34 Issue 251 - February / March 2024 www.signlink.co.uk Monster Impact Graphics Hollywood Monster is a powerhouse within the wide-format print and signage industry having produced a number of well-known and recognisable projects. Living up to its ethos of ‘Monster Impact Graphics’, chances are you will have seen work by Hollywood Monster, even if you haven’t realised it yet. Some notable projects in recent years include graphics for the 2022 Commonwealth Games with CSM Live held in Birmingham, and the graphics for the Birmingham Festival again with CSM Live 12 months later. When it comes to producing graphics of this scale, you need machinery and operations to meet these demands and walking around the HQ of Hollywood Monster on a November afternoon, we were struck by the calm atmosphere, despite new machinery being installed as we walked around the site. The company also has a strong focus on sustainability and is implementing this in a number of ways both within its own operations and in the solutions it offers its clients. We caught up with Andy McKenzie, director and shareholder at Hollywood Monster who welcomed us in, gave us a tour of the business, and told us all about the journey the company has been on since its inception. The Joining of Two Forces Hollywood Monster as we know it today was formed when sister companies Hollywood Signs and Monster Digital merged. Back when McKenzie first joined Hollywood Signs, it was a signage company predominately working with property and development companies. The name was an ode to being based in Hollywood (Worcestershire not Los Angeles!) and from 2000 to 2005, McKenzie explains that the company was spending a lot of money on wide-format print so decided to invest in its own technology. This is when Monster Digital was born with the business situated in Halesowen, Dudley. This business grew over a two-to-threeyear period and by the time the 2007 property recession came, Hollywood Signs was seeing a lot of reduction in turnover due to clients not being active. Because of this, in 2009 the decision was made to merge the two businesses and Hollywood Monster was born. “We were trying to come up with a name for the new company and all the Hollywood staff liked the Hollywood name, and the Monster staff liked Monster so in the end we just thought, Hollywood Monster it is!” McKenzie explains. The business is now headed by Andy McKenzie, his brother Simon McKenzie who is chief executive officer, and Tim Andrews who is one of the original founders of Hollywood Signs having started the business with his father John in 1991. “Simon and I both traditionally worked in the steel industry supplying automotive steel to automotive companies,” McKenzie says. “That was our background for a number of years and I got to know Tim through my fiancé at the time. Tim wanted to grow his signage company and my background was in sales and commercial so I got interested in talking to him about that. “Twelve months later Simon joined and before we knew it we were doing wide-format print and signage which is not something we thought we’d ever end up doing.” Continued Investment McKenzie says a big positive that came from the merger was the bringing together of some really skilled and talented people and since 2009, he says the company has enjoyed a long period of stability and growth. “We’re really focused on our growth. We don’t want to be the biggest, we want to be the best at what we do and be sustainable and secure as a company,” he A name that’s been popping up in headlines in recent years for its continued investment in kit and capabilities, we paid Hollywood Monster a visit to find out more 2009 – Hollywood Monster was born when Hollywood Signs and Monster Graphics merged 2023 – Sygnet Fabrications was acquired in May 2023 2025 – Hollywood Monster aims to be fully sustainable by 2025 £97,000 – Investment in an EFI VUTEk 5m LED roll-to-roll with support from a £97K grant in 2017 Statistics COMPANY SPOTLIGHT / HOLLYWOOD MONSTER
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjM0NDIxOA==