SUNNYSIDE TV SHOW LOGO

Greetings from Sunnyside, Queens.  We recently worked on the key art design for an NBC TV show called Sunnyside. Using our classic large letter postcard design, we were able to create artwork that aligned with our mural project. Check out the story of how everything came together below.

Victor painted a postcard style mural back in 2010 in the neighborhood of Sunnyside, Queens. This was way before the Greetings Tour mural project came to fruition and the postcard concept was done subconsciously. A friend had a business there and just looking for some art on their walls with creative freedom. Little did we know it would become such a loved community mural over the years. When Kal Penn and Matt Murray scouted the neighborhood to do some research for a new show, the mural caught their eyes as well!

One day, Victor’s phone blew up with a bunch of graffiti writer friends trying to connect us with the producers of a new TV show called Sunnyside. It’s amazing how quickly talent and location scouts in Hollywood can do their research to find people. The team from NBC/Universal was nice enough to want to partner with us as a local artist to work on the key art for the show. To start, we worked with them on utilizing the existing mural for the pilot in hopes that the show would get picked up.

After rave reviews of the pilot, the show was picked up for prime time! As a result, we got to quickly working together on some original designs for the show logo & key art.

The concept of the show was about immigrants seeking citizenship in the historically diverse neighborhood of Sunnyside. Being a first generation Asian-American artist that grew up Queens, Victor couldn’t be a better fit. We wanted to treat the project in the same vein as our community based murals. Most designers wouldn’t like the idea of having too many cooks in the kitchen. However, our design process involved taking direction from everyone involved in the production and the imagery paid tribute to all the different cultures referenced in the show. By giving a voice to all the hardworking talent behind the scenes, it gave the team a sense of ownership and an end product that everyone was proud of. Also, not too often you would see a DR flag or Ethiopian flag showcased on a prime time major network American show.

We were fortunate enough to be back in Los Angeles during the taping of the series, so we were invited to the Universal studios to get a behind the scenes look. This was actually the first time that we visited to a Hollywood studio so it was an exciting experience. We were very impressed by the detail that went into the sets and how quickly everything was built. Most of it was modeled from on-site locations that were used in the pilot. It was great to meet everyone that we worked with over the phone in person. In addition, we got to check out some scenes being filmed. Thanks again to the Sunnyside crew for the invitation and true LA experience!

Sunnyside is a behind the scenes look at hardworking immigrants seeking the American dream — just as Victor’s parents did. Our melting pot society is what makes America such an amazing place, full of culture. We are honored to be part of this story and wish everyone involved with the show the best of luck. The series premiered on ‪ Thurs. 9/26‬ on NBC.

Year: 2019

Size: Digital (Vector)