The Films That Ruined Us: introducing a new podcast, & how the poster was made

Like movies? Then you'll love the new podcast, The Films That Ruined Us, which launches end of March. This isn't just another show about good movies or bad movies – it's about those rare cinematic experiences that fundamentally alter you, that burrow deep into your psyche and refuse to leave.

Katy Cowan, Creative Boom's editor and co-host of the new podcast, explains what it's all about. "Some movies change you forever," she says. "Some leave you emotionally wrecked, some haunt your dreams, and some take over your life in ways you never saw coming."

It's this undeniable but rarely discussed truth that gave Katy and filmmaker Miles Watts the idea to launch The Films That Ruined Us. "Between us, we've spent years discussing, overanalysing, and passionately debating the films that have defined us—for better or worse," says Katy. "At some point, we realised that these conversations needed an outlet. If we were going to keep spiralling into the movies that had wrecked us, we might as well drag the rest of the world along with us. And so, The Films That Ruined Us was born."

The podcast begins with four episodes that span the breadth of cinema's emotional and psychological impact. Each one pairs Miles and Katy's perspectives on films that affected them in similar ways but through different entries in the cinematic canon.

In their Star Wars episode, for instance, Miles delves into The Empire Strikes Back, while Katy explores The Force Awakens – two films from different eras that rekindled and cemented their respective obsessions with the franchise.

This approach highlights the show's underlying philosophy: that our relationships with films are deeply personal yet universally relatable. The specific movie that "ruins" you might differ from someone else's, but the experience of being profoundly changed by cinema is something all film lovers understand.

For the hosts, this isn't merely about nostalgia or critique—it's about examining how cinema shapes our identities, expectations, and worldviews in subtle and dramatic ways. It's about acknowledging film not just as entertainment but as a formative force in our lives, capable of both emotional devastation and transcendent joy.

"This is a podcast for the film-obsessed, the nostalgic, and anyone who's ever had a movie get under their skin and refuse to leave," Katy emphasises. "Because some films don't just entertain; they ruin you."

How the artwork was made

When crafting the visual identity for such a concept, Miles and Katy knew ordinary wouldn't suffice. The artwork needed to embody the podcast's central thesis: that films don't just entertain us – they consume us, transform us, and sometimes leave us gloriously wrecked in their wake.

"We knew the podcast needed cover art that truly captured its spirit; something cinematic, over-the-top, and packed with the kind of obsessive energy we bring to every episode," explains Katy. Enter Sam Gilbey, an award-winning illustrator whose impressive client list includes Walt Disney, Marvel Studios, Empire Magazine, and numerous other entertainment industry heavyweights.

"Initially, Katy and Miles told me what the podcast was going to be about and mentioned some of the films they were going to discuss," Sam recalls. "The idea popped into my head of having two sides of the artwork, with one representing sci-fi and the other more towards horror, but both working together in some kind of post-apocalyptic genre mashup."

This concept resonated immediately with the hosts. "So after our initial chat, I excitedly mocked up a very crude representation of the idea I was seeing in my head, with Ellen Ripley on one side representing Katy and sci-fi, and Simon Pegg as Shaun standing in for Miles and horror on the other," Sam says. "It was a blue background on the sci-fi side and red on the horror side. A very simple idea really, and then, of course, from there, it evolved and got much more detailed."

The concept spoke perfectly to the podcast's ethos – visually representing how the hosts had been so consumed by film that they had metaphorically become characters in the very movies that had affected them. As Sam puts it: "I wanted to really lean into the use of the word 'ruined' in the title. It just made sense to show Miles and Katy in a cinematic world that felt like they'd literally become characters from the movies that had 'ruined' them."

From concept to creation

With the concept approved, the next step was gathering reference material. Miles and Katy arranged a photo shoot in Manchester, striking heroic poses for Sam to work from.

"Miles, true to form, couldn't resist larking about between takes, delivering a surprisingly great Mick Jagger impression, and a ton of others that probably didn't help the creative process but definitely made for a fun day out," Katy laughs. "Somewhere between discussing our favourite Blade Runner quotes and debating the best Mad Max movie, we also squeezed in lunch and plotted more ideas for the show."

Sam transformed these reference photos into an illustration that perfectly embodied the podcast's ethos. The final artwork features Katy sporting an eyepatch and robotic arm, channelling Kurt Russell's character from Escape from New York, while Miles appears as a Mad Max-inspired wasteland survivor. Even Edgar the dog makes an appearance, trotting alongside the hosts as they flee from cinematic horrors.

"From there, I was able to combine the best shots and start to build upon them," Sam continued. "I gave them some weapons and genre-specific clothing, with Katy representing sci-fi and having some cyborg tech and weapons, and Miles is more of a Mad Max-Walking Dead wasteland type, with a shotgun in a samurai sword. They both look badass and hopefully give off strong 'we've seen things you people wouldn't believe' vibes."

Capturing the VHS Era

As readers of a certain age will notice, Sam's artwork brilliantly evokes the golden age of home video rentals with its dramatic composition and weathered aesthetic. And this wasn't accidental – Sam deliberately drew inspiration from classic VHS cover art.

"I had lots of nostalgic fun researching the project and looking back at movie posters, and VHS covers in particular from the 80s, some of which I knew and sought out, and some which I didn't and discovered along the way," Sam says.

Typography played a crucial role in achieving this retro feel. "Making the title treatment, as well as the other type, was as important as the main character artwork," Sam notes. "I've always loved how the lettering was made to look metallic when I was a kid, i.e. before Photoshop when it would have been drawn by hand. And this felt like the perfect opportunity to really go for that look, but also to make sure that the lettering itself was also 'ruined', with plenty of scratches on it and then a little bit of blood on the horror side, too."

Sam went on to create a full movie poster for the podcast, complete with an invented distribution company: KAWACOMI Home Podcasts. "The name is somewhat of an anagram of letters from Miles and Katy's names," explains Sam. "But Katy pointed out it sounded a little like 'Nakatomi' from the Die Hard movies, and that just felt right." These small details further help sell the illusion that the podcast could be a lost cult film from the VHS era.

The perfect match

For Katy and Miles, whose podcast launches in late March with four episodes exploring Star Wars, sci-fi classics like Blade Runner and Terminator 2, dysfunctional family films, and romantic comedies that warped their expectations of love, the artwork represents the perfect visual distillation of their show's essence.

"The result is everything we wanted—part gritty action movie poster, part cult classic fever dream, and totally in keeping with the ridiculous, obsessive love of film that drives The Films That Ruined Us," says Katy.

"Sam has an incredible ability to blend realism with painterly cinematic flair, making our cover feel like a lost piece of artwork from an '80s VHS tape."

Sam himself describes the project as "an absolute blast to create," crediting the hosts' enthusiasm and collaborative spirit. "Katy and Miles were super supportive and open to my ideas whilst providing plenty of their own with very much a 'yes, and' philosophy running throughout," he says.

"The artwork is performing a bit of a balancing act. At a glance, it looks like it could be a retro movie. And then when you look at it for a second or two longer, and you're also reading the messaging, it becomes clear that it's a podcast that's going to be tapping into some of that cinematic nostalgia."

As The Films That Ruined Us prepares to launch, this striking artwork sets the perfect tone for a podcast dedicated to cinema's transformative power. Sometimes, it seems, the movies that ruin us make for the most compelling conversations – and the most eye-catching podcast covers.