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Themed Entertainment - "Entertainment is Orchestrated"

All stages of design and/or art direction, set decoration and assisting. 
©2016 Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.
Frankenstein's Lab Exhibit
Confidential Client - Hollywood, California
Co-Production Design
 
This installation piece I co-designed with my partner, for a confidential client, that wanted to turn their work space into an inspirational space. They wanted to re-create Frankenstein's laboratory complete with working visual effects. It was a quant space with only about 440 sq. feet of open floor, so the challenge was to create a fully immersed world that my partner then wanted to also make fully functional and interactive. All of the details were pushed to try to create the most authentic looking exhibit possible. Period set dressing and details all around that tell the story of a mad scientist's world, and Frankenstein's lab would not be complete without a hidden passage way behind the sliding faux bookcase. I was completely honored to have been able to be a part of this, the project that I most proud of.
©2016 Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.
Universal Studios  - GrinchMas 2015
Hollywood, California
Production Design / In-field Art Direction
Grinch Photo-Op & Max's Photo-Op
 
Working with a production design team in the Entertainment department, I was able to help out with figuring out the logistics of designing a new photo-op space for the Grinch, as well as brigning to life a new set for Max to show off a bit as well. Again, flushing out the designs with hand drafting and then guiding the build team out in the field. Being able to maintain a cartoon look and figure out how to make it safe and sustainable for crowds of people was an interesting aspect to designing for the GrinchMas show. I love a challenge to see if I can get my ideas to pass the engineer's specifications for building and safety.
©2016 Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.
©2016 Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.
Halloween Horror Nights - USH 2005-Present
Universal Studios Hollywood, CA
Assistant Art Direction / Set Design
 
I have worked with Production Designer, Chris Williams for over 20 years now, in and around Halloween Horror Nights and with other projects at Universal Studios Hollywood as well. I began drafting as a set designer for the mazes, working on plans, elevations, construction and detail drawings for packages. All my drafting with Universal has been hand drafting because it lends itself to a type of artistic quality that you sometimes lose with today's CAD drafting. For a few years I was also on the props and set decoration team that dressed and brought the mazes to life in full gore. And in the past couple of years I have transitioned to being a bigger part of the in-field art direction team that oversees all facets of the mazes, to ensure that the designer's artistic vision is completely realized. Being in the field is exciting because you can see the pieces come to life right before your eyes. Other projects that I have been able to assist on have been the Van Helsing Attraction, Mummy Returns walktrough and the Chicken Run.
Spoonful Restaurant 
Hollywood, CA
Production Design and Styling
 
I was brought in to re-design a restaurant space, formerly known as Henry's Hat, a little dive of a bar on Cahuenga Blvd. in Hollywood. The new owner wanted to transform the space, which was now going to be serving all sorts of Southern faire dishes. He was quite taken with his home state of Georgia, and was inspired by "Gone With the Wind." Using that as the inspirational spring-board for our color pallette and taking some southern architectural design ideas, I was able to incorporate large columns and shutters, lush draperies with modeled and layered paint treatments on the walls. Crystal chandeliers along with some non-traditional surface textures like faux alligator skin under the bar, added just those touches of elegance and quirkiness to keep people talking about it. It opened to wonderful food reviews and had the best moonshine drinks around.
The Comedy Store - Haunted Midnights
Hollywood, CA
Production Design Direction and Styling / Art Institute of California-Hollywood 
 
My Set Decoration class was asked to come up with a full design concept and do an on-site installation for the Haunted Midnights show at the world famous, Comedy Store on Sunset Blvd. in Hollywood. We got to use the whole entry to the club as our design space and the idea was to bring to life the original Ciro's Nightclub from the 1940's. We were able to access and use some of the original Ciro's furnishings that were stuffed away in the basement, and we worked with the sponsors as well to showcase their products in a 1940's style. The students were then interviewed by the KTLA morning news about their creation. It was a great, hands-on experience for the students, working from concept through installation and being able to prepare a spot-on presentation of their ideas to the club managers, as well as being interviewed about their experiences by the local news. We even had a few of our own paranormal experiences while we were re-creating Ciro's Nightclub, a nod from past patrons on a job well done we believe. We were called back the next year to re-design the space again. 
Disney California Adventure® ParkAll Rights Reserved.
Jumpin' Jellyfish - Disney's California Adventure
Anaheim, CA
Set Design, Drafting / California Theaming
 
As a set designer & draftsman, I worked for Jim Stilson at California Theaming for about three years, where I got to work on notable projects such as the Jumpin' Jellyfish attraction for Disney's California Adventure. I worked with the design team to configure the layout of the seaweed spirals, with their layering effect and attachment methods to the core structure. It was a drafting challenge to try to show how the spirals should be laid out and cut and then their attachments afixed to them in the proper distances that would satify the design teams' vision, all in a  2D space. This project was hand drafted in 1" scale to keep the flowing form of the seaweed alive and to make it easy for the fabrication team to take the drawing and blow it up to use as a template. Nothing more nerve racking than hoping that something you drew in 2D fits onto its 3D structure! But when it does, it is satisfaction guaranteed! During my time with California Theaming, I also got to work on projects for Snoopy Land at Knott's Berry Farms for Warner Bros., a Disney dark ride attraction for Florida, and the Daily Grill cantilevered 3D coffee cups and saucers at Universal CityWalk before it turned into the giant hamburger plate and shake for the now, Johnny Rocket's restaurant. 
© Copyright 2016 GameWorks. All Rights Reserved.
SEGA GameWorks
Hollywood, CA
Set Design / Art Direction
 
My time with SEGA GameWorks was a full art department experience. I was orginally working with a scenic company, Scenery West, as a draftsman, handling all of the as-built drafting for the elements that we were building for GameWorks. After showing my skill sets in the construction side of drafting and being able to figure out design attachments and build structure, I was brought on as a formal employee of SEGA GameWorks were we worked out of the Universal Studios backlot, on Stage 35. GameWorks was a joint venture of DreamWorks SKG, Universal Studios and SEGA. 
Among set designing for multiple of the GameWorks flagship sites, I was also involved with assisting on the set design and art direction of the smaller satellite stores, GameWorks Studios, where I worked closely with designer, Dennis Larkins to create hip, yet stylized versions of the larger facilities. The unique learning experience about GameWorks was how to integrate themed elements into the actual housings of the existing video games, turning them from ordinary games that you stand in front of to play, into full 3D experiences, so that you thought you were actually a part of the game. The same idea went for the facility itself, with its total immersion into an experience. Each GameWorks facility had its own unique elemental story to tell, and we were also pushing the boundaries of technology use at the time as well, using plasma screens and high tech equimpent integrated withn the designs.
This is where I fell in love with in-field art direction, when you get to direct the vision and follow the desgin intent from the ground up. 
©LesterCreative.  All Rights Reserved. 
Experience Music Project / Artist's Journey
Seattle, WA
Asst. Set Design / Lester Creative
 
I was brought in to set design for the massive Artist's Journey project where I would figure out how to convey an amoebic form and shape and translate that into a 2D drawing that could then be built and fabricated. 
Working with engineers and artisans at Digital Domain, to create this free flowing experience that would also involve new technologies was definitely a huge creative endeavor. 
This was a multimedia, motion based ride attraction that was housed inside the Experience Music Project, a multi-million dollar, interactive music museum that would reach out to celebrate diversity and innovation within American popular music.
 
1996 Coca-Cola Olympic Show & Parade Float
Pasadena, CA
Asst. Set Design / John Iacovelli Studios
 
I got to work with production designer, John Iacovelli, building models and doing set design for the 1996 Coca-Cola Olympics show. Building models in 3 dimensional space is very rewarding because you really get a good sense of things spatially and we were able to create our model in full color so it helped us to explore the perfect color pallette for a lively kids show.
 
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