The Printerviews
Real conversations with real people from all aspects of the printing industry sharing experiences, challenges and plenty of useful knowledge to get you thinking differently about your business.
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Episode 24 with Ford Bowers of PRINTING United Alliance
<p>In this episode, Colin Sinclair McDermott speaks with Ford Bowers, CEO of PRINTING United Alliance, about his unconventional path into print, the lessons he learned running production operations, and why he believes the industry is stronger when it works together.</p><p></p><p>Ford also shares the thinking behind Printing United Expo, the challenges of membership growth, and why advocacy, workforce development, and promoting print as essential are now central to the alliance’s mission.</p><p></p><p>Key Topics Covered</p><p></p>How Ford accidentally entered the print industryLearning print production from the ground upManaging a...
Episode 23 with Warren Werbitt - The Print Whisperer
<p>In this episode of The Printerviews, host Colin Sinclair McDermott sits down with Warren Werbitt, the Print Whisperer, for a candid and entertaining conversation about print, marketing, leadership, resilience, and reinvention.</p><p></p><p>Warren shares the story of building Pazazz into a multi-million-pound print business, why marketing and culture were always central to his approach, and how a simple, fun video helped put him on the map across the industry.</p><p></p><p>He also opens up about the hard lessons that came later - from financial crisis and bankruptcy protection to losing the business he...
Epsiode 22 with Angelo Coletta of Zakeke
<p>Most print businesses are missing a game-changing opportunity to enhance customer experience and cut costs, without adding complexity. Angelo Coletta, CEO of Zakeke, reveals how visual commerce and AI are transforming the print industry from the front end to the back, enabling companies to personalize faster, reduce errors, and future-proof their operations.</p> <p>In this episode, Angelo shares his journey across multiple careers - from system integration to startups and how those experiences shaped his innovative approach with Zakeke. You’ll discover how a platform that simplifies customization has helped businesses of all sizes, from family-run shops to gl...
Epsiode 21 with Jayson Tompkins of STAHLS' Fulfill Engine
<p>Most print companies are running chaotic, legacy systems that limit growth - until Jason Tompkins reveals how a wild journey from software engineering to apparel printing turned into a trillion-dollar industry-shaking platform. Discover how identifying operational pain points first led him to build Fulfill Engine, a solution now transforming global printing operations and partnerships.</p> <p>This episode unlocks the behind-the-scenes truth about scaling print businesses in today's fast-paced e-commerce world. Jason shares how early chaos - think Frankenstein workflows, Spaghetti code, and manual bottlenecks- became the stepping stones to a data-driven infrastructure that supports multi-million-dollar volume growth. You'll...
Episode 20 - Nita Odedra of Blue Rhine Industries
<p>In this episode, I’m joined by Nita Odedra, Strategy Director at Blue Rhine Industries, to explore how the Middle East is redefining digital signage and the built environment.</p> <p>We talked about how digital signage has moved far beyond simply displaying information. Today, it’s becoming part of the customer journey, the architecture, and the overall experience itself. Nita shared how projects like Expo 2020, the Dubai Fountain digital hoarding, and King Abdullah Financial District show just how powerful signage can be when it’s integrated early and thoughtfully.</p> <p>One of the biggest takeaways for me was th...
Episode 19 - Verity Fox
<p>In this episode, Colin Sinclair McDermott sits down with Verity from Dominion Print, Live at FESPA Global Print Expo, to explore what it really takes to lead a family-run print business through change, growth, and responsibility. Verity shares how her journey through production, finishing, and operations shaped her leadership style, and why hands-on experience matters at every level of the business.</p> <p>The conversation goes beyond print production and into the realities of retail, where print influences customer movement, supports storytelling, and often goes unnoticed until it fails. Verity explains how different retail brands use print in very...
Episode 18. Theresa Hegel
<p>In this episode of The Printerviews, I am joined by Theresa Hegel, Executive Editor for Special Projects and Sustainability at the Advertising Specialty Institute. Theresa has spent 12 years at ASI, built the industry's leading sustainability hub Promo for the Planet, won the Jesse H. Neal Award three times, and co-hosts the Branding Together podcast. Before ASI, she designed front pages under deadline at daily newspapers in Ohio and Pennsylvania.</p> <p>We get into convergence, where print and promo are already overlapping and where the gap still lies. Theresa makes the case that the two industries share more clients, c...
Episode 17. Jessica DeCola from Blooming Color
<p>In this episode of The Printerviews, I am joined by Jess DeCola, who has recently movedfrom substrate distributor GPA to Blooming Color as their Director of Brand and Strategic Growth. With over a decade in the print industry spanning thermal films, food packaging, distribution, and marketing, Jess shares what it feels like to be on day five of a brand new role and why it already feels like coming home.</p> <p>We explore what drew her to Blooming Color, from the leadership style to a culture where the CEO can tell you something personal about every single employee. J...
Ep. 16 Mark Stephenson, The Spark Organisation
<p>In this episode of The Printerviews, I am joined by Mark Stephenson, who recently concluded an incredible 27-year career at Fujifilm. With nearly 50 years of experience in the print industry, Mark shares his journey from starting as a letterpress apprentice to selling Apple Macs in 1989. We dive into the massive technological shifts he has witnessed over the decades and how his passion for seeing printed products jump from someone's brain into physical reality has kept him captivated by the industry. </p> <p>We explore the current state of inkjet technology, which Mark describes as finally becoming mainstream. We discuss its...
Episode 15. Chris Edwards from CVI Group
<p>In this episode of The Printerviews, I am joined by Chris Edwards, Director of CVI Group and the CVI Training Centre. Chris is an industry veteran with over two decades of experience, but his start in the graphics world was entirely accidental. From washing cars on cold weekends to making Tasmanian Devil stickers layer by layer, he built his skills from the ground up on driveways and in workshops long before the advanced materials of today existed.</p> <p>We dive into Chris’s personal philosophy of getting comfortable being uncomfortable. This mindset shift has been the catalyst for hi...
