Phil Hettema is the President and Creative Executive of The Hettema Group (THG). With a distinguished 30- year legacy in themed entertainment, Phil leads a world class team of experience designers, architects, and media producers known for creating uniquely compelling guest experiences with great emotional resonance. Notable projects include One World Observatory at One World Trade Center; the High Roller Observation Wheel at The LINQ, Las Vegas; and Beyond All Boundaries at the National World War II Museum, New Orleans.
Prior to forming his own company, Phil Hettema was Senior Vice President, Attraction Development for Universal Studios Theme Parks Worldwide for 14 years. He was responsible for the creative development of all major attractions and shows, including Terminator 2: 3D, Jurassic Park, The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man, Backdraft and many more. He oversaw master planning for all five Universal parks, including domestic and international expansion for Universal Studios Hollywood, Universal Studios Florida, Universal’s PortAventura (Spain), and Universal Studios Japan, and, most notably, the conception and delivery of Universal’s Islands of Adventure in Florida.
Phil is an alumni of ArtCenter College of Design, instructed courses at the institution and endowed a scholarship for Enivronmental Design. He has been a guest lecturer at Carnegie Mellon University, USITT, IAAPA, KIN, ICOM, SIGGRAPH, and at the TED Conference. Phil holds four patents for entertainment technology solutions and has been honored with numerous Thea awards from the Themed Entertainment Association (TEA) including Theas for One World Observatory (2016), Beyond All Boundaries (2010), FiestAventura (2000), The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man (2000), Universal’s Islands of Adventure (2000), and Terminator 2:3D (1997).
Scott has played key roles in concept and design on numerous high profile projects including Lotte World interactive dark ride, the Hello Kitty Theme Park in Anji, China, Tokyo DisneySea, Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom’s Tomorrowland, Disneyland Marketing and Entertainment Division live stage shows and parades, Sony’s retail entertainment center, Metreon in San Francisco and Mediage in Tokyo.
Scott has been lead designer on a number of ambitious projects, including Paul Allen’s Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame in Seattle, The National Ag Science Center in Modesto, California, Ski Dubai for Thinkwell, and Paul Allen’s “Flying Heritage Collection,” a WWII fighter plane display in Seattle.
EDUCATION:
B.A., California State Long Beach
NOTABLE PROJECTS:
Tokyo DisneySea
Dollywood
Dubai Media Center
Ski Dubai
Abbey Road Studios
Chicago Museum of Science & Industry
Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame, Seattle
In Chuck’s 26-year career at Walt Disney Imagineering, he worked in many different roles on a wide variety of projects. He contributed designs for multiple attractions in Disneyland and the Magic Kingdom and was the Lead Designer for five different installations of the Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters attraction. He has served as Creative Director for projects in Tokyo Disney Sea and worked on the design for Toy Story Land in Disney Hollywood Studios. His artwork has been featured in numerous Disney publications including Poster Art of the Disney Parks and most recently The Art of Disney’s Dragons.
EDUCATION:
B.A., East New Mexico University
M.F.A., Carnegie Mellon University
NOTABLE PROJECTS:
Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters, 5 global installations
Indiana Jones Adventure, Disneyland, Anaheim
Tower of Terror, Tokyo Disneyland
Connor is a graphic designer from Westport, Connecticut. As the son of two creative parents he discovered a love for art and design at an early age. After receiving a BFA from The Savannah College of Art and Design, Connor left the East Coast to pursue a career in location based entertainment. Five years later, as a member of The Hettema Group graphic design team, he helps to create marquee signage, environmental graphics, and marketing presentations for some of most unique and innovative experiences worldwide. Connor’s interests include hand typography, model building, customizing cars, and snuggling with his cat.
EDUCATION:
B.F.A., Graphic Design, Savannah College of Art and Design
NOTABLE PROJECTS:
Dragons Wild Shooting, Lotte World, South Korea
Motiongate Dubai
Bollywood Parks Dubai
One World Observatory at One World Trader Center, New York City
With experience in the world of theatre and a background in art, David feels right at home in the themed entertainment industry. Whether concept design, color work, or illustration, David strives for quality, beauty, and consistency.
As an illustrator on Motiongate Dubai, David developed the visual design for a wide mix of dark rides, flat rides, play areas, retail spaces, and restaurants. He has additional experience in interiors, art direction, production design, and model making.
While not working on theme parks, David spends time designing sets and props for regional theatre productions.
EDUCATION:
Bachelor of Science, Graphic Design & Illustration, Communications Minor – Grace College, Winona Lake, IN
Master of Fine Arts, Scenic Design – University of California, Irvine
NOTABLE PROJECTS:
Motiongate Dubai
Bollywood Parks Dubai
Don is a legend in the theme park world for his exceptional work as concept illustrator and designer. He is known for bringing focus on design principles unique to environmental storytelling to projects all over the world.
Don has applied his long career in theme park design to computer games, theater, and other media. He strives to show the potential of using the principles of environmental storytelling to influence an audience’s experience, whether they are exploring a physical or virtual world.
EDUCATION:
University of Art College
NOTABLE PROJECTS:
Splash Mountain
Blizzard Beach
Mickey’s ToonTown
With professional experience in the entertainment business, Estephan provided art and creative direction in TV production for a major network in Brazil. In the US, he has designed sets for corporate businesses, exhibits, sports and music events. His work includes global theme park development, facility and attraction design, food & beverage and retail development, rock work, landscaping and ride vehicle design. With the use of 3D models, realistic renderings, animations, scale models and drawings, he serves as the bridge between the concept stage and the project production.
EDUCATION:
F.A.A.P.Fundação Armando Alvares Penteado, Sao Paulo, Brazil
B.A., Industrial Design
M.F.A., Interior, Set & Exhibition Design
NOTABLE PROJECTS:
X Games Mega Ramp
Red Bull Extreme Cliff Diving – ICA, Boston
2016 Desert Trip Animatics for Stage; Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, Bob Dylan
Gwen has leant her imagination and creativity to movies, theme parks, video games, museum exhibits, theatrical experiences, and architectural design projects worldwide for over 23 years. She has worked as an Art Director, Concept Designer, Illustrator, Sculptor, and Costume Designer. And each time, she transforms her design sense to suit the unique parameters of the projects, which run the spectrum from “Sesame Street” to “Delta Force-Black Hawk Down”. For Walt Disney Imagineering she served as Art Director for “Journey to the Center of the Earth” at Tokyo DisneySea.
Her project client list has included Disney Imagineering, Universal Creative, Warner Bros., Paramount Parks, Henson Studios, Nickelodeon, Lionsgate, National Geographic, Sesame Street, HBO, The Hettema Group, Thinkwell Group, BRC Imagination Arts, and Novalogic.
EDUCATION:
B.F.A. in Fine Art and Anthropology, University of California at Santa Cruz
M.F.A in Production Design and Technology from California Institute of the Arts
NOTABLE PROJECTS:
World Fair Dubai 2020, Concept Designer
Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi, Art Director/Show Designer
Tokyo DisneySea, Art Director/Show Designer of Journey to the Center of the Earth
Disney California Adventure, Concept designer/illustrator
Sanrio Hello Kitty Theme Park, Show Designer
NatureQuest, Fernbank Museum of Natural History GA, Art Director
Sesame Street Presents the Body Museum Tour, Art Director
A versatile creative force, Jacob Berding has professional experience as both a designer and art director for live entertainment, themed environments and museums. He prides himself on discovering new processes of design by working closely with vendors and partners to push the limits of what is possible, while getting the tasks at hand completed on time and on budget.
Jacob has worked in experiential design since 2014 and has specialized in a number of disciplines including 3D modeling, illustrations, graphics and drafting. He is fortunate enough to have participated in multiple high-profile projects through to completion, such as Anna & Elsa’s Royal Welcome (Frozen meet & greet) at Disney California Adventure Park, How to Train Your Dragon land at Motiongate Dubai, the Ghost Post interactive special edition subscription in collaboration with Walt Disney R&D and more.
Jacob completed his Master of Fine Arts degree in Themed Entertainment Design at the Savannah College of Art and Design. Along with his themed entertainment background, he has formed his own software development company, which has helped him learn to manage large and small projects alike.
EDUCATION:
M.F.A., Themed Entertainment Design, Savannah College of Art and Design
NOTABLE PROJECTS:
Anna & Elsa’s Royal Welcome, Disney California Adventure Park
How To Train Your Dragon, Motiongate Dubai
Karen has more than 25 years in the themed entertainment and visual effects industries. Her focus has been color design and special effects. Karen was on the creative projections team for “Standard Time” at the Getty Museum, LACMA, and Tom Bradley Terminal. She served as Field Art Director on Little Mermaid, Clarke Quay Adventure, and Knott’s Kingdom of the Dinosaurs rehab. She was lead special effects painter at Digital Domain on Apollo 13, and Terminator 2-‐3D and at Disney Animation
Universal Studios projects included Seuss Landing at Islands of Adventure, King Kong at USF, and Jurassic Park at USJ. Karen was lead special effects painter at Digital Domain on Apollo 13 and Terminator 2-3D.
Karen teaches Matte Painting at Art Center College of Design.
EDUCATION:
Pima College
NOTABLE PROJECTS:
Carsland
Fantasyland
Seuss Landing
King Kong
Jurassic Park
A master of illustration and design, and a powerhouse of creative ideas, Kristin develops concepts for THG projects and brings them to life in beautifully rendered illustrations. She first entered the design world as a set designer and scenic artist, applying her expert painting skills to projects for Universal Studios, the San Diego Zoo, The Goretorium in Las Vegas and a variety of television shows, music festivals and movie premieres.
Kristin quickly expanded her professional skill set to provide illustration, graphic design, art direction and concept design services for theme park attractions, resorts and television and film projects. She has collaborated on a myriad of projects with RGH Themed Entertainment, Granaroli Design & Entertainment, Global Entertainment Services and the Wyatt Design Group.
After working her design magic during the day at THG, Kristin works as an adjunct faculty member at California Institute of the Arts, where she teaches Art Direction II to the Applied Design students in the Theater School.
Education:
M.F.A., Design and Production, California Institute of the Arts
B.A., Fine Art and Technical Theater, California State University Stanislaus
Stefan Lawrence is a creative director with 15+ years of experiential storytelling experience, having created experiences for such clients as Walt Disney Imagineering, 20th Century Fox, Marvel, Lionsgate, Nickelodeon, Merlin, Hasbro, BBC, Aardman Animation, Nintendo, Red Bull, and many more. Most recently, Stefan was a creative director at Rethink Leisure & Entertainment, where he worked on numerous theme parks, FECs, and other location-based entertainment projects.
When he’s not at work, Stefan enjoys old ships, watching movies from 1984, tiki drinks, special effects, barbecue, mid-century furniture, Japanese action figures, vintage travel art, Swedish detective novels, and doing the crossword.
EDUCATION:
B.A., Cornell University
NOTABLE PROJECTS:
20th Century Fox World Dubai
The London Resort
The Optimist Alternate Reality Game (Walt Disney Imagineering)
Motiongate Dubai
Fan2Sea Comic Con Cruise
As a writer and content developer for museums, visitor centers, and theme parks, Susan is driven by a passion for transforming content and brands into extraordinary visitor experiences. She produces written materials for all phases of THG projects, in the form of concept narratives, multimedia scripts, and exhibit copy.
With a graduate and undergraduate education in anthropology, Susan brings a unique cultural sensitivity to her projects. She has additional schooling and professional experience in documentary film production.
Over the past 25 years, Susan has contributed to award-winning projects for high-profile clients around the world, including Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry, the Arizona Science Center, NASA, and the Adler Planetarium.
EDUCATION:
M.A., Anthropology, The American University
B.A., Anthropology, University of Florida
SELECT PROJECTS EXPERIENCE:
One World Observatory, World Trade Center, NYC
U-505 Submarine, Museum of Science & Industry, Chicago
Davidson Center for Space Exploration, U.S. Space & Rocket Center
Tim was an Imagineer at the Walt Disney Company for 22 years and still consults for Disney Theme Parks worldwide. Tim is a designer and illustrator with wide experience in a broad media spectrum — from theme park and museum exhibit design to book illustration and greeting cards. Other projects include the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, the University of Notre Dame, Ghiradelli Chocolate, and the Mini Time Machine of Miniatures in Tucson, Arizona.
AWARDS:
5-time winner of the Hugo Award for Science Fiction and Fantasy Illustration
NOTABLE PROJECTS:
Tokyo DisneySea
Disney-MGM Studio Tour, Walt Disney World
First American artist to illustrate the J.R.R. Tolkien Calendar for Ballantine Books
Tolkien work is featured in the Greisinger Museum in Switzerland
