The Poster Boys

Episodes

1. 59

   59: 2019 In Review

   For the final episode of The Poster Boys, designers Brandon Schaefer and Sam Smith round up the most notable movie posters of 2019, celebrating some of their personal favorites while reflecting on general trends in key art, festival posters, design agencies, and other aspects of the industry. The...

   Dec 4, 2019

   2h 21m
2. 58

   58: Martin Scorsese

   With Martin Scorsese's critically-acclaimed new film THE IRISHMAN hitting theaters and Netflix this month, poster designers Brandon Schaefer and Sam Smith take a look back at the posters of Scorsese's filmography. From his early iconic classics like MEAN STREETS and THE KING OF COMEDY to his...

   Nov 1, 2019

   1h 54m
3. 57

   57: Movie Posters of the 70's - Part 2

   It's the Movie Posters of the 70′s - PART TWO! This month on The Poster Boys podcast, designers Brandon Schaefer and Sam Smith complete their annual deep-dive into American film posters from an entire decade; this time: the 1970's. In the second of an epic two-part special, The Poster Boys round...

   Sep 30, 2019

   1h 53m
4. 56

   56: Movie Posters of the 70's - Part 1

   Designers Brandon Schaefer and Sam Smith take an annual deep-dive into American film posters from an entire decade; this time: the 1970's. In the first of an epic two-part special, The Poster Boys look at key art contributions by legendary illustrators of the era including Milton Glaser, Richard...

   Sep 6, 2019

   1h 38m
5. 55

   55: Fischer-Nosbisch

   This month on The Poster Boys podcast, designers Brandon Schaefer and Sam Smith celebrate the movie poster designs of Dorothea Fischer-Nosbisch and Fritz Fischer, partners and unsung heroes who designed stunning posters and programs for Atlas Films in 1960′s Germany alongside like Hans Hillmann,...

   Aug 2, 2019

   1h 23m
6. 54

   54: Disney Renaissance

   With Disney's Aladdin now in theaters and their upcoming release of The Lion King arriving this summer, The Poster Boys head back to their animated origins by diving into the Disney Renaissance! From The Little Mermaid to Tarzan, Brandon and Sam look back on and discuss the process behind some of...

   Jul 2, 2019

   1h 30m
7. 54

   BONUS: The Flat File - PIXAR

   Exclusively to Patreon supporters of The Poster Boys, The Flat File is a monthly bonus podcast that features designers Brandon Schaefer and Sam Smith taking an in-depth look at the posters from around the world made for a particular classic film. This month on The Flat File, we take a look at the...

   Jun 28, 2019

   1h 08m
8. 53

   53: Japanese Film Posters

   This month on The Poster Boys, designers Brandon Schaefer and Sam Smith survey the history of Japanese Film Posters, defined by gorgeous photo-collage, dynamic uses of scale, color, and typography, and an overall unique elegance with the occasional zany flair. While not much is known (in English)...

   May 31, 2019

   1h 51m
9. 52

   52: Marvel Movie Poster Spectacular

   As AVENGERS: ENDGAME hits theatres, The Poster Boys reflect on eleven years of theatrical posters promoting the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Highlighting the various and changing agencies that handled these enormous Hollywood campaigns, as well as the colorful alternative posters commissioned in...

   Apr 26, 2019

   2h 18m
10. 51

    51: Q&A with Sam and Brandon

    Q&A time!! For the first episode after 50, The Poster Boys answer questions about posters, process, design, clients, movies, life, and everything in between. A special to thanks to the listeners who reached out and helped make this episode possible! The Poster Boys are now offering bonus episodes...

    Mar 29, 2019

    2h 49m
11. 50

    50: The 50 Greatest Movie Posters Ever!

    If you could preserve only fifty movie posters, what would they be? For their 50th episode, The Poster Boys try to answer that question for themselves by traveling back through the last 100+ years of key art from around the globe to select fifty of their favorites. From 1920's Sweden to the US in...

    Feb 28, 2019

    3h 36m
12. 49

    49: John Alvin

    Kicking off the start of a new year, The Poster Boys dive into the work of the legendary poster art of John Alvin, who found notoriety as an artist at Intralink Film and Graphic Design before establishing Alvin & Associates with his wife Andrea in the early 1990s. From Blade Runner to Beauty and...

    Jan 31, 2019

    2h 08m
13. 48

    48: 2018 In Review

    Designers Brandon Schaefer and Sam Smith round up the most notable movie posters of 2018, celebrating some of their personal favorites while reflecting on general trends in key art, festival posters, design agencies, and other aspects of the industry. The Poster Boys are now offering bonus…

    more
    Dec 28, 2018

    2h 14m
14. 47

    47: Philip Gips

    This month, designers Brandon Schaefer and Sam Smith do a little detective work uncovering the key art designed by Philip Gips, a business partner of acclaimed advertising director Stephen Frankfurt, including iconic and famous poster designs for ROSEMARY'S BABY, DOWNHILL RACER, and ALIEN among...

    Nov 27, 2018

    1h 55m
15. 46

    46: Italian Horror

    After opening the Flat File on Dario Argento's SUSPIRIA for their Patreon supporters last month, designers Brandon Schaefer and Sam Smith survey the macabre visions of Italian Horror film posters. These wild and weird designs, much like Argento, Bava, Martino, and Fulci's films themselves, tap…

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    Oct 29, 2018

    2h 03m
16. 45

    45: Akiko Stehrenberger

    The Poster Boys interview one of the most accomplished and multitalented movie poster artists working today: Akiko Stehrenberger. Jumping between styles from the photorealistic (including her award-winning FUNNY GAMES poster listed by Adrian Curry as the best movie poster of the decade) to the...

    Oct 1, 2018

    1h 32m
17. 44

    44: Seven Samurai

    Coinciding with the launching of The Poster Boys on Patreon (patreon.com/theposterboys), this month designers Brandon Schaefer and Sam Smith are changing it up! Hitting the drawing board to unveil original posters designs for SEVEN SAMURAI, as chosen by listeners, the boys discuss their design...

    Sep 11, 2018

    1h 56m
18. 43

    43: Movie Posters of the 80's - Part 2

    In Part II of The Poster Boys' 80's movie poster spectacular, designers Brandon Schaefer and Sam Smith pick up right where they left off last month, hand-selecting and discussing their favorite Movie Posters of the 1980's, from the remarkable illustrated work of John Alvin (EMPIRE OF THE SUN) and...

    Jul 30, 2018

    2h 07m
19. 42

    42: Movie Posters of the 80's - Part 1

    This summer, The Poster Boys take an extended trip back to the movie theatre lightboxes and video stores of their childhoods, and survey the Movie Posters of the 80's in a two-part spectacular. In Part I, designers Brandon Schaefer and Sam Smith comment on trends in 80's poster design, titles,...

    Jul 2, 2018

    1h 45m
20. 41

    41: Bill Gold Advertising

    With the recent passing of Bill Gold, The Poster Boys look back on the design studio headed by one of the biggest names in film advertising for over 40 years. From Casablanca to Mystic River, Brandon and Sam touch on Gold's early days as an in-house designer at Warner Bros. before diving into the...

    May 31, 2018

    2h 16m
21. 40

    40: Czechoslovak Film Posters

    This month, The Poster Boys take a second trip back to eastern Europe after the second world war to look at the history behind the rise and decline of the Czechoslovak film poster. Brandon and Sam weave in and out through the late 1940s down through the early 1990s to shed some light on the the...

    Apr 30, 2018

    2h 19m
22. 39

    39: Ingmar Bergman

    In honor of Janus Films' centennial retrospective of Ingmar Bergman's Cinema, the Poster Boys survey the film posters of the influential and iconic Swedish auteur. From arthouse classics like THE SEVENTH SEAL and CRIES AND WHISPERS to overseas sensations SUMMER WITH MONIKA and PERSONA, Bergman's...

    Mar 30, 2018

    2h 21m
23. 38

    38: Barbara Kruger

    After a small break due to technical difficulties, The Poster Boys are back! This month, Brandon and Sam dive into the work of renowned artist Barbara Kruger, looking back to the beginning of her career as a designer to see how she used her training as an art director at Condé Nast to bridge the...

    Feb 27, 2018

    1h 30m
24. 37

    37: Best of 2017

    The Poster Boys discuss the 2017 Year in Movie Posters. Designers Brandon Schaefer and Sam Smith select the theatrical posters, teasers, and campaigns that caught their eye this year, discussing design trends, film branding, the importance of context when comparing agency work to freelance work,...

    Dec 21, 2017

    2h 15m
25. 36

    36: Holiday Gift Guide

    It's an extra special light episode centered almost entirely around dead trees! This month, Brandon and Sam try something a little different in time for the holidays: they look at some of their favorite art and design related books published (or found) throughout the year and do their best to...

    Nov 24, 2017

    1h 27m
26. 35

    35: Stephen King

    Find a flashlight and a blanket to hide under, because The Poster Boys are taking a Halloween themed trip down memory lane with the work of Stephen King. This month, Brandon and Sam discuss their favorite book covers and film posters from (and based on) the bestselling author's more chilling…

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    Oct 24, 2017

    1h 44m
27. 34

    34: The Process - Part 1

    This month, Brandon and Sam journey back into their own lives to discuss how they first got involved in design, and the ways in which their process has changed over time. From school flyers to fake toy packaging, the boys share stories from their childhood and discuss how they both went from...

    Sep 28, 2017

    2h 22m
28. 33

    33: Back to School

    Grab your lunch, pack your books and get ready for the first day of class! This month on the show, designers Brandon Schaefer and Sam Smith head back to the halls of academia, diving into some of the most notable posters for films centered in or around the school. From Pretty in Pink to Bill &...

    Aug 31, 2017

    1h 51m
29. 32

    32: Planet of the Apes

    With War For the Planet of the Apes now in theaters, designers Brandon Schaefer and Sam Smith look back at the film poster history of the long running franchise. Starting from the original 1968 classic and moving through the subsequent sequels, remakes, and reboots, the boys discuss how deeper...

    Jul 31, 2017

    1h 39m
30. 31

    31: David Lynch

    With the return of Twin Peaks after 26 years, designers Brandon Schaefer and Sam Smith look back at the posters that have accompanied the many films of David Lynch in their first director-themed episode. From Eraserhead to Inland Empire, the boys discuss how Lynch's unique cinematic vision has…

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    Jun 30, 2017

    2h 31m
31. 30

    30: Jacqueline S. Casey

    Best known as a designer and later director of the Office of Publications at MIT, Jacqueline Casey created some of the most striking graphics for lectures and events at the prestigious school for over 30 years. This month on the podcast, Brandon and Sam look back at the work and career from one…

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    May 30, 2017

    1h 53m
32. 29

    29: Dot Graphics & Janus Films

    This month, designers Brandon Schaefer and Sam Smith look at the iconic and unsung film posters created for Janus Films in the 70's by Dot Graphics, the award-winning Denver-based design team of Lee Reedy and Robert Clayton. Across over two-dozen posters, Dot Graphics created bold and powerful…

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    Apr 28, 2017

    1h 56m
33. 28

    28: Movie Posters of the 90's

    The best movie posters of the 90's, on the new episode of The Poster Boys. Designers Brandon Schaefer and Sam Smith reflect on their favorite one-sheets produced in the 90's, discussing the posters that made impressions on them as kids, those that had a formative impact on their design...

    Mar 28, 2017

    3h 01m
34. 27

    27: Stenberg Brothers

    This month on The Poster Boys, Brandon and Sam head back to the 1920s to look at the incredible film posters born out of the Russian Revolution and the work of two of Russia's most prominent designers in particular, Vladimir and Georgii Stenberg. Despite a tragically short career, the Stenberg...

    Feb 28, 2017

    2h 05m
35. 26

    26: Georg Olden

    For The Poster Boys' first episode of 2017, designers Brandon Schaefer and Sam Smith look at the life and work of Georg Olden, one of the most prominent and influential black executives in the American advertising business. Olden designed and art directed countless television title cards for CBS...

    Jan 19, 2017

    1h 32m
36. 25

    25: 2016 In Review

    Designers Brandon Schaefer and Sam Smith look back at 2016's most interesting and iconic theatrical movie posters, each selecting a large handful of their favorites to discuss while reflecting on trends in the world of film poster design, ever-changing amidst the growth of the on-demand streaming...

    Dec 18, 2016

    2h 05m
37. 24

    24: Barbara 'Basha' Baranowska

    This month on The Poster Boys podcast, designers Brandon Schaefer and Sam Smith look at the diverse work of Polish poster artist Barbara Baranowska, also known simply as 'Basha.' An essential voice in the Polish Poster School (see also last May's episode for more), Basha created a chameleonic...

    Nov 15, 2016

    2h 23m
38. 23

    23: Hammer Horror

    Best known for their gothic horror, Hammer Films produced motion pictures from the late 1950s until the 1970s that have since become classics of the genre. In celebration of the Halloween season, The Poster Boys look at the history surrounding the posters from several of their more notable...

    Oct 19, 2016

    1h 38m
39. 22

    22: Film Posters in the 21st Century - Part 2

    Drawing from their experience as poster designers, hosts Brandon Schaefer and Sam Smith take a general look at the ins and outs of film poster design in the 21st century, and how commercial factors like billing blocks, logo placement, and actor likenesses have shaped poster design from the 70's…

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    Sep 19, 2016

    1h 57m
40. 21

    21: Dick Bruna

    On this month's episode of The Poster Boys podcast, designers Brandon Schaefer and Sam Smith look at the inspiring life and iconic work of Dutch designer Dick Bruna, from his hundreds of book cover designs to his children's books and characters, and his designs for his home town of Utrecht in The...

    Aug 15, 2016

    2h 05m
41. 20

    20: Bob Peak

    Spanning a decades long career with over 130 film posters to his name, illustrator Bob Peak has left an indelible mark on audiences everywhere. This month, Brandon and guest host Jay Shaw dive into the career of the man who has been called "the father of the modern movie poster" and examine the...

    Jul 15, 2016

    2h 02m
42. 19

    19: Brandon & Sam's Favorites - Part 2

    This month The Poster Boys continue with a look back at their favorite movie posters ever. In the second of a two-part episode, Brandon and Sam reflect on the film posters that have left a lasting impact on them in recent years, including those by artists from Poland, the Czech Republic, Germany,...

    Jun 15, 2016

    1h 24m
43. 18

    18: Brandon & Sam's Favorites - Part 1

    This month Brandon and Sam look back at their favorite movie posters ever. In the first of a two-part episode, the Poster Boys reflect on the movie posters of their childhood and the designs that captured their imagination growing up, from the art of Faerie Tale Theatre to Robocop and The...

    May 16, 2016

    1h 20m
44. 17

    17: Corita Kent

    This month The Poster Boys look at the life and art of Corita Kent. A nun and teacher at Immaculate Heart College, and beginning in 1964 the chair of its art department, her silkscreens combined religious language with that of American advertising culture and the spirit of 60’s modern art. As a...

    Apr 13, 2016

    2h 03m
45. 16

    16: Batman v Superman

    From their small, separate start on the silver screen in the 1940s to joining forces for one of the most anticipated epics hitting theaters in 2016, Batman and Superman have woven in and out of cinematic history for over 70 years. Leaving in their wake a plethora of film posters, the Poster Boys...

    Mar 14, 2016

    3h 03m
46. 15

    15: Cuban Film Posters

    This month the Poster Boys survey the Golden Age of Cuban Posters, created during and after the Cuban Revolution. In addition to the iconic social and political posters that celebrated Cuba’s cultural pride and solidarity with other nations, hundreds of silkscreen film posters were produced…

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    Feb 23, 2016

    2h 04m
47. 14

    14: Hipgnosis

    For their first episode of 2016, the Poster Boys depart from the world of one-sheets for a quick spin around some of music’s most visually engaging album covers courtesy of the design powerhouse Hipgnosis. From Led Zeppelin’s Houses of the Holy to Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon, Brandon and…

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    Jan 15, 2016

    1h 53m
48. 13

    13: 2015 In Review

    To close out their first year, the Poster Boys reflect on theatrical film poster design in 2015, sharing some of the pieces that caught their eye throughout the year and discussing the industry’s recent tropes and trends. They also take a break to talk to the artists behind two of their favorite...

    Dec 15, 2015

    1h 36m
49. 12

    12: Star Wars Poster Spectacular

    Ahead of the release of the latest entry in the Star Wars saga, the Poster Boys pull out the history books to uncover the story behind nearly forty years of Star Wars poster art. From Howard Chaykin’s first teaser in 1976 all the way to LA’s one-sheet for The Force Awakens in 2015, Sam and…

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    Nov 15, 2015

    1h 51m
50. 11

    11: Penguin Books

    This month, the Poster Boys look back at 45 years of design history at Penguin Books. From the company’s early years under the direction of typographer Jan Tschichold all the way to the end of the 1970’s with art director David Pelham, the prominent UK publishing house maintained a reliable brand...

    Oct 16, 2015

    1h 41m