Dirty Pool Podcast - Ep20 - Counterflip Apparel

Counterflip absolutely makes the best pinball t-shirts... Shea sits down with us and we get into everything from his pinball favorites to why making a genuinely good T-shirt feels like a boss battle. We talk about how printing goes wrong, how his first business attempt at 15 tanked spectacularly, and how he rebuilt it into Counterflip by focusing on real quality instead of the disposable stuff most people print on. We dig into what it takes to find reliable sources, good blanks, and partners who don’t cut corners when you’re trying to build a brand identity through design. Shea also shares how working at Revenge Of shaped his love of pinball, how his history in bands and music artwork fed into his style, and why the pinball scene ended up being the perfect place to bring all of that together. A full mix of creative process, merch reality, and general pinball chaos. Join Us. 🔺 Praise the Great Pyramid: 📡 Twitch – twitch.tv/dirtypoolpinball 📺 YouTube – youtube.com/@dirtypoolpinball 📷 Instagram – instagram.com/dirtypoolpinball 📘 Facebook – facebook.com/dirtypoolpinball 🔺 Counterflip / Shea: 🛒 counterflip.bigcartel.com 📷 instagram.com/counterflip_apparel 🛒 dispersehomemedia.bigcartel.com 📷 instagram.com/disperse_homemedia 🌐 revengeof.com Enjoy the subtle pyramid signal throughout. (by that I mean the battery pack noise... oops) 00:00:00 - Intro 00:00:02 - Settling into the in person setup and getting started 00:01:15 - Opening the talk with Counterflip shirts on the table 00:03:35 - Shea explaining early art roots and first encouragement 00:04:40 - py▒ ΔΔ ▒d.join: “hol d st i l l” 00:05:05 - Chicago basement shows and learning design through bands 00:06:55 - J cards tapes and the cassette layout grind 00:08:35 - Moving to LA and shifting from music into film 00:10:15 - Whole Foods sign artist years and the Amazon wipeout 00:12:05 - Making early bootleg movie shirts starting with The Lighthouse 00:13:55 - The Fog vs The Mist and arguing coastal horror loyalty 00:15:30 - Building the first small run of shirts and early experiments 00:17:00 - How Counterflip designs are rebuilt pieces not traced assets 00:18:20 - Digging through manuals flyers and archives to stay accurate 00:20:00 - Discovering pinball through Revenge Of and falling in fast 00:21:10 - Zoning out on world under glass and aesthetic obsession 00:22:20 - Describing Revenge Of as a sci fi comic book bodega 00:23:55 - Seeing branding blown up on walls booths and full spaces 00:25:50 - Revenge Of keeping a mixed lineup not just Stern games 00:27:20 - Indie vs major manufacturers and how variety helps pinball 00:28:50 - Revenge Of championing boutique games and weirder designs 00:30:05 - Building the Revenge Of identity with trust and loose direction 00:31:55 - Opening the coffee shop and overlap with players and creatives 00:32:34 - ╣ted… frame_Δ▒▒ d all.praise. 00:33:05 - Games Shea would own someday and not forcing a collection 00:34:30 - Vintage game picks turning into full Raven enthusiasm 00:36:10 - The future of Counterflip balancing shirts films and freelance 00:37:20 - Choosing which games become shirts and what artwork works 00:38:50 - Xenon talk and wanting maximum tube energy on a shirt 00:40:20 - Best sellers and why Counterflip Fishtails keeps moving 00:41:55 - Holiday market plans and Counterflip showing up with both booths 00:43:00 - Shirt sizes shipping and grabbing designs in person 00:43:55 - Least played games and closing with praise of the pyramid #dirtypoolpinball #pinballpodcast #counterflip #pinballapparel #pinballcommunity #pinballfavorites #arcadeculture #pinballlifestyle #merchdesign #qualityapparel #indiedesigners #silverball #retrogaminglife #arcadestyle #creativecommunity #pinfam #pinballscene #designerlife #makercommunity #pinballart #bandartwork #musicdesign #independentcreators #pinballmerch #pinturnaments #behindtheflippers #arcadelife #podcastlife