The Toronto-based Grant Sign Group of Companies (GSG) now has the ability to take out-of-home signage from production through to installation and maintenance with the formation of a new digital print division, Grant Sign Imaging Inc. (GSI). The imaging division is headed by CEO Steve Gallow, an owner/partner in the Grant Sign Group, and Will Thomson, president/partner. Before joining GSG, Gallow was SVP/partner at Cieslok Media, which was sold to Titan Outdoor earlier this year. He was previously with Mediacom (now Viacom) and started his own company, GHQ Imaging, in 1993. Thomson has experience on both sides of the border. He worked with Gallow at Mediacom and GHQ Imagining and most recently was director of operations for Prismaflex International, the company that bought GHQ.

Grant Sign’s other divisions are Grant Sign Service, Media Maintenance, and Rite Sign International. In other GSG news, the co has acquired the North American manufacturing and marketing rights for the Rite Sign product line, which includes tri-visions (three-message signs) amongst its products. Bill Mullen, former VP of sales for Rite Sign USA, has been named president of Rite Sign International. Mullen has also worked at Prismaflex International, Gallop & Gallop Advertising, and Mediacom.

Toronto-based Astral Media’s Family Channel hits the road again for the third year in a row with its Summer Chill Tour. The tour hits 65 spots across Canada from July 1 in St. John’s, Nfld. to Aug. 27 in Vancouver. Families and kids can sample free KISKO freezies and ICE POP-ITS while playing with the Mattel Shield Blaster in a game of water tag. The tour is aimed at kids eight to 14 and is the vehicle used by the network to promo tween show Mad Mad Summer. Deals with first-timer Mattel and long-time partner Kisko were brokered by Toronto-based event marketing agency TrojanOne.

Bowmanville, Ont.-based OOH company ImageProjection served up a really big beer at Montreal’s Grand Prix earlier this month. From June 9 to 11, a massive Budweiser bottle complete with racing mask loomed over Crescent Street. The Grand Prix sponsor’s ad image was projected onto a hotel wall garnering an estimated 420,000 pairs of eyes during the event. The big Bud bottle measured 50 by 90 feet – seven times larger than a standard billboard and so huge that the Bud can be seen from the city’s Mt. Royal, situated nearly three kilometers away. But unlike standard beer ads, size doesn’t matter here. The challenge is finding a wall to project the image and also, length. ‘It’s hard to put a cost ceiling for this as clients can choose more than one market for up to 15 nights,’ ImageProjection president Matt Drury says. ‘A standard local rate goes for $5,500 per night, if we’re using a single light and no scaffolding.’
http://www.imageprojection.com

Cineplex Galaxy expects its $500 million purchase of the Famous Players chain to provide great benefits to media buyers and clients as a one-stop national cinema network.The combined company has 132 theatres and more than 1300 screens across the country – after the sale of 35 theatres (284 screens in six provinces) recently was mandated by the Competition Bureau. Cineplex currently has 86 theatres and 775 while Famous Players has 81 locations with 787 screens.
Pat Marshall, VP communications for Cineplex Galaxy, says, ‘It’s wonderful to have a single source to call to cover the entire country. Obviously there will be more economies of scale available as well and we also handle advertising for a number of other (theatre) circuits in Canada.’ Marshall adds, ‘(Another benefit) is we have upgraded to a new digital system at Cineplex theatres in the Toronto EMA (extended market area) and we will be applying that to the balance our (Cineplex Galaxy) chain by the end of the year. The next stage is how to integrate that into the existing Famous Players advertising pieces.’