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Shane Drew – Apple Inc
Apple employed us via their american sign contractor to wrap their building hoarding. This job was on the go for 6 months, with several revisions in artwork and the hoarding was rebuilt twice. The project was shrouded in secrecy, we had to sign a non disclosure agreement, and basically talk in code when discussing the project.
Apple sent a senior executive from America to ensure the application was perfect and the logo was not anything but 100% dead straight. We had to measure it with a laser level. They sent a second executive who’s sole job was to check our joins were perfect. That was their whole job for the night.
The american sign contractor also sent an executive to make sure the Apple execs were happy. In all, our team of 7 and the extra 3 made 10 people onsite from the 10pm start to the projected 5am finish
My installers did a fantastic job, but the hoarding was so out of square, keeping the signage perfectly straight was always going to be a big ask. By 1am panic set in with the execs as they couldn’t see how we were going to finish by 5am. It happened to be one of the hottest nights we had in the summer, and that combined with a poor sign face made it hard to get up a rhythm. The execs had a phone conference with Apple HQ several times and eventually Apple extended our deadline till 6am. I was confident we would be finished by 5am but I was happy to get the deadline extended.
As the evening cooled, and the fitters got their rhythm, we started making good time. I worked out to finish by 5am, we had 12 minutes to do each 4 metre drop. I told the guys they only had 8 minutes tho, so they would pick up some speed. They got down to 10 minutes a drop and by 4.30am we were looking like going very close. Out of the blue, the apple execs asked us to put the laser on the signage to make sure we were still straight. We were 3mm out as we started the last logo. The Apple execs called a stop to the work, and actually considered pulling the pin and making us redo the hoarding as they would not accept a 3mm variance. I’m not making this up.
The american sign exec told them that we would make the 3mm up in the next drop, so after another conference call, they let us do one more drop to see if we could correct the 3mm variance. We did, so they let us continue.
We finished dead on 5.30am. The execs applauded my team. We were tired but my team were totally professional. I was proud of every one of them.
The two Apple execs told me that they had never worked with such a professional crew. It would have been easy to have told the execs to ‘get a life’ but we were being paid very good money, and we acted accordingly.
Would I do an Apple job again? Probably, but I would set a few ground rules first now that I know what they are like.
The Apple culture is one of secrecy, superstition and eccentricity. It wasn’t easy, and in truth very stressful for me as the designated supervisor.
It certainly was an experience.
The hoarding got vanadalised a few days later and we were asked to go pack and repair the signage. We had no security guards this time, and had to start after midnight and be finished by 5am. Mark, my leading hand subcontractor did a great job with Ashley.
I had no sooner got home when apple rang and asked my to do another repair, and gave me a deadline of 2 hours. I had to have the job finished by 10am. I finished by 9:58. I sent them a text to tell them the job was done, and they txt back to say that they already knew. Apparently they had sent an Apple employee to watch me from afar to make sure I did the job I was charging them for.
A strange company indeed
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7 Replies
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I have just one question…..
How do I get a job as an apple exec……I want to fly all over the world checking joins :plane: 😮
Good job mate and an incredible story to go with it
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The execs told me that if they failed in their mission, they both faced the sack…. hard to believe in this day and age.
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That’s stressing me out just reading it.
We fitted some bus wraps during the Olympics. One was a Vodafone wrap with some CGI Bees on a sky background. One of the Vodafone people decided the blue of the sky was not the right shade so it had to be stripped and re-done.
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You’re much calmer than I am Shane – I’d’ve told the "execs" to shove the apple up their…. 😕
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Very interesting read Shane, great job as always.
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Shane – You do some weird stuff – well done 😀
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Nice work Shane, you must have a very good name for yourself or some very good contacts.With the varied work you do and the tight deadlines they should make a fly on the wall documentary about you and your business it would be better than Airline. Also love the Man Utd bus but I am biased on that one.
Steve
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