, an international design and production company specializing in experiential design, headquartered in Pasadena, CA., announces the appointment of Ms. Kelly Ryner to the position of director, new business development.
“Kelly is an integral part of the Thinkwell family,” says Francois Bergeron, co-founder of Thinkwell with Cliff Warner and Craig Hanna. “She has been a part of our team from the company’s inception and we are pleased to bring her into this important role.”
She has had a full career as a lead scenic artist and field art director for 20 years, including four years as scenic artist at Lexington Scenery and Props, over six months in the field as head scenic artist for Warner Bros. Movieworld in Germany, three years in charge of scenic for Nickelodeon Studios and five years as lead artist and field art director for Universal Studios.
It is Ms. Ryner’s background in art direction and scenic arts that makes her uniquely qualified for her position in business development at Thinkwell. “Her understanding of the project development and management processes and her keen sensitivity to the aesthetic gives Kelly the ability to explain the process to clients,” Craig Hanna says.
It was during her time as field art director for Universal Studios working at the Universal Studios Port Aventura theme park near Barcelona, Spain that Ms. Ryner began her association with Thinkwell partners Cliff Warner and Craig Hanna while they were working for Universal prior to founding Thinkwell.
“Kelly was instrumental in the successes the Universal team had in Spain on five key projects over four years,” Cliff Warner, principal of Thinkwell, comments. Ms. Ryner contributed as field art director to the scenic upgrade of the Mediterrannia land, the Sea Odyssey simulator attraction, the interactive dragon fountain and Templo del Fuego, Port Aventura’s newest and most extreme attraction.
A graduate of Theatre Arts from Virginia Polytechnic and State University, Ms. Ryner recently received the Most Outstanding Alumni Award of the College of Arts and Sciences from that prestigious university.
Thinkwell Design & Production Incorporated specializes in turnkey design and production services for theme park attractions, live shows, branding/corporate experiences and environments, museum and educational environments and restaurant and retail environments. Their clients include Universal Studios, DreamWorks SKG, Nike, Paramount Parks and others. Thinkwell has a European production and sales office located in Barcelona, Spain.
For more information on Thinkwell visit their website at: www.thinkwelldesign.com