long-standing clients that have supported us over the years to ensure we continue to provide them with the very best in terms of product and service.”
For more information on Hollywood Monster, please visit www.hollywoodmonster.co.uk
