Lenny Larsen

Current

Director of Creative Development at Next Generation Creative Group

Past

Show Designer/Creative Director at Landmark Entertainment Group
Various Roles at Walt Disney World
Project Producer/Show Designer at Entertainment Technology Center

Creative Director/Production Designer at CGStage Entertainment (Self-employed)
Creative Consultant at Thinkwell Design and Production
Lead Scenic Artist at Darkhorse Entertainment

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Education

Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon University

Recommended

3 people have recommended Lenny

Connections

131 connections

Industry

Entertainment

Websites

Lenny Larsen’s Summary

My life has been devoted to the art of telling stories through compelling experiences and environments. While my education and background have their roots in the theatre, my passion lies in creating immersive entertainment experiences for theme parks, museums, zoos, retail and corporate events.

For the last several years I've been working as a freelance creative consultant and designer, creating immersive worlds for more than forty productions. With most projects, I am responsible for developing initial concepts and guiding the creative team through the entire design and production process. My team and I create storyboards, scale models, renderings, and final production drawings while adhering to tight schedules and budgetary challenges. I enjoy working closely with other designers to create a unique, detailed, story-driven world and welcome the challenge of working in a fast paced, deadline oriented environment.

Though my primary role is that of a creative director or designer, I'm no stranger to the production/construction side of the industry. In many cases I am directly involved with the build of a project; developing samples, providing field art direction, and teaching or supervising production crews.

Rounding out a diverse background in the themed entertainment industry is a long history of operational experience. Since January of 2000, I've worked seasonally for Walt Disney World in a variety of roles; gaining a thorough understanding of themed environment design, guest psychology, and operational needs.

Recently, I partnered with Ben Buchwald and Mich Russon to launch Next Generation Creative Group, an organization dedicated to revolutionizing entertainment experiences with the talented young professionals that will form the next generation of the industry.

Lenny Larsen’s Specialties:

I have extensive experience in creative direction, show direction, show design, production design, show writing, and numerous other facets of the entertainment development industry.

I also have experience in video/digital media production, event planning and production, project management, creative writing, and teaching.

Lenny Larsen’s Experience

Director of Creative Development

Next Generation Creative Group

(Partnership; 1-10 employees; Entertainment industry)

January 2006 — Present (3 years 7 months)

Recently, I partnered with Ben Buchwald and Mitch Russon to launch Next Generation Creative Group (NGC), an organization dedicated to revolutionizing entertainment experiences with the talented young professionals that will form the next generation of the industry. NGC provides consultation and design/development services to the entertainment experience industry. Additionally, NGC independently takes on clients such as museums, zoos, or attractions for in-house development of entertainment experiences and technology.
Show Designer/Creative Director

Landmark Entertainment Group

(Privately Held; 11-50 employees; Entertainment industry)

March 2007 — May 2008 (1 year 3 months)

At Landmark, I oversaw the creative concept development for dozens of projects around the world. My job description: conceptual show design, show writing, creative direction, art direction, master-planning, presentation development, client relations, show set design, show lighting design, model making, video production and direction, and more. All in all, I was the guy that could literally do anything, and do it well.
Various Roles

Walt Disney World

(Public Company; 10,001 or more employees; DIS; Entertainment industry)

January 2000 — January 2008 (8 years 1 month)

Great Movie Ride - Disney-MGM Studios
Kilimanjaro Safaris - Disney’s Animal Kingdom
Maharajah Jungle Trek - Disney’s Animal Kingdom
Show Observation Team - Disney’s Animal Kingdom
Project Producer/Show Designer

Entertainment Technology Center

(Educational Institution; 51-200 employees; Entertainment industry)

August 2005 — March 2007 (1 year 8 months)

At Carnegie Mellon's ETC, I provided creative direction, visual development, and project management of concept packages for interactive entertainment experiences for a variety of clients including museums, themed attractions, zoos, and others. Packages generally consisted of written treatments, concept art, and design drawings. Projects have included design work on two signature attractions for the World’s Fair for Kids, exhibits for numerous museums, and design and production work on a themed corridor for the ETC.
Creative Director/Production Designer
CGStage Entertainment (Self-employed)

(Self-Employed; Entertainment industry)

1999 — 2006 (7 years)

Provided professional-level design/education/consultation services to educational and community theatre. In most cases, I not only provided creative direction and design, but also supervised the fabrication and implementation of the finished production.
Creative Consultant

Thinkwell Design and Production

(Privately Held; 11-50 employees; Entertainment industry)

January 2006 — August 2006 (8 months)

Provided creative consultation and design services for a revolutionary new interactive fountain system for The Pier at Caesar’s in Atlantic City, NJ. Also served as producer/project manager for initial development of the system at Carnegie Mellon University's Entertainment Technology Center (ETC) and oversaw installation and implementation of the finished system for ETC.
Lead Scenic Artist

Darkhorse Entertainment

(Public Company; 11-50 employees; Entertainment industry)

April 2005 — August 2005 (5 months)

Managed a crew of theme painters working on Expedition Everest at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Developed field samples for approval and worked with Walt Disney Imagineering field art directors to complete the theme painting of the Nepalese village that forms the queue to the new E-ticket attraction.

Lenny Larsen’s Education

Carnegie Mellon University

MET , Entertainment Technology , 2005 — 2007

Masters of Entertainment Technology... A unique professional program combining art and technology to create entertainment experiences for real-world projects.
Carnegie Mellon University

BFA , Themed Environment Design , 2002 — 2006

Developed a custom degree incorporating classes in Theatre, Architecture, and Entertainment Technology.