Expanded PVC letters with digitally printed graphics; train is router-cut expanded PVC and high density urethane [HDU] board on an overlaid plywood background, finished with flat black acrylic latex with dry brush effects. It’s 5-by-7-ft. overall.
Expanded PVC letters with heat-formed PVC leaf; bamboo is PVC pipe. The faux wood panel is carved high density urethane foam. It’s 4-by-10-ft. overall and finished with flat acrylic latex paint.
HDU letters on cedar backer; the bonobos family was sculpted in clay, then cast in resin. The leaves are heat-formed 1/8-in. polycarbonate. It’s 5-by-5-ft. overall and finished with acrylic latex paint, with dry brush and airbrush effects.
Expanded PVC letters on heat-formed PVC ribbon; camera lens was made with individually routed parts. The background is carved HDU board, and the sign is 5-by-9-ft. It’s finished with acrylic latex paints with dry brush and airbrushed gradients.
Expanded PVC letters on a plank made of carved HDU board. The fruit is carved HDU board, the palm leaves are ¼-in. aluminum composite material and the bamboo is PVC pipe. It’s 4-by-9-ft. and finished with acrylic latex paint with airbrush and dry brush effects.
Letters and Africa graphic are 1½-in. HDU board and expanded PVC on an overlaid plywood backer. Letters are finished with acrylic latex paint with airbrushed gradient. The Africa graphic was hand textured and finished with an acrylic latex base coat with a dark wash. It’s 4-by-10-ft.
The lion graphic has a sandblasted HDU board background with an overlay of ½-in. expanded PVC, and is mounted on a 1-in. carved and textured HDU board. It’s 3-by-3-ft. and finished with Matthews satin black polyurethane and acrylic latex paints.
Letters are ½-in. expanded PVC board on an aluminum composite oval. The sign is 14-ft. tall and made of ½- and ¼-in. medium density fiberboard over a wood frame. It’s finished with Matthews satin polyurethane paints.
Letters are ½-in. expanded PVC board on a background of 1½-in. sandblasted HDU board on an overlaid plywood backer. The trees and mountain are routed and carved HDU board. It’s 4-by-8-ft. and finished with acrylic latex paints with airbrush and dry brush effects.
Letters are expanded PVC on a ¾-in. overlaid plywood backer. The popcorn is 3-in.-thick carved HDU board and the ribbon is heatformed ¼-in. expanded PVC board with a digital print applied to it. The letters are finished with Matthews satin polyurethane paint; popcorn is acrylic latex paint with airbrush and dry brush effects. It’s 5-by-8-ft. overall.
The Kingdom Productions crew
Letters are ¾- and ½-in. PVC board on a 4-by-10-ft. panel of 1-in. cedar. The cattails are ¼-in. PVC board with PVC tubing and carved HDU board. The dragonfly is sculpting epoxy over a wire armature.
Letters are PVC board on a 5-by-6-ft. cedar background. The macaw was sculpted in clay then cast in resin. It’s finished with acrylic latex paints.
Letters are PVC board, Globe is foam with a resin hard coat, and the ant is sculpted in sculpting epoxy over a wire armature. The log is carved HDU board, and the sign is 4-by-4-ft.
The letters are 1-in. HDU board with PVC outlines, the flowers are heat-formed PVC board and the palm tree background is a digital print. The bamboo is PVC pipe. It’s 6-by-8-ft. and finished with acrylic latex paints.
The letters on the front of this themed food concession are 1-in. HDU board. The kettle is 2-in. HDU with hand-carved popcorn. The planks are carved HDU board. It’s 4-by-6-ft. overall and finished with acrylic latex with airbrush and dry brush effects.
Letters are hand carved 1½-in. HDU board and the canteen is 4-in.-thick HDU board with a strap made of aluminum composite material. The background is a 2-by-10-ft. panel of 1-in. cedar.
Letters are 1½-in. HDU board on an overlaid plywood backer. The binoculars are carved HDU board and the belt is heat-formed PVC board. It’s 4-by-9-ft. overall, and finished with acrylic latex paints.
Letters are 1½-in. HDU board, the flower is router-carved 3-in. HDU board and the ribbon is heat-formed PVC board. They’re mounted on planks of 1-in. HDU, carved and hard coated. It’s 5-by-10-ft. overall.
Hank Pryor
Letters are ½-in. expanded PVC board on a background of 1½-in. sandblasted HDU board on an overlaid plywood backer. The trees and mountain are routed and carved HDU board. It’s 4-by-8-ft. and finished with acrylic latex paints with airbrush and dry brush effects.

Hank Pryor

Cincinnati, Ohio

By signcraft

Posted on Tuesday, January 2nd, 2018

Shop name:
Kingdom Productions

Shop size: 12,100 sq. ft.

Staff: 16

Age: 59

Graphics equipment:
AXYZ 5-by-12 CNC router
PlasmaCAM CNC Plasma Cutter
54-in. Roland printer/cutter

Online:
www.kingdomproductions.net

Facebook: www.facebook.com/KingdomProductionsInc

When I was 11 or 12, I used to watch the Wonderful World of Disney on Sunday evenings. I was always fascinated when they showed the behind-the-scenes features of them building the attractions. From then on my dream was to do that kind of work.

After high school, though, I started college in pre-law. But it just wasn’t for me—I wanted to do some type of creative work, so I got interested in the sign trade. Back then it was either hand lettering or three-dimensional work and 3D had always appealed to me.

I started learning all I could about making 3D signs. I ended up doing a lot of sandblasted and other 3D signs for the next 27 years. It was mostly for local businesses, though, and not themed work. My theming opportunities were primarily in children and teen spaces for churches, one of which was a castle that was 60-ft. wide and 22-ft. tall.

Creating themed projects I had branded the company as Kingdom Productions. We are a faith-based company so it matters a lot to me that we honor God in how we treat clients, vendors and our employees. We believe in the “Golden Rule” of treating others as you would like to be treated and we do our best to practice it.

In 2010, we were given an opportunity to do some work for the Cincinnati Zoo. That began a complete change of direction for us. We refocused the business on doing themed projects for cultural attractions—zoos, museums and theme parks. At first, it was smaller themed food stands, but then we got into themed environments. This was much closer to my original dream.

Our niche has become food and retail projects for the cultural attraction market, and we work all over the country. Themed projects are meant to take the visitor out of where they are and into somewhere else, bringing them into the experience. It is called Immersive Theming. Many of our projects have become photo-ops for the guests.

We really enjoy doing full environments, which includes the highly themed signs, but there’s a lot of other work that goes into it as well. We do projects in cultural attractions all over the US. It’s different from most sign work, though, in that you get a lot more detailed. The people who see the signs, graphics and props are on foot rather than racing by in a car.

We have a very talented staff of 16—a great group of skilled designers and artisans. They sculpt, paint and fabricate a lot by hand, although we use automation and technology where we can.

Embracing technology We use the CNC router a lot and recently purchased a CNC plasma cutter. We also added a full metal shop. Up until now, we’ve been outsourcing most of our metalwork, and this will let us handle it in-house.

I embraced the technology as it came on the scene back when I had my sign shop, and invested in it as I could afford to. This makes a lot of things possible that just wouldn’t be practical by hand. Our next significant purchase will probably be a CNC hotwire cutter. This will let us cut out over-sized 3D sculpted work in-house, rather than outsourcing it.

We also do planning and design for our clients as well as design/build. Our projects continue to grow in size and scope. That’s pretty exciting in and of itself because each project seems to lead us to a bigger one.

A lot of our work is fairly large projects that are fabricated in the shop then assembled and installed on location. We have recently added mobile and modular food and retail stands to our offerings for our clients. We work our same theming magic on our mobile and modular units, but we fabricate them in-house as a complete unit then drop them in place on the site.

We don’t pursue signage for local businesses anymore. Most of our projects include a lot of signage, though, because it’s such an essential part of theming.

We have a great team and a great work atmosphere. We have an awesome facility and we have a lot of fun.

As for me, I’m finally doing the type of work I dreamed about as a kid. I often feel like that 12-year-old boy again. I’m always excited to see the next project come together.

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