Colossal Media
Colossal Media is a United States outdoor advertising company specializing in hand-painted billboards, wall signs, and murals.
Last updated August 31, 2026
Overview
Colossal Media is a Brooklyn-based outdoor advertising company built around the production of large-scale hand-painted advertising and mural work. Founded in 2004 by advertising painter Paul Lindahl, Adrian Moeller, and Patrick Elasik, the company began in a Park Slope garage, where the founders produced painted walls for video games, beverage brands, and street artists. Its work developed at the intersection of commercial advertising, sign painting, and urban visual culture, preserving a labor-intensive alternative to fully printed or digitally installed outdoor advertising. The company operates and leases advertising walls across the United States. Reference material describes a network of more than 100 locations and, at one point, approximately 120 leased walls, supported by about 80 employees across its offices. Its output has reportedly reached roughly 400 to 500 murals per year. By 2019, Colossal Media was described as a leading hand-painted outdoor advertising company worldwide, although its operating focus remains the United States. Colossal's services include hand-painted billboards, branded wall murals, sign painting, and related large-format outdoor executions. The company has worked for major international and national advertisers including Stella Artois, Apple, Nike, Coca-Cola, Google, Delta, Samsung, and Gucci. It has also undertaken work connected to cultural and editorial projects, including a mural based on the cover of New York magazine's 2016 Fall Preview issue, and has collaborated with artist Ed Ruscha. Its production method combines an in-house creative and technical workflow with on-site painting. Artwork is first interpreted through contour lines that separate form, tonal value, and color. The composition is enlarged using a grid, transferred to butcher paper, and perforated with a pounce pen. Painters then use charcoal dust to transfer the guide onto a wall before applying custom-mixed paint by hand. Suspended scaffolding, scissor lifts, or boom lifts may be used according to the location and scale of the wall. Colossal Media's positioning rests on the visibility, craft, and physical distinctiveness of hand-painted advertising. The painted surface is itself part of the message: it can function as a recognizable urban landmark while giving brands a large-scale presence associated with craftsmanship and public art. Publicly available reference material identifies Kelly Peppers as the company's chief executive officer. Detailed current ownership, financial, and corporate-structure information is not established in the supplied sources.
History
Colossal Media was established in 2004 in Brooklyn by advertising painter Paul Lindahl, Adrian Moeller, and Patrick Elasik. The founders' early operation was based in a Park Slope garage, where they painted large outdoor images for clients and collaborators connected with video games, beverage advertising, and street art. Their initial model combined commercial commission work with the visual language and practical methods of traditional sign painting. As the business expanded, Colossal developed a network of leased advertising walls in urban locations throughout the United States. By 2018, published reference material described the company as leasing approximately 120 walls across about 100 locations and employing around 80 people across its offices. The scale of this network allowed Colossal to offer advertisers a national wall-painting platform while retaining a production process centered on in-person painting rather than simple poster replacement or digital printing. The company became known for executing campaigns for prominent consumer, technology, automotive, beverage, luxury, and travel-related brands. Listed clients include Stella Artois, Apple, Nike, Coca-Cola, Google, Delta, Samsung, and Gucci. Colossal also worked with artist Ed Ruscha and produced a mural connected to the cover of New York magazine's 2016 Fall Preview issue. These projects illustrate the company's movement between conventional brand advertising, editorial visibility, and artist-oriented public work. Colossal's production system is designed to scale painted artwork accurately to very large surfaces. Its internal creative studio first converts the source image into contour-line information that distinguishes shapes, values, and colors. The design is enlarged with a grid and transferred to butcher paper. A pounce pen makes small perforations along the drawn lines; charcoal dust rubbed through those perforations transfers the guide to the wall. Painters then mix and apply the colors manually, working from suspended scaffolding or from scissor and boom lifts where appropriate. By 2019, Colossal Media was characterized in reference material as the leading hand-painted outdoor advertising company worldwide. The company reportedly produces several hundred murals annually, with estimates of approximately 400 to 500 murals per year. Its business therefore combines media inventory, creative production, skilled labor, project management, and site operations. The available sources identify Brooklyn as its headquarters and the United States as its operating territory. They also identify Kelly Peppers as chief executive officer. Public information supplied for this dossier does not establish the company's ownership structure, financial results, or a complete chronology of leadership changes.
- 2019Described as a global leader in hand-painted outdoor advertising
Colossal was characterized as the leading hand-painted outdoor advertising company worldwide, with reported annual production of several hundred murals.
- 2018Expanded wall and office network
Reference material described Colossal as leasing about 120 walls across roughly 100 United States locations and employing approximately 80 people.
- 2016New York magazine Fall Preview mural
The company painted a mural based on the cover of New York magazine's 2016 Fall Preview issue.
- 2004Company founded in Brooklyn
Paul Lindahl, Adrian Moeller, and Patrick Elasik established Colossal Media, initially operating from a garage in Park Slope and producing painted work for commercial and cultural clients.
Products and positioning
A craft-led outdoor advertising specialist that combines traditional sign-painting techniques with large-scale commercial production and urban mural placement.
Hand-painted billboardsOutdoor advertising
Large commercial advertisements painted directly onto billboard or wall surfaces. Colossal's approach uses enlarged guides, custom-mixed paint, and on-site execution to create durable, highly visible brand placements with the visual character of traditional sign painting.
Branded muralsMural advertising
Large-scale painted murals commissioned by advertisers or cultural partners. These executions can turn a building wall into a prominent public-facing brand installation and may combine commercial artwork with the conventions of urban muralism.
Sign paintingCreative production
Hand-painted lettering, imagery, and large-format signage produced for outdoor locations. The work relies on skilled painters, layout transfer, color mixing, and surface-specific installation methods rather than solely printed media.
Flagship businesses
- Hand-painted billboards and wallscapes
- Large-format branded murals
- Custom-painted outdoor campaigns
Leadership
| Name | Title | Tenure |
|---|---|---|
| Kelly Peppers | Chief Executive Officer | — |
| Adrian Moeller | Co-founderformer | 2004– |
| Patrick Elasik | Co-founderformer | 2004– |
| Paul Lindahl | Co-founderformer | 2004– |
Sources
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