On today's show I sat down with Marty Hill, president of Sport Graphics, and Angela Hill, president of Section 127, to explore how a family basement printing business started 40 years ago and evolved into a major sports branding and environmental graphics partner for events like the Final Four, Super Bowl, College Football Playoff, Indy 500, Big Ten championships and more.
They discuss early clients like USA Gymnastics, the Indiana Pacers and Indianapolis Colts, the shift from printed programs to large-scale signage and immersive brand experiences, and why Section 127 spun off to separate creative ideation from execution.
Our conversation covers outfitting cities for big events, the pressure of creating athlete "moments," rapid turnarounds for Final Four team hotels and locker rooms, and iconic JW Marriott Indianapolis installations including the 2012 Lombardi Trophy, Guinness-record NCAA bracket, and a giant Taylor Swift graphic.
If you like this episode and want to hear more Get IN. episodes where I interview Hoosiers making a difference, visit getindiana.com/podcast.
You are going to learn about:
How Sport Graphics Evolved from Basement Startup to the Nation's Leading Graphics Creator
The Purpose of Section 127
The Installation Process of Graphics on the JW Marriott Indianapolis
Thank you to our partners:
Cowpokes
Kelley School of Business
Check out these great clips from the show:
00:32 Guest Introduction:
02:17 Basement Business Origins
03:26 Early Products and Trust
06:52 From Printing to Signage
09:04 Joining the Family Firm
14:44 Big Events and Notre Dame
18:23 Why Section 127 Exists
21:06 Super Bowl City Takeover
24:27 JW Marriott Mega Wrap
30:02 Execution and Install Logistics
35:06 Final Four Crunch Time
38:11 All Night Culture and Variety
41:44 Designing Final Four Logos
43:24 Creative Critique Reality
44:44 Guinness Bracket Origins
46:03 Live Updates Magic
47:48 Fixes And Pit Stops
50:09 Installers Go Time
52:10 Partners Make It Work
55:02 Window Perf Breakdown
58:58 Taylor Swift Towering
01:03:15 Rapid Fire Indiana
01:06:08 Moments Not Billboards
01:11:46 Hidden Gems in Indiana
