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William Michael McHugh : Resume'
| resume_pitchvv7.pdf |
Below:
This is a PR video that I wrote, produced, and directed for Ride & Show Engineering while I was working there as their Director of Show Production. This was one of the best jobs I had after leaving Universal, where I was a Show designer and Art director. It was a time of great energy and dynamic opportunities and challenges, and I wanted to help Ride & Show and also document some part of my reality at that time.
So many great engineers making things real. They literally sent me around the world.
The record shows I maintained a 30-year working relationship with Ride & Show Engineering, working on over 500 million dollars worth of projects for Ride & Show Engineering, and an equal amount with their partner Futurist Ride & Show- Dream Maker Studios & "Koichi Matsumoto" in Tokyo, Japan. I deeply treasure the time I got to share with so many incredible minds on some of the coolest projects in all parts of the globe. Thank you, Ed Feuer, Bill Watkins, Roland Feuer, Koichi Matsumoto and all the people who made Ride & Show Engineering WONDERFUL! Below are some highlights of some of the projects I have worked on.
This is a PR video that I wrote, produced, and directed for Ride & Show Engineering while I was working there as their Director of Show Production. This was one of the best jobs I had after leaving Universal, where I was a Show designer and Art director. It was a time of great energy and dynamic opportunities and challenges, and I wanted to help Ride & Show and also document some part of my reality at that time.
So many great engineers making things real. They literally sent me around the world.
The record shows I maintained a 30-year working relationship with Ride & Show Engineering, working on over 500 million dollars worth of projects for Ride & Show Engineering, and an equal amount with their partner Futurist Ride & Show- Dream Maker Studios & "Koichi Matsumoto" in Tokyo, Japan. I deeply treasure the time I got to share with so many incredible minds on some of the coolest projects in all parts of the globe. Thank you, Ed Feuer, Bill Watkins, Roland Feuer, Koichi Matsumoto and all the people who made Ride & Show Engineering WONDERFUL! Below are some highlights of some of the projects I have worked on.
Great history of Universal Studios Theme Parks:
Jay Stein had a giant vision and the drive to get it done. He attracted the best people who saw his dream and wanted to give 1000%. It was the 80's, and things were moving fast. The race was on!
Jay Stein had a giant vision and the drive to get it done. He attracted the best people who saw his dream and wanted to give 1000%. It was the 80's, and things were moving fast. The race was on!
Below is Miami Vice Action Spectacular:
This was my first big project at MCA Universal. I started with Peter Alexander and then with Phil Hettema when Peter got going on the Florida project. The early days were kind of "Wild West". Jay was fast-tracking and wanting to WIN, and that stirred up a whole bunch of testosterone, which kind of fueled him up more. Really exciting times to GO for IT if you had the balls. I wrote the original action treatment, designed and directed the design of all the sets and landscaping. Got to work with some legends from Disney like Bill Evans and others and we went soo fast! 18-hour days flew by. 7 am in the engineer's office, and constant back and forth then to the site with Phil Hettema the producer, Larry Lester, Show special effects, and Gary Stebler, project manager, and my trailer and all the construction workers with so many things happening at once you had to stay FOCUSED. I loved it! Keeping all the details coming and working from all the team. On set every day, working with the set builders and general contractor to bring all the parts together at warp speed. 6 Million USD in 4.5 months...Cool!
Below is a show I created with and for Terry Winnick
( VP, Development, MCA.) for MCA Planning & Development for the Florida project. Peter Alexander introduced us, and we then brought in Hal Needham to fine-tune the action stunts for creativity & safety. This was my first contract assignment after leaving MCA Universal Studios as a show designer and art director. The ROM concept budget came in at approximately 10 million USD. Jay loved it, and Terry made it happen!
Over the years, Universal has asked me to give a creative look at about 5 new ride & show concepts like, Waterworld, The Mummy, Cliffhangers, Superman/Spiderman, an alternate Kong attraction, and even a Battlestar Galactica remake. While working with Terry, we also explored the idea of using the Wild, Wild West IP and actually building a 4-story-tall animation mechanical spider at one end of the Florida lagoon with kind of a cowboy-steampunk flotilla battle and GIANT fireworks show. But that stayed an idea.
My work product on this was full concept development of the script, action design, stunt analysis, concept mechanical system solution development, storyboards, site plan and ROM concept budget suggestions & presentation to P&D executives.
( VP, Development, MCA.) for MCA Planning & Development for the Florida project. Peter Alexander introduced us, and we then brought in Hal Needham to fine-tune the action stunts for creativity & safety. This was my first contract assignment after leaving MCA Universal Studios as a show designer and art director. The ROM concept budget came in at approximately 10 million USD. Jay loved it, and Terry made it happen!
Over the years, Universal has asked me to give a creative look at about 5 new ride & show concepts like, Waterworld, The Mummy, Cliffhangers, Superman/Spiderman, an alternate Kong attraction, and even a Battlestar Galactica remake. While working with Terry, we also explored the idea of using the Wild, Wild West IP and actually building a 4-story-tall animation mechanical spider at one end of the Florida lagoon with kind of a cowboy-steampunk flotilla battle and GIANT fireworks show. But that stayed an idea.
My work product on this was full concept development of the script, action design, stunt analysis, concept mechanical system solution development, storyboards, site plan and ROM concept budget suggestions & presentation to P&D executives.
On the KING KONG Florida project, I was tasked with art directing the look and design of the 40-foot-tall KONG to be used on all the positions in the ride & show. I sculpted and directed the sculpting of a 40 in tall scale maquette. I brought both Carl and Neal Surgess into the mix as they were helping me with plants & creatures for the E.T. model, and they both were contracted to Sequoia to help with the new Kong fabrication. Steve Lodwick & Leo Rijin also helped from Andy Riesman's crew in the model shop & Gary Lee did an elaborate motion study to be sure we had the right clearance and information to give to Bob Gurr & Dave Schewinger of Sequoia Creative, the figure fabrication and animation company.. To really understand the task, I went backstage on the Hollywood Kong and literally got inside the creature during a show cycle to better understand the mechanical animation system. ( DO NO DO THIS AT HOME! )
ET- The Ride: Here I worked directly with Peter Alexander, executive producer& Jane Jackson, producer as the lead show designer/art director on the creative design development and fine-tuning of this 50,000 sq. ft. (38 million USD) ride show system. Many different scenarios were floated and explored until Peter got the green light. The model shop built a full-scale model of the entire ride, and many skilled artists, craftsmen, and designers came together to help develop the classic ride with extreme care.
The Hanna-Barbera ride & experience came to life after I sat down and wrote an action scenario or treatment that grabbed the guests and pulled them into the cartoon world and adventure via the animator's work desk. I was the designer at H&B for the "GOBTS" series & the "ROCKLORDS" film, and was all in! I developed the action storyboard and helped Peter make the pitch to Taft, H&B & MCA's upper management. I was already using Art & Technology ( Bill Novey & Joe Garlington) on the ET ride for special effects, and it seemed natural to give them a shot to help flesh out the preshow area with what was then the state of the art in hands-on interactive technology. It was then turned over to Sherry McKenna and her team for production. Sherri & Mario Kamberg pushed the envelope of computer animation for that time period.
Hong Kong Museum of Science: ENERGY MACHINE
This is a project built by Ride& Show Engineering, c. 1989
My work on this project was to translate the concept design package into practical fabrication solutions, which I then attached man-hours and fabrication materials estimates to resulting in a successful 1.2 million dollar quote and production contract. Working very closely with Vern Preston & Bill Watkins.
Leofoo Village concept development:
In 1988-89 Ride & Show Engineering was commissioned to develop the original project study package for the Leofoo Zoo expansion. R&S had a multi-year deal to teach a Japanese start-up the business of theme park & attraction development. They brought Leofoo to R&S as one of their first projects.
I was working as the director of show production and other things, and was assigned this project. The first thing I did was insist on using HHCP from Maitland Fl. as the architect. I knew them from growing up as a printer for Winter Park Blue Print. Here is where I got to really get to know Brooks Weiss. WOW Incredible!...We went over maybe 5 times and came up with a beautiful concept guide book with budget analysis by Dave Holtz that hit 456 million. They loved it! I have the book and docs still.
These videos do not reflect the total original design intent. It shows how, over time, a project may go through many hands and developmental phases.
I tried to find videos of the original from that time period
(1989), but no luck. Below is an early iteration of their revitalization by another company, and the second video shows even more expansion by several players. Some of the flavor of our original design intent still lingers. This is just the nature of this industry. Sometimes it is a hand-holding learning process with a client, and you have to explain why they can not have 456 million dollars worth of a project for 100 million, and in only one phase. Maybe, in retrospect, we should have said ,yeah sure, and sorted it out at the end. MMMM not my (our) cup of tea
In 1988-89 Ride & Show Engineering was commissioned to develop the original project study package for the Leofoo Zoo expansion. R&S had a multi-year deal to teach a Japanese start-up the business of theme park & attraction development. They brought Leofoo to R&S as one of their first projects.
I was working as the director of show production and other things, and was assigned this project. The first thing I did was insist on using HHCP from Maitland Fl. as the architect. I knew them from growing up as a printer for Winter Park Blue Print. Here is where I got to really get to know Brooks Weiss. WOW Incredible!...We went over maybe 5 times and came up with a beautiful concept guide book with budget analysis by Dave Holtz that hit 456 million. They loved it! I have the book and docs still.
These videos do not reflect the total original design intent. It shows how, over time, a project may go through many hands and developmental phases.
I tried to find videos of the original from that time period
(1989), but no luck. Below is an early iteration of their revitalization by another company, and the second video shows even more expansion by several players. Some of the flavor of our original design intent still lingers. This is just the nature of this industry. Sometimes it is a hand-holding learning process with a client, and you have to explain why they can not have 456 million dollars worth of a project for 100 million, and in only one phase. Maybe, in retrospect, we should have said ,yeah sure, and sorted it out at the end. MMMM not my (our) cup of tea
Marketplace Shopping Center, Dr. Phillips: 1982-83 Responsible for 3D design and field art direction of all storefronts and clock tower of this 12 million dollar project. I worked as the owner's on-site design representative during installation and interfaced with each shop owner's contractor to ensure proper execution and compliance with the owner's design vision. Worked with 120 different tenants to customise each storefront ( budget 3,000 USD ea.) and color scheme to their wishes, and sign design package to keep shop owner's inside the owner's design guidelines. The goal was cost effective design with a charming ambiance similar to Carmel and other projects. I had designed a set of 6 interchangeable storefronts inspired by the book "Storefronts". This gave me a menu to mix and match from to easily add variety. Where possible each had a small piece of antique stain glass hand picked handworked into the doors. I had special mullion stock milled and we applied them to large plate glass windows to make the budget work and increase the village ambiance. Worked with the structural engineer to refine the design intent of the signature clock tower that the whole team helped on. And finally, the owner and architect of record to help negotiate the purchase price with Verdin, the Clock Tower manufacturer. (80,000 and change)
The project's look and feel have changed significantly from the original design intent due to multiple changes in ownership. The original look and feel was a much more sophisticated solution owing to the strict "design intent" rules of the owner and the persistent design expertise of Al Carroll, the project's artistic design director. The original sign design package and brand development fell primarily on Al and his lifelong associate, Ellen Doughty. Almost all the signage you see now is totally against the more sophisticated design guidelines of Bob Hager, the owner.
The project's look and feel have changed significantly from the original design intent due to multiple changes in ownership. The original look and feel was a much more sophisticated solution owing to the strict "design intent" rules of the owner and the persistent design expertise of Al Carroll, the project's artistic design director. The original sign design package and brand development fell primarily on Al and his lifelong associate, Ellen Doughty. Almost all the signage you see now is totally against the more sophisticated design guidelines of Bob Hager, the owner.
Click below to play the slide show :
| resume_pitchvv7.pdf |
