Big Picture - October 2020 - 26

SHANNON MARTIN

DIRECTOR OF BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
COLOR REFLECTIONS LAS VEGAS | LAS VEGAS
crvegas.com

"Shannon is very visible and always seeking to better the industry
image and connection among groups that can come together to help
increase technology and solve problems, creating more opportunities
and better products and solutions for customers in the future."

BIG PICTURE

October 2020

- THOMAS ROJAS, OWNER, TRGLV INC, D/B/A THE ROJAS GROUP

You began your career at Kinko's. How has the
industry changed since then and what have you
learned along the way?
Our industry is one that is forever changing. I remember
when I started at Color Reflections some 22 years ago we
were processing E-6 and C-41 film and using enlargers to
produce oversized photographic prints. Color Reflections
was the first to bring the Lambda photographic printer to the
Las Vegas market and boy have things changed. Technology
has gotten to the point now where we can direct print to any
substrate in photographic quality. How wonderful! No more
printing and mounting with adhesive and adding lamination.
We are faster and more advanced than we ever thought we
would be, and it has led the industry to be able to do some
truly amazing things. Who knew we would be able to print
on huge glass panels with different gradient opacities to
create an ocean scene, wrap 20 story buildings, or apply
graphics to the side of a brick wall so it looks painted on the
surface? How wonderful is it that we now have white ink to
drop and use any opacity of it we want? How about being
able to layer inks on a surface to create custom texture and
thickness? The possibilities are endless. What I love the
most about my job is that if you can imagine it, I can find a
way to do it! It's really very exciting to see where technology
leads us in the next decade.

Your nominator, Thomas Rojas, says he's never met
a more progressive and dedicated person who not
only cares about the industry and her clients, but
also thinks outside the box when creating and
implementing strategies related to graphics printing, experiential graphics, and maximizing brand
exposure for his clients. Why is having strong,
custom relationships with your clients as well as
having an ear to the ground on new technology and
trends important to you?
The best projects come from collaboration and creativity. It's so
important to be able to talk about what you want to do and find
the best ways to do it. I am obsessive about finding those
solutions. There are so many things you have to think of when
it comes to some of these projects. Interior, exterior, hot, cold,
humidity, texture, fire breathing dragons (not kidding). I love
working with museums, theme parks, and cruise ships. I always
feel like there is a challenge involved and it's my main source of
knowledge. When you're collaborating and coming up with viable
solutions for your clients, they know you're committed and
passionate, so how can they not be? It's a win-win for everyone.
Of course I wouldn't be able to do any of this without the
support of Joe Castellano, president, Color Reflections Las
Vegas. Joe has always been in the forefront of new technology,
equipment, and materials. He's always listening and engaging
our clients and the needs and wants of the graphics community. We're in the middle of a pandemic and he just recently
bought new equipment to launch our ADA and tactile division.
We are no longer just a large-format print shop, we are
graphic fabricators! We etch, engrave, paint, coat, frame,
wrap, install, and so much more. If we don't already do it, we
just might start. That's the beauty of Color Reflections and the
reason we have been in business for 25 years.

http://www.crvegas.com

Big Picture - October 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Big Picture - October 2020