William Alton Chief Creative Officer Erik is the Chief Creative Officer and COO of THG, an experience design and production studio based in Pasadena, CA. He has acted in a host of creative leadership and advisory roles for signature parks and attractions for some of the world’s most high value brands, IPs and developers such as Universal, Dreamworks, Paramount, Sony, and McKinsey to list just a few. Whether cultural, entertainment or a blend of the two, Erik is able to elevate an experience to the delight of the audience and the success of the developer. Highly accomplished and well respected within his industry, Erik is recognized as a dynamic, creative visionary with a long history of developing innovative and award-winning experiences all over the globe. Back to team
Scott Sinclair
The Hettema Group2022-07-22T17:30:38+00:00Scott Sinclair Executive Director of Design Scott has played leadership roles in the conceptualization and design of many high-profile themed entertainment projects, including the Dragons Wild Shooting interactive dark ride at Lotte World in Seoul, Korea; the Hello Kitty Theme Park in Anji, China; Tokyo DisneySea; Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom’s Tomorrowland; Sony’s Metreon retail entertainment center in San Francisco and Mediage in Tokyo; and multiple live shows and parades for Disneyland’s Marketing and Entertainment Division. He has served as lead designer on numerous other ambitious projects, including Paul Allen’s Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame in Seattle, The National Ag Science Center in Central California, Ski Dubai indoor ski resort, and Paul Allen’s “Flying Heritage Collection,” a WWII fighter plane display in Seattle. EDUCATION B.A., Theater Technology/Set Design, California State University, Long Beach NOTABLE PROJECTS & CLIENTS Magic Kingdom, Tomorrowland Tokyo DisneySea Ski Dubai Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame, Seattle Abbey Road Studios Chicago Museum of Science & Industry Dollywood Universal Studios Shanghai Disneyland Dreamworks Chimelong Ocean Kingdom Back to team
William Alton
The Hettema Group2022-07-22T17:31:21+00:00William Alton Senior Director of Design William Alton is Senior Director of Design with over 25 years working in the Theme Park, Hospitality, Retail and Restaurant industries. He has been Design Team Lead for the Universal Studios Hollywood Jurassic World. the Dodgers Stadium Renovation and Entertainment Plaza projects, the Atlantis The Palm Dubai Aquaventure and many other projects in the United States and internationally. He served as Vice President of Design for Paramount Pictures Parks and Resorts where he supervised the creative and design development of all other national and international aspects of recreation and hospitality for Paramount Pictures. He had development oversight on many R&D projects, including VR and AR themed entertainment experiences based on Paramount Films. Alton also worked with major game companies in developing Next-Gen Gamified experiences for theme park applications and worked as a creative consultant and concept designer for Walt Disney Imagineering in the development of attractions and resorts for Disney’s Anaheim, Paris, Tokyo and Hong Kong. Back to team
Carol Young
Sydney Holt2023-05-16T20:29:52+00:00William Alton Designer Carol has worked in the entertainment field for 25 plus years starting as a comic book colorist in the 90's first doing markups (coding color for printers) and then hand color with Doctor Martin dyes to digital color. As an early adopter of computer digital work she found herself in visual effects doing 3D modeling with the majority of her work being compositing, paint back, beauty work, matte paintings and anything requiring the art of illusion on films and TV shows and commercials. She stretched her design and creativity even more by sliding into the themed entertainment world starting with concept color and color design to Interior Design as well as Dimensional, Scenic and Ride Design. Back to team
Connor Sinclair
Sydney Holt2022-07-22T18:22:14+00:00William Alton Senior Graphic Designer Connor Sinclair is a Los Angeles based graphic designer specializing in environmental graphics, marquee signage, and brand identity. As the senior graphic designer at The Hettema Group, he helps to create a wide array of projects ranging from experiential show graphics to marketing collateral material and client presentations. Outside of work, Connor’s interests include typography, Japanese robot anime, rollerblading, and modified cars. EDUCATION B.A. Savannah College of Art & Design (SCAD) NOTABLE PROJECTS Motiongate, Dubai Bollywood Park, Dubai Dragons Wild Shooting Seoul, South Korea One World Observatory, New York City Back to team
D’Angelo Reyes
Sydney Holt2023-08-31T18:28:54+00:00William Alton Designer D’Angelo is a designer at THG who strives for harmony between the creative and the technical. He works extensively with AutoCAD and Revit for show set drawings and packages, in addition to Rhino and 3ds Max for 3d modeling. D’Angelo is also a production and scenic designer, with skills in concept illustration, attraction design, immersive theater, and Halloween haunt design. Outside of work he loves movies, musicals, improv comedy, writing, and talking about walkable train and public transit-oriented communities. EDUCATION Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering, Minor in Theater California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo NOTABLE PROJECTS Toothsome Chocolate Emporium Hollywood Epic Universe, Universal Orlando Resort Back to team
David Lepor
Sydney Holt2022-07-22T18:22:41+00:00William Alton Designer 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 Back to team
Estephan Quass
Sydney Holt2022-07-22T18:23:24+00:00William Alton Dimensional Designer 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 Design Art Institute of California, Hollywood CA S., Set & Exhibit Design NOTABLE PROJECTS X Games Mega Ramp Red Bull Extreme Cliff Diving - ICA, Boston Design Stages for Paul McCartney, Rolling Stones, Jay-Z, Phish, Coachella, Tomorrow Land, Bob Dylan Back to team
Jacob Lindegren
Sydney Holt2023-05-16T20:32:40+00:00William Alton Designer A versatile creative force, Jacob Lindegren 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 Back to team
Janai Phibbs
Sydney Holt2022-12-06T17:51:29+00:00William Alton Associate Art Director Janai is a multi-disciplined creative talent. Skilled ranging from show set design and CAD drafting for attractions to concept developments and art direction. Alongside her accomplished digital and physical artistic competences, her wide ranging abilities can be applied to many facets of the industry. She has previously spent productive terms with Walt Disney Studios, Thinkwell and Universal Pictures. As an associate designer for The Walt Disney Studios Special Events, Janai played a fundamental role in contributing to an impressive list of projects including movie ‘world premier’ events for; Captain America Civil War, Jungle Book 2016, Zootopia and The Good Dinosaur. She also designed the excellent Star Wars Exhibit featured in the prestigious El Capitan Theatre Hollywood. Delivering creative content for the attractions industry Janai has provided CAD imagery, 3D modelling and detailed set design on ride attractions worldwide for high profile clients including Universal Studios. In a wider role within the entertainment industry Janai is proficient in set construction, prop and model building. She has had the privilege of working on numerous theatre and entertainment productions for artists such as Rod Stewart, Helen Hunt and Mikhail Baryshnikov. EDUCATION Bachelor of Science Set & Exhibit Design at Art Institute of California - Hollywood, CA. NOTABLE PROJECTS Fiesta Village, Knott’s Berry Farm, Buena Park, California Dodger Stadium Centerfield, Los Angeles, California Jurassic World the Ride, Universal Studios Hollywood, California The Secret Life of Pets: Off the Leash, Universal Studios Hollywood, California Back to team