This holiday season Production Plus enjoyed an extraordinary opportunity to give something back to the city it works in and around.  Our design and production team, led by John Archer, was commissioned by the Chicago Convention & Tourism Bureau (CCTB) to design a Chicago holiday display window for Good Morning America. Watch the clip of its unveiling here.

“It was a great thing to work on,” said Archer as he brought out his initial sketches for the project.  “I always like working on things that promote Chicago.  We’re the city with the big shoulders – working shoulders.  It’s a good thing to show off our stuff.”  Archer worked closely with his longtime associate Robert Finzel of RWF Services on the job.  “The creative juices are top notch at Production Plus,” said Finzel.  “I wouldn’t go anywhere else to do a job like this.”

John Archer applies a flourish to one of his sketches.

One of the challenges of this project was that the window needed to be viewable from two sides – from the street outside Good Morning America’s Manhattan studio, and from within the studio for the television audience.  Finzel was particularly happy with Production Plus’ solution of printing directly on clear polycarbonate to solve the problem, calling it “innovative.”  “It worked out perfectly,” he noted.  “The matte side of the polycarbonate faced the cameras so it did not catch the glare from the studio lights, and the glossy side faced the street where people could use some extra sparkle.”

Phil Huber and Mike Wise pack one of the pieces for shipping while Valerie Kieta checks on the print quality.

CCTB was keen to insure that Chicago’s signature icons–Anish Kapoor’s Cloud Gate from Millennium Park and the Art Institute’s wreathed lions among them–were prominently displayed in the window.  This window was one of three from cities in the USA; a window from Dallas and a window from New York City completed the triptych.

Everyone involved was very pleased with the project and the presentation. Director of Public Relations for CCTB Meghan Risch said, “I think we truly found the best of the best to represent Chicago.”  Production Plus was thrilled to be able to contribute to Good Morning America’s holiday festivities.  Projects that achieve national attention are always welcome.  “It was nice to see our work on the television,” said Archer with a grin.  “It’s fun.”