Kenny Gravillis Turns Movie Posters Into Cultural Landmarks

Kenny Gravillis is not just a name in the credits. He is the creative force behind some of the most recognizable key art in modern entertainment. From “Avatar” to “Sinners” and “The Boys,” his work has helped define how films and shows connect with audiences before a single scene is watched.

At the Cannes Lions Innovation Studio, Gravillis shared insights from his decades-long journey. British-born and based in Los Angeles, he launched Gravillis Inc. with his wife, DeAnna, in 2000. The agency began with a focus on album packaging for artists like Public Enemy, LL Cool J and The Notorious B.I.G. and evolved into a market leader for theatrical and television campaigns.

“If you’ve seen a movie poster sometime in the past 25 years, chances are you’ve seen the work of Kenny Gravillis,” said interviewer Paul Kontonis.

Gravillis Inc. has built campaigns for high-profile directors and artists including Spike Lee, Beyonce, Steven Spielberg, Ryan Coogler, Quentin Tarantino, LeBron James and Ava DuVernay. Their client list features Disney, Netflix, HBO, Universal, and Beats by Dre. The agency recently designed the poster campaign for Coogler’s horror film “Sinners,” starring Michael B. Jordan.

The final piece in the “Sinners” campaign was inspired by the work of Ernie Barnes and sparked a frenzy on social media. Originally intended only for digital, the poster gained such traction that Warner Bros. commissioned it for large-scale print installations.

“We want to make cool looking stuff that people talk about,” Gravillis said. “That’s really it. That’s the brief.”

Gravillis recalled two breakthrough campaigns. One was a moody, black-background poster for “Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel” that broke from the bright CGI norms of children’s movie marketing. Another was the character campaign for “Inglourious Basterds,” which coined the now-famous tagline “Brad Pitt is a bastard.” That campaign snowballed into a series of character posters, sparking a Cannes rumor when Christoph Waltz worried he had been cut from the film after not seeing a poster of himself.

“That just shows you the power of an image,” Gravillis said.

Looking ahead, Gravillis sees artificial intelligence as a tool that will help speed up parts of the creative process, but not replace the human spark.

“I think the middle will be easier. But the beginning and the end still need people,” he said. “That nuance is too powerful to fake.”

He compared it to the Photoshop revolution, which improved productivity but also created unrealistic expectations for cheaper and faster content. AI will follow a similar pattern, he predicted, increasing demand while raising pressure on creative teams.

Despite the changing landscape, Gravillis remains optimistic. The success of “Sinners” reaffirmed the cultural value of moviegoing and reminded audiences of the storytelling power of format, craft and community.

“We leaned into Ryan talking about the film’s formats—IMAX, 70mm—and that helped,” Gravillis said. “People wanted to see it more than once. It became a moment.”

As for what is coming next, Gravillis teased that several new projects are already in the works.