Big Picture - June/July 2018 - 19

SO, WHAT'S A NORMAL DAY LOOK LIKE FOR YOU?
The glory of my work is that no two days are the same. I never
know what tomorrow will bring. Our work is driven by our
clients, their visions, and their whims - there is no predictability to this. I can tell you this: Each day starts with a meeting
that involves my executive team. We discuss all upcoming
projects and deadlines as well as production techniques.
This is what I love; we're always learning here. We're always
perfecting - this is what keeps us at the top of our game.
WHAT WERE YOU DOING BEFORE CARISMA?
HOW DID YOU GET INVOLVED IN THE WORLD OF
WIDE FORMAT?
I owned a car repair shop in Brooklyn. Our shop did body work.
At some point, I needed signage for my shop and bought myself
a small plotter. I never could have imagined, or planned, for
what came next. Clients started asking me to produce signage
for them and before I knew it, my shop was filled with printers.
TELL US MORE ABOUT YOUR SHOP. WHAT YEAR DID
YOU TAKE THE LEAP TO BECOMING A PRINT SERVICE
PROVIDER? HOW HAVE YOU SEEN THE SHOP GROW
SINCE THEN?
In 1996, Carisma transitioned from a car repair shop to a print
service provider. Our business today is a far cry from what it was
when we started. In the beginning, we operated out of the back
of an auto body shop with a client base that consisted of local
moving companies. A few years later, our relationship with a
local bus company owner led us to Vector Media - the media
company that is responsible for all these amazing contracts and
developing what is now our niche market, double-decker buses.
It was not until the summer of 2010 that we moved into a space
that really allowed us to grow by leaps and bounds.
We moved to our current location in 2014. The new shop
tripled our production space and allowed us to double our
design and marketing departments as well.
WHAT HAS BEEN THE BIGGEST CHANGE FOR YOUR
COMPANY IN THE LAST FIVE YEARS?
In 2016, we introduced 3D printing to our offerings. This has
allowed us to take transit advertising to the next level and provided first-to-market opportunities for our clientele. By adding
3D prints to the sides of buses, we have allowed the advertiser
to literally reach outside of the box and grab the attention of
the consumer walking down a street that already has large
format everywhere you turn.
TELL ME ABOUT THE DECISION PROCESS THAT LED
TO PURCHASING THE MASSIVIT 3D PRINTER. HOW
HAS THAT CHANGED YOUR COMPANY AND YOUR
WIDE-FORMAT OFFERINGS?
In an attempt to stay ahead of the needs of our clients, we have
been researching the 3D print industry for more than five years.
Before the Massivit, we never really saw a printer that would
Carisma specializes in turning ordinary buses into eye-catching
mobile advertisements for Hollywood blockbusters, Netflix
series, musicals, and beyond. 3D-printed components and backlit
graphics add dimensionality to the already vivid vinyl wraps.

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Big Picture - June/July 2018