20 Years of Resurrecting Hand-Painted Outdoor Advertising with Colossal Media

Back in 2004, Colossal was founded with a singular mission: to resurrect the craft of hand-painted outdoor advertising. Twenty years later, we can confidently and proudly say we did just that. 

Thanks to the support of fellow artists, sign painters, creatives, and the communities we paint in, we get to spend our days doing what we love and feeling the encouragement from the culture surrounding us. It’s the composition of color, grit, and resilience that makes what we do so unique.

A Colossal Media hand-painted mural in progress for Rockstar Games promoting Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars. 

Colossal is home to a 20-year-old hand-paint operation that’s founded, built, and led by painters. It’s also the only outdoor advertising company built to train and hire full-time sign painters with benefits for a sustainable, long-term career in the craft. Based in Brooklyn, NY with a satellite office in LA and walls located nationally, we’re fortunate to have 10+ generations of sign painters having gone through our ranks – passing down decades of knowledge and experience. And because we believe in the future of hand paint, we run our own paid apprenticeship to grow the next generation of sign painters and walldogs. 

A Colossal Media production of Banksy’s artwork.

Globally, Colossal is known by the artist community – from rising stars to household names – as the most trusted partner for art replication. It’s not a title we take lightly but with honor and gratitude for the respect of our shared sign-painting craft. 

When passersby pause to take photos and stop in their tracks to watch progress on a Colossal mural, we know that our gamble on hand paint was an investment worth making time over time.

Questlove performing in front of a Colossal Media mural for Red Bull Music Academy.

A Colossal Media hand-painted mural for MLB in Birmingham, AL featuring the late baseball legend Willie Mays. The team finished painting this mural just as news broke of Mays’ passing.

A Colossal Media hand-painted mural for Maybelline’s revelation “Live Iconically” campaign putting other beauty brands on notice of who the original cover girl concealer was. The mural featured fellow icons Naomi Campbell, RuPaul, and Gigi Hadid for an iconic multi-wall revelation campaign in Brooklyn and SoHo, NY. 

A Colossal Media hand-painted mural on the “brat wall” for Atlantic Records & Charli XCX in Brooklyn, NY.