23. Creating Worlds - Bob Bonniol

When Bob Bonniol's mother took him to the opening weekend of the very first Stars Wars movie (and then every Saturday for the next 20 weeks), something stuck. While he laughs at the memory, his obsession for all things Star Wars was hardwired as a child and this core memory, well seeded would remain dormant for many years he discovered his own pathway to what has become a thrilling professional journey, working with major entertainment giants, including LucasFilm. An Emmy Award winning Director, Production Designer, and Producer, Bob has built a reputation for his implementation of extensive media and interactive features in his productions and installations. His inter-disciplinary practice draws inspiration from traditional and groundbreaking storytelling conventions of theater, broadcast media, opera, visual art installation, and architecture. Most recently, Bob has been deploying and integrating new interactive technology and AI to elevate live concert production, with tour designs for Billy Joel, Blake Shelton, Megan Thee Stallion, and the One Night Houston Festival. It seems that Bob finds joy in every stage of the creative process, and has, since realizing early in his professional theatre career, that with or without the actual building, the experience of theatre exists everywhere and in all our storytelling. Just as Bob imagined himself to be George Lucas, a genius at creating a whole world picture through storytelling, he has himself come to set and expect Lucas-level standards in his own commitment to creating richly layered, and fully realized experiences that invite audiences to enter a creative space with their own imaginations firing on all cylinders.