Under The Influencers

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There’s no denying it: we live in the era of the influencer.

They’re top skateboarders, drag queens, snazzy grandmothers, working around the clock to perfect their skill and finesse their fame into dolla dolla bills. 

We like to recognize hustle in all forms. When these people visit our walls, we’re baffled by the chaos and crowds that show up, transforming our stomping grounds into a Times Square-esque bonanza. Check out the latest and greatest to hit up our walls.

Painting under a giant ass tarp for Taylor Swift and Spotify

Taylor & Spotify

When Taylor Swift’s people ask your people to paint a secret mural, you do it. Even if it means painting under a giant tarp in ninety-degree weather and getting covered in glitter – yep, we’re *that* dedicated to making this shit happen.

“When Taylor arrived, she had a wild procession of SUVs pull up and it blocked half the street. It caused a car accident and this fool was spitting in people’s faces. I don’t even think anyone noticed amongst the screaming young Tay Swift fans.”

– Zach, X Paint Apprentice

 

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Painters finishing up the Adidas & Tyshawn Jones mural

 

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Tyshawn & Adidas

Tyshawn Jones is skateboardings latest poster child. He won Thrasher’s Skater-Of-The-Year award at just twenty-years old, the first NYC-based skater to grab the coveted title. The painters, being big fans themselves, were stoked to paint his portrait and meet Jones as he rolled up to the wall with his mom and best friends.

“When Tyshawn rolled up to the wall, we chopped it up about skate spots in New York. Turns out we both grew up skating at the same park in Throggsneck. We reminisced about this lil dude we called “backflip boy”, who used to do backflips around the park on his scooter.” 

– Robin, Advanced Painter

Hand painted mural for Proactive and Kendall Jenner

Kendall & Proactiv

At Colossal, we’re constantly on weather watch. For Jenner’s guest appearance, the Colossal squad was prepared with umbrellas and tents to ensure that Ms. Jenner didn’t get caught in the storm. The paint-by-numbers activation went swimmingly thanks to our dedicated team of rain watchers and the crowds of fans that showed up to paint.

When Kendall showed up, she had a 15 minute photo-shoot in front of the wall with security bordering the entire corner of Berry and North 12th. Then she got back in the car, and poof, she was gone. The fans and I thought we were hallucinating.”

– Jackie, New Business & Production

 

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Final mural on our MSG wall for Rj Barrett and Puma

 

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RJ & Puma

Shout out to Puma and shout out to RJ Barrett’s face for being the first piece of art on our Madison Square Garden wall, AKA M157. This might be Barrett’s first time playing in the NBA, but The New York Knicks rookie is the only NBA player to have a giant mural of their face overlooking The Garden. It was an honor to work with his team.

“Puma had set up a hotdog stand to give out free dogs and t-shirts to fans while they waited. When RJ arrived, he put on some rubber gloves and handed out hotdogs to fans for 40 minutes. A true man of the people!”

Chris, Photographer

Alyssa Edwards portrait being painted in East Williamsburg

Alyssa & Smirnoff

Alyssa Edwards is, hands down, one of the most famous drag queens in the world right now. When she visited her giant portrait in the heart of East Williamsburg, the neighborhood where a lot of us head after work to catch the show, we were, to say the least, shook.

“When I saw Alyssa Edwards was in East Williamsburg, my jaw dropped. I left my drink at the bar and ran to the wall, but it was too late. Looks like I wasn’t the only one, because when I got there, the corner was sprawling with her fans.”

 – Brittany, Account Executive

 

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Think Responsibly

Whether you have a million followers or ten, our murals are made for people. We put a lot of blood, sweat, and tears into what we do, and because of that, our walls are always packaged with a lil something special. 

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