“The Spirit of Independence” is something that is built into the very DNA of the Jack Daniel’s brand. It is also something that lives within the hearts of the American people themselves. This is what Jack Daniel’s chose as the inspiration for their Summer 2011 campaign. To capture “The Spirit of Independence” Jack Daniel’s handpicked American artisans to imagine a campaign that embodied the American spirit. The images were brought to life as posters on an authentic American letterpress from imagery that was originally created from hand carved wooden blocks of solid maple and vintage wood type. Then, to take the message to the people, Colossal Media
was commissioned to paint the campaign that spanned seven markets, consisted of sixteen walls and used well over one hundred cans of paint. Over the course of three weeks the Colossal painters were flown to cities across the U.S. Upon their return to New York, they came bearing stories of their travels –from battling high temperatures in Austin, to misplaced materials in Denver, to toasting across a bar in Chicago for a job well done. In the end, the project was a great success for all involved. This book is a glimpse into the artisanal craft of outdoor hand-paint and the people behind the process. 176 N9th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11211 718.8.8.0979, COLOSSALMEDIA.COM
NEW
YORK
Dan
Dan was born and raised in New Jersey and now lives by the beautiful Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn, New York. Fact: Dan had a shaved head his whole life then decided to grow out his hair so he could sport a ponytail like his idol and fellow painter, Fernando. Here’s what Dan had to tell us about life with Colossal and his work on the Jack Daniel’s project. What’s the best part about your job? What makes it challenging? The best part of the job is being outside every day in all four seasons. Also doing something different every day that you enjoy. The most challenging thing is recreating an image to exact specifics and having it look great. Besides that, the extreme heat in the summer and cold in winter. What was a highlight while working on this project? That would have to be the ribs at Fat Matts, they’re ridiculous! After a long day of painting how do you unwind? I’m really tired after work but I usually I just try to relax at home and have a couple drinks. Do as little physical activity as possible.
How did you celebrate the Fourth of July? I always try to celebrate the Fourth by partying it up as much as possible. This year was no exception. What was the biggest challenge on this particular job? It was pretty hard looking at a picture of a JD bottle all day in the heat and not just getting an ice cold Jack and ginger ale. It was crazy hot while we were in Atlanta and the wall was in the sun all day. It was sweaty! What were people’s reactions while you were painting ? Peoples reactions to the Jack Daniel’s painting were awesome. We painted within an area that was surrounded by a heavy nightlife and bar scene, so that probably helped. Generally, everybody is excited to find that it’s being hand painted. People that saw it being painted everyday were definitely amazed by the process.
Last but not least—how do you drink your Jack Daniel’s? Jack and ginger all the way, but I’ve been known to take a shot before.
Al
Originally from Poland, Al now lives in Brooklyn. He’s worked at Colossal for two years and is proud to say that this is what he does for a living. When he’s not working he enjoys hanging out with friends and family. He also owns a pet snake named Johnny. Al gave us the low down on working for Colossal and how he likes his Jack. Anything noteworthy happen while painting this project? Well, I painted here in Brooklyn, and probably the most interesting thing that happened was a couple had just gotten back from the JD distillery in Tennessee and they told us all about it while we were painting. They were really excited about it and took a bunch of photos. It’s fun when someone’s so into it.
After a long day of painting how do you unwind? Drink JD! [laughs] And hang out with the other painters at the shop. So, how do you drink your Jack? I like it with Coke, or alone on the rocks. How did you celebrate the Fourth of July? With lots of Jack!!! And good friends and family. Sounds like you’re ready for happy hour! Okay, so would you say that there were any challenges on this job? The weather—it poured, so it was a really long day. Who were you with on the job? What did you guys do for fun? I worked with Armando on this wall. We worked for fifteen hours straight, start to finish. When we were done the owner of a bar across the street hooked us up with a few shots for a job well done.
Armando
Armando is a Brooklyn native who’s left the city in search of greener pastures— New Jersey. Armando says that when he gets hurt he heals faster than the average human and in the 90s he was a DJ/Producer. Back in the day he was sandwiched between Madonna and Cher on the Hot Dance Tracks on the Billboard charts. We had a chance to talk to Armando about working for Colossal and found out about a few highlights while working on the Jack Daniel’s campaign. Here’s what he had to say... What’s the best part about your job? The work environment is the best. I’ve worked many trades and in corporate offices it’s hard to be yourself and speak your mind. Working outdoors gives you a sense of freedom you cant find being in the same office or workstation every day. Plus, painting with the best in this industry helps me sharpen my skills and these guys are the coolest to work with. What do you find challenging about about the job? Weather plays a big role in what we do. It can delay deadlines and push things back. Sometimes we have to move twice as fast and make sure it looks great at the same time. While painting a Brooklyn Jack Daniel’s ad it poured on us five times that day. But we still
pushed through and made it nice. After a long day of painting how do you unwind? Usually, when we finish a painting we go for some drinks, but I sometimes go home and crash like an old man. How did you celebrate the Fourth of July? Chilled at home and grilled up some grub. I was in bed by ten—like an old man. What were people’s reactions to the Jack Daniel’s project in Brooklyn? This guy freaked out that we were hand painting the ad and told us he was the ultimate Jack Daniel’s drinker. He showed us pictures of the bar he built in his house devoted to JD. It was pretty dope. The ultimate mancave. What was the biggest challenge on the job? Mother Nature kicked our ass! We had to finish the painting in one day and it kept on raining on us. It killed like five hours of our day and had us there ‘till four am. Who were you with on the job? What did you guys do for fun? Al and I passed the long day cracking jokes on each other. How do you drink your Jack Daniel’s? Most times on the rocks and sometimes I’ll make it a Jack and Coke.
Fernando
While Fernando’s family came to New York by way of Puerto Rico, he was born and raised in Brooklyn. He’s worked at Colossal for five years and takes pride in hard work. He loves fast cars and owns a 2010 Camaro. Fernando tell’s us how to pass the time high up on the rig and shares some of the challenges about the job. Anything interesting happen while working on the Jack Daniel’s project? I stayed here in New York. I did the one on Canal Street. We had to rig the job at night. We can’t to it during the day ‘cause it’s a parking-lot below. So we got to go there at one a.m. and the gates are closed and we’re taking the equipment over the fences— some of it under. It was tough, we look like we’re being sneaky, like we’re up to something! [laughs] What’s the most challenging thing about your job? It’s definitely the deadlines. See, we have a deadline and you never know what’s going to happen. Sometimes a motor breaks down, or something’s wrong with a measurement and really sometimes the weather doesn’t help. How do you celebrate the Fourth of July?
As a matter of fact I was working on Canal Street this Fourth of July. I didn’t see the fireworks, but I heard ‘um. I was beat though, so I celebrated by going home, hanging out in the neighborhood and then taking a shower! What were people’s reactions to the painting? On Canal Street we’re celebrities. We’re up high up on the rig and we have tons of people everyday waving and taking photos. I think I’m in everyone’s Flicker albums. What was difficult about this job? We had to do the wall in three days It’s over 50 feet tall, so it’s big! Who were you with on the painting and what did you guys do for fun? I was working with Al and Walter. We talk, and you know, we get bored. We’re up there for ten hours, so we start snapping on each other. After a while I look over and say “Yo, you’re an ugly guy.” You gotta laugh.
Walter
Walter hails from America’s heartland—Nashville, Tennessee. While he enjoys the fast pace of New York City, he’ll always show you some Southern hospitality. Well, maybe not always, Walter claims to have drop-kicked Estelle Getty (Huh!) and practices Sun Tzu: The Art of War. Just out of college he worked for Yee-Haw Industries, a letterpress shop in Knoxville that Jack Daniel’s worked with on this campaign. We chatted about his work at Colossal and a project near and dear to his heart. What’s keeps your job exciting? That even if you’re the best, there’s always room for improvement. What was a highlight while working on this project? My Jack Daniel’s wall happened to be one of my first as a lead painter for Colossal. It was a huge opportunity for me and I was happy it was for a client I like as much as Jack Daniel’s. After a long day of painting how do you unwind?
Showering is usually the first order of business. How did you celebrate the Fourth of July? Lots of meat, explosions and alcohol. What were people’s reactions while painting in Austin? All the people passing by were extremely supportive. What was the biggest challenge on this job? Being the lead for the first time had its own set of challenges. Ultimately, just trying to execute the painting to the best degree in the shortest amount of time was the biggest challenge. How do you drink your Jack Daniel’s? Neat, on the rocks, with Coke, with Ginger Ale, with water. Any which way I can!
CHICAGO
Ray
Sometimes know as “The Man with the Golden Teeth”, Ray came to New York by way of Portland, Oregon. He loves cycling and riding a motorcycle on the racetrack. He can be found hitting the streets on his Cannondale mountain bike, or on the track racing his Honda CBR 600. Here’s what Ray had to say about his work... Where were your paintings located? Did anything exciting happen while working on this job? I went to Austin and Chicago. Well, we were painting in an alley and some crazy guy comes ripping into it in his car. He sees us painting and he swerves to avoid hitting us and drove right through hitting all our paint. The paint goes everywhere, all over us, and all over his car. He hits our ladder and destroys it! We had been working the whole day and we were almost finished. Man, I was crazy mad. We were lucky though, we were far enough along that we could use what was left of the paint to finish. How do you celebrate the Fourth of July? Since I’ve lived in New York, for the last four years I’ve gone up to my buddy’s lake house. It’s a great way to celebrate the Fourth. It’s about as American as it gets. We ride jet-ski’s and hang out on the dock. It’s a good time. What were people’s reactions in the cities you were painting in? Were people engaging? Everybody loved the ad. Everyone knew exactly what it was even when it was just the black shape of the bottle. People love to talk about what we’re working on and they like to ask questions and take pictures. What was the biggest challenge on this particular job? Yea, I had to do like two walls in three days. In Chicago there were torrential rains and well, the thing about the car running over the paint. And really, the time constraints, but we got it done. How do you drink Jack Daniel’s? I like a good old fashioned Jack and Coke!
DENVER
From the Road
As seen on T.V. Check it out! vimeo.com/26445382
m a e T e h T
This book was produced by Colossal Media for Jack Daniels. Colossal Media is an innovative Outdoor Advertising company that specializes in highimpact painted wallscapes. We are the largest hand-paint advertising company in the United States. Colossal Media Group is organized into two divisions: Colossal Media has permanent locations in major markets throughout the US, and a custom acquisitions division that scouts locations for clients nationwide. Sky High Murals hand-paints photo realistic advertisements and murals for a diverse group of clients including advertising agencies, galleries, museums, city municipalities, and OOH companies. . All content Š2011 and may not be reproduced without permission. Colossal Media 176 N9th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11211 718.8.8.0979, COLOSSALMEDIA.COM