Poster business a snap for pair
University grads turn cheesecake into cash
By DAWN GARCIA
Ot EmaraW
It's your basic Horatio Alger
success story
What was started by two
University graduates as a small,
1960s-ish poster company in
Eugene has grown into the
second largest poster company
in the United States — Western
Graphics
The staff deals with celebri
ties from Los Angeles and New
York, travels across the country
for poster ideas and contracts
the best photographers in the
business
Bui people still mistake their
company for a radical operation
and their people for leftovers
from the 1960s, says company
president Randy Antik
"People on the outside tend
Correction
The University Assem
bly passed the University
Curriculum and College
Course Committees'
guidelines for course
requirements for gradua
tion rather than defeat
them, as was reported in
Thursday s Emerald The
assembly defeated a mo
tion by voice vote to delay
acceptance of the
guidelines, which cover
course cluster and group
satisfying requirements
I?
to think of us as a flake busi
ness," Antik says. "But we're
not "
Western Graphics' posters
are sold through "credible
chains," such as K-Mart and
other mass merchants, Antik
explains, and the company
refuses to do "drug posters "
Still, some poster subjects are
a little controversial Antik jus
tifies t em by saying they appeal
to what the younger public —
poster consumers — want
"The religious movement,
war, anti-war, hippies,
conservatives — that’s all poster
material," Antik says. "Our big
gest concern is are we getting
out of touch?' If you're not
careful, you can become
paranoid about it."
Western Graphics apparently
has nothing to worry about in
that area The company has
developed some of the best
selling posters in America, such
as National Lampoon's "Are
you a nurd?" humor poster and
TV star Lonnie Anderson's pin
up.
Other poster subjects are
sensitivity, fantasy, rock stars
and a general areas such as
nature scenes, food and
animals Thirty-five to 40 new
posters are developed each
year
Many of these glossy, colorful
posters line the walls of Western
Graphics' office on West 1st
Avenue with sentimental say
ings. giant juicy hamburgers,
blazing sunsets and the shiny
white smiles of TV stars
Although only a quarter of
their poster business involves
celebrities, much time and en
ergy is spent developing cele
brity poster contracts, Antik
says.
Every celebrity poster
requires developing a good
working relationship with the
star's agent or company, sign
ing a license to produce a pos
ter of that celebrity and setting
up the shooting session with
one of the “big-name pho
tographers" in Los Angeles
And even then, some stars
decide they don't want to be
photographed
"Personalities have the right
to reject a shooting, and they
do,” A'ntik says.
City needs positions filled
By RICHARD WAGONER
Of Vw EntaraM
Eugene is looking for
residents to serve
on a handful of advisory
boards, commissions and
committees — including various
human rights commissions and
parks and housing committees
Mid-year vacancies are open
on the Eugene Urban Renewal
Agency, Eugene Economic
Development Committee.
Eugene Citizen Involvement
Committee Metropolitan Area
Planning Advisory Committee,
and the human rights commis
sions
New positions also have been
created on the Joint Parks
Committee and the Joint Hous
ing Committee
There are three openings on
the Eugene Urban Renewal
Agency
The agency administers
redevelopment projects out
lined in the urban renewal plan
and meets the first Tuesday of
each month
For information on the
agency, call the Eugene Hous
ing and Community Conserva
tion Department at 687-5443.
One position is available on
the Eugene Economic Develop
ment Committee The commit
tee develops strategies to im
prove or enhance development
in Eugene and meets on the
second Tuesday of each month.
For more information call the
planning department at
687-5481
City residents interested in
any of the committees can pick ""
up applications at the city
manager s office, Room 105,
Eugene City Hall, 777 Pearl St.
All applications must be re
turned to the city manager's
office by June 25.
The photograph that results
from the shooting isn’t
necessarily complimentary to
the star — often, the poster
requires touching up before the
celebrity will approve, Antik
says.
The Lonnie Anderson poster,
for example, was airbrushed to
make her teeth whiter, her arms
smoother and she was given
what's called a “tummy tuck” —
some touching up to make her
stomach appear flatter Only
then was Anderson pleased
with the poster
Rock stars are even more dif
ficult to deal with, Antik says
“We haven't been heavy on
rock group posters because the
groups are impossible to deal
with,” Antik says. ‘ They're
juvenile delinquents, they make
loads of money and they don't
care.”
Whatever the hassles and
headaches, the company is
planning more celebrity posters
for next year, including Pat
Benatar, Tanya Roberts from
Charlie s Angels and REO
Speedwagon
With the faces, trends and
tastes in posters changing every
year, Antik hesitates to say what
the future will bring for the pos
ter industry.
“There’s always the question
of ‘Will the poster business die?'
But as long as people want to
put something on their walls and
there's walls, we'll be in busi
ness."
Tf
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