Project 05

"WE'VE NEVER HAD THIS MANY PROJECTS!"

As the executive producer of a major themed entertainment design firm and a trusted partner of the CCO, we led both the creative design and business processes, ensuring timely and cohesive design packages. Our unique ability to balance these aspects made us the best creative process leader in the business and a great partner to creative executives. Areas of responsibility included department Administration, Finance, Creative Show Producing, Media, Planning & Scheduling, and Intellectual Property Management.

During an annual planning period, we were assigned an unusually large slate of projects, many times our recent workload. Naturally, there was apprehension and worry within the design team. There was a very real possibility that the high demand and short deadlines would take precedence over the creative design. Using our deep understanding of creative design & talent, we guided them with confidence and clear direction.

We immediately tackled the new demand forecast, combining strong creative focus with excellent business skills to minimize chaos.

Analysis & Forecasting: We broke down data to understand the scope, schedule, and budget, creating a linked forecast model. This allowed us to allocate resources and identify hiring needs.
Collaboration & Matrix Leadership: We reviewed the model with internal and external leaders, adjusting based on their inputs to ensure stakeholder investment.
Design Resource Management: We manually created easy-to-understand reports like Stacking Plans, Milestone Matrices, and Talent Forecast Grids to manage the process, improving the focus on innovation, guest experience and design quality.
Executive Communication Plans: We implemented a new schedule for executive reviews, separating creative reviews to maintain focus. This improved executive confidence and reduced disruptions.

Our exceptional leadership skills quickly put these plans into action, boosting creativity and confidence within the studio. Projects progressed smoothly, scheduled dates were hit, and the team thrived under the new processes even with the never-seen before workload.

Core competencies: Executive Leadership • Complex Analysis • Process Re-engineering • Collaboration • Simplification