Inspiring Our Industry: Olson Visual Gives Back

Celebrating it’s 70th anniversary this year, Olson Visual, based in Hawthorne, California, has seen a lot of evolution over the years. What began as a photo mural lab has evolved into a full-service graphics and visual communications business with everything from wide-format to dye-sublimation technologies, serving primarily the event and entertainment worlds.

The 75th Anniversary of Variety, The Children's Charity as they give away 75 adaptive bikes for children with disabilities held at L.A. Live on Sunday, September 25, 2016, in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Ryan Miller/Capture Imaging)

Rick Olson, the current CEO of the company, notes that the company’s work today includes everything from branding for events, to the scenic backdrops used in television and film production, to graphics for walls and floors — and everything in between. “We don’t really do a lot of large quantities of graphics — everything is more custom,” he notes, saying that even things like backlit fabrics, custom displays for movie props, or even LED screens are all things Olson Visual is happy to produce.

“We just do all kinds of interesting things,” Olson says, “that’s really been a lot of fun.”

Giving Back to Kids in Need

But with great success comes the need to give back. And for Olson Visual, that has been accomplished by partnering with an organization called Variety — The Children’s Charity. Originally started in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania in 1927, the organization was founded when a group of men working in a local theater heard a noise and went to investigate. They found a one-month-old baby that had been left in the empty auditorium with a note pinned to it, giving the child’s name as Catherine, and stating the mother couldn’t take care of her anymore.

When all efforts to find the parents failed, those men decided to take on the responsibility themselves, giving her the full name Catherine Variety Sheridan — for the club and theater respectively — and that they would collectively cover all the costs for her support and later education.

The story was picked up by newspapers across the country at the time, and support flooded in — far too much for just one child. Thus, a charity was born, with the goal of giving back and supporting disadvantaged and orphaned children.

Today, Variety is a national organization, with chapters across the country. Olson Visual belongs to the Southern California chapter, and its biggest effort revolves around producing custom mobility bikes for children of all ages and abilities.

“For kids that can’t ride a regular bike, there are specialists that can craft a bike,” Olson notes. “If they can’t pedal, they can use their arms. And if they can’t do that, their parents can push them. But [having a bike] really helps kids feel like they belong with other groups of kids.”

In addition to donating time and money to the organization, Olson Visual also helps with graphics for various events and fundraisers the charity holds throughout the year. He notes, “We do a lot of branding at the events they have. For example, the local chapter has a golf tournament every year. We’ll make golf signs and put up graphics around the clubhouse to help promote donations. They also have a really large poker night that’s held on the Paramount Pictures lot — that’s really beautiful.”

He continues, “That’s always in the summer at night, and we help decorate the area to help promote what they’re doing and help raise money.” That includes everything from creating the graphics, to the installation, the teardown afterward, and can include "red carpet" style arrival areas, screens with videos showing kids getting their bikes, event signage, or anything else that will help create a sense of place and purpose.

For Olson, those poker night events are some of his favorites to work on, particularly since the events are at night, and they can use light boxes and backlit fabrics to create some truly stunning imagery for the event. But while he enjoys that every year, the one event that stands out the most, he says, was a few years ago when Variety celebrated its 75th anniversary. “We gave away 75 mobility bikes, and we actually went to downtown LA for it. We shut down the road right in front of what at the time was called the Staples Center — now it’s the Crypto.com Arena — and we put big graphics on either side of the road and brought all these kids out.

“There were specialists making sure all the kid’s bikes were fitted correctly, and then they all rode around in a big oval for about an hour. It was just amazing to see all their faces, and to see their families faces, because it’s just something that makes everyone feel more a part of society. We actually got to see the impact — not everyone can attend all these events, but to see 75 kids out there riding around, that was probably the most rewarding moment for me.”

Getting Involved

For Olson, the path to getting involved with Variety actually wasn’t one that came from hardship. In fact, it came from one of his customers. With so many clients in the entertainment space, where most of the Variety donors come from, it was serendipity that he got involved.

“Several people in the studio world were participating in these events, and they came to me and said ‘Rick, we need some help.’ They needed to put up some graphics, so I started getting involved, and then the Variety group asked me to be on their Board of Directors, and I agreed. I’ve been there maybe eight years or so now, and the more you’re involved, the more you get involved, so it has really grown.”

But it’s not just Olson himself who gets excited about working with Variety. While the team loves giving back, he notes it’s also great for networking, since “pretty much every major studio is involved. So, when we’re out there and we’re donating, we’re also participating in the event, and it’s always a lot of fun seeing your customers, but you’re also supporting the charity,” he notes.

He shares that, as an industry, wide-format and signage printers in particular are in a unique position to be able to really help charities brand events and raise their profile. “Find something you want to support and that you feel is legitimate, because at first it might seem a little imposing,” Olson advises fellow printers.

“But when you find the [right fit], you just feel grateful you can do it. I mean, don’t do it if you can’t afford it, but if you can, it really helps these charities add an air of professionalism.”

He notes that when a charity has well-crafted graphics branding their events, it helps donors and potential donors see them in a new light, and can help raise their awareness and profile, in turn helping to raise more money they can then put back into their cause.

“In our everyday lives, we’re all busy,” says Olson. “But you know, when you see [the difference you’re making], it really makes you thankful for what you have and what you do, you know?”

Beyond feeling great about helping worthy causes and networking, Olson points out there is yet another reason for print service providers to get involved with charities — the ability to get creative. “You can be as creative as you want when you connect to a charity, and if they have an event, it’s a great time to try out new processes,” he notes. “If you want to try out a different stand, or a structure, or try a different kind of printing process, it’s an excellent way to try it out not under the scrutiny of a paying customer. As long as you do it all safely [such as trying out new structures] it will translate right back into your everyday business.”

In the end, Olson Visual has thrived as it has adapted and evolved with the technologies and demands of the modern world, and in turn has used that success to help children feel more confident and part of the wider community. Wide-format graphics are far more than just signs or logos. They can help create a sense of togetherness and spirit, and in the end bring joy to everyone from the press operators to children and families around the country.