Counterflip absolutely makes the best pinball t-shirts... Shea sits down with us and we get into everything from his pinball favorites to why making a genuinely good T-shirt feels like a boss battle. We talk about how printing goes wrong, how his first business attempt at 15 tanked spectacularly, and how he rebuilt it into Counterflip by focusing on real quality instead of the disposable stuff most people print on.

We dig into what it takes to find reliable sources, good blanks, and partners who don’t cut corners when you’re trying to build a brand identity through design. Shea also shares how working at Revenge Of shaped his love of pinball, how his history in bands and music artwork fed into his style, and why the pinball scene ended up being the perfect place to bring all of that together. A full mix of creative process, merch reality, and general pinball chaos. Join Us.

🔺 Praise the Great Pyramid:

📡 Twitch – twitch.tv/dirtypoolpinball

📺 YouTube – youtube.com/@dirtypoolpinball

📷 Instagram – instagram.com/dirtypoolpinball

📘 Facebook – facebook.com/dirtypoolpinball

🔺 Counterflip / Shea:

🛒 counterflip.bigcartel.com

📷 instagram.com/counterflip_apparel

🛒 dispersehomemedia.bigcartel.com

📷 instagram.com/disperse_homemedia

🌐 revengeof.com

Enjoy the subtle pyramid signal throughout. (by that I mean the battery pack noise... oops)

00:00:00 - Intro

00:00:02 - Settling into the in person setup and getting started

00:01:15 - Opening the talk with Counterflip shirts on the table

00:03:35 - Shea explaining early art roots and first encouragement

00:04:40 - py▒ ΔΔ ▒d.join: “hol d st i l l”

00:05:05 - Chicago basement shows and learning design through bands

00:06:55 - J cards tapes and the cassette layout grind

00:08:35 - Moving to LA and shifting from music into film

00:10:15 - Whole Foods sign artist years and the Amazon wipeout

00:12:05 - Making early bootleg movie shirts starting with The Lighthouse

00:13:55 - The Fog vs The Mist and arguing coastal horror loyalty

00:15:30 - Building the first small run of shirts and early experiments

00:17:00 - How Counterflip designs are rebuilt pieces not traced assets

00:18:20 - Digging through manuals flyers and archives to stay accurate

00:20:00 - Discovering pinball through Revenge Of and falling in fast

00:21:10 - Zoning out on world under glass and aesthetic obsession

00:22:20 - Describing Revenge Of as a sci fi comic book bodega

00:23:55 - Seeing branding blown up on walls booths and full spaces

00:25:50 - Revenge Of keeping a mixed lineup not just Stern games

00:27:20 - Indie vs major manufacturers and how variety helps pinball

00:28:50 - Revenge Of championing boutique games and weirder designs

00:30:05 - Building the Revenge Of identity with trust and loose direction

00:31:55 - Opening the coffee shop and overlap with players and creatives

00:32:34 - ╣ted… frame_Δ▒▒ d all.praise.

00:33:05 - Games Shea would own someday and not forcing a collection

00:34:30 - Vintage game picks turning into full Raven enthusiasm

00:36:10 - The future of Counterflip balancing shirts films and freelance

00:37:20 - Choosing which games become shirts and what artwork works

00:38:50 - Xenon talk and wanting maximum tube energy on a shirt

00:40:20 - Best sellers and why Counterflip Fishtails keeps moving

00:41:55 - Holiday market plans and Counterflip showing up with both booths

00:43:00 - Shirt sizes shipping and grabbing designs in person

00:43:55 - Least played games and closing with praise of the pyramid

#dirtypoolpinball #pinballpodcast #counterflip #pinballapparel #pinballcommunity #pinballfavorites #arcadeculture #pinballlifestyle #merchdesign #qualityapparel #indiedesigners #silverball #retrogaminglife #arcadestyle #creativecommunity #pinfam #pinballscene #designerlife #makercommunity #pinballart #bandartwork #musicdesign #independentcreators #pinballmerch #pinturnaments #behindtheflippers #arcadelife #podcastlife