Press

An interview for Main Gate Magic! conducted by Jason & Lisa Braden on July 30, 2024.

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Contact Information:

Chad Frye

Chad@ChadFrye.com

Release Date:

July 14, 2024

*FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*

MOVIE POSTER ILLUSTRATORS DESCEND UPON SAN DIEGO

SAN DIEGO, CA – On Thursday, July 25, three illustrators known for creating hand-painted illustrations for movie posters will gather at the annual San Diego Comic Con International to discuss the business and craft of this unique form of marketing art. A poster is usually the first image used to create awareness about a movie, and needs to make a bold, strong statement to create the mystique and intrigue a film has to offer. The creations by these artists have, in no small way, helped persuade the public into wanting to see many films over the years, with art that continues to be the face of these films as they become well-loved classics.

Bill Morrison is a veteran of creating movie poster illustrations, having cut his teeth on the art for VOYAGE OF THE ROCK ALIENS in 1984. An early successful image of Bill’s for the cinema was the dismembered hand pushing a doorbell for the comedy horror film HOUSE in 1985, perhaps the best year for movies in the 1980s. His skill was soon put to tremendous use creating art for animated fare such as OLIVER & COMPANY, MICKEY MOUSE THE PRINCE & THE PAUPER, THE RESCUERS DOWN UNDER, THE LAND BEFORE TIME, and the infamous LITTLE MERMAID poster and VHS art of urban legend fame. After leaving the movie poster illustration business in 1993, Bill co-founded and was the Art Director for Matt Groening’s Bongo Comics, later becoming the Editor-in-Chief of MAD MAGAZINE for several years. Bill continues to work as an illustrator and comic book artist today.

Kyle Lambert’s shining moment came when he created the poster art for the first season of Netflix’s popular series STRANGER THINGS, and has never looked back. He has created poster art for each season of that series along with related book covers, a pop-up book, packaging art, and Universal Horror Nights posters. Lambert has also created poster art for other programs by Netflix (ERIC, ONE PIECE), NBC (TIMELESS, THE BLACKLIST), & Marvel (AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D.), and end credits art seen on screen in Disney’s JUNGLE CRUISE movie. Kyle has mastered the use of the computer for his creations, to where his work often looks like traditional art, but has also demonstrated deft skill in realism having also expertly retouched movie posters based in photography for some major blockbusters.

Ethan Pro is the newest artist of this group to enter into the movie poster business. Over the past three years, he has been creating alternative movie posters for older films that have been released as prints for the collectibles market such as JAWS, GREMLINS, TERMINATOR, and RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK. Some of his clients have included Walt Disney Imagineering, BLT Communications, and Garner Holt Productions. Shunning the modern proclivity for digital art, Ethan creates his compelling masterpieces by hand the old school way with pencil and paint. His skill is astonishing for one so young, and the movie studios have started to notice. We may soon be seeing his work “in a theater near you.”

Chad Frye is not a movie poster illustrator. His illustration skills have been utilized over the years in the world of animation having created art for studios such as Disney, Warner Bros., and Nickelodeon, and he’s worked on over thirty-five children’s books. He is a collector of original movie poster illustration art, and has been friends with many movie poster illustrators over the years. He will be presenting a history of movie poster illustration for this panel.

Tom Racine will be moderating this illustrious panel. Tom is a filmmaker as well as a professional voice actor having voiced animated characters and narrated many educational videos. His skills have also extended into the realm of being a graphic artist and illustrator having designed packaging, logos, characters, and cartoons. In addition, Tom is a respected podcaster having hosted TALL TALE RADIO since 2008, on which he has interviewed many creatives.

While Morrison has been a veteran of participating in talks at Comic Con, as well as having hosted The Eisner Awards for many years, this will be the first time speaking for panelists Lambert, Pro, and Frye. The panel will take place on Thursday, July 25 at 7:30pm in Room 26AB at the San Diego Convention Center as a part of Comic Con.

WEBSITES:

Bill Morrison: https://www.instagram.com/atomicbattery/

Kyle Lambert: http://www.kylelambert.com/

Ethan Pro: https://artofethanpro.com/

Chad Frye: https://chadfrye.com/

Tom Racine: https://www.tomracinevoice.com/