Selected professional projects:
Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi Expansion - Harry Potter & Superman, Warner Bros. Abu Dhabi. Opening TBA. Warner Bros. Discovery Global Experiences, in partnership with Miral Experiences and Tait.
Batman Gotham City Escape, Parque Warner Madrid. Opened 2023. Warner Bros Discovery Global Experiences, in partnership with Parques Reunidos and P&P Projects.
Harry Potter: A Yule Ball Celebration, Various Cities. 2022-present. Warner Bros. Discovery Global Experiences, in partnership with Fever.
Johnnie Walker Princes Street, Edinburgh, Scotland. Opened 2021. Freelance Show Set Designer, BRC Imagination Arts.
Fantasy Springs - Peter Pan’s Never Land, Tokyo DisneySea. Opened 2024. Associate Show Set and Theme Lighting Designer, Walt Disney Imagineering.
Minion Freeze Ray Sliders, Universal Studios Japan. Opened 2018. Show Set Design Intern, Universal Creative.
Super Nintendo World, Universal Studios Hollywood. Universal Parks and Resorts. Opened 2023. Show Set Design Intern, Universal Creative.
Universal's Epic Universe, Universal Parks and Resorts. Opening 2025. Show Set Design Intern, Universal Creative.
More info about professional projects and my specific responsibilities on them can be found here.
In the News:
SCAD-Stronauts: SCAD Day’s Destination Imagination SCAD District. 19 Apr 2018.
2018 Imaginations Winners: College Students Receive Awards for Innovation and Creativity in Walt Disney Imagineering’s 27th Imaginations Design Competition Walt Disney Imagineering. 29 Jan 2018.
Students Win Awards in Walt Disney Imagineering’s 27th Imaginations Design Competition Savannah Tribune. 31 Jan 2018.
Hi, I’m Maria!
I am a Los Angeles-based art director and show set designer working in the themed entertainment industry.
My passions include design, immersive storytelling, interdisciplinary collaboration, and soft pretzels. Theme parks are a natural fit for me!
I hold an MFA in Themed Entertainment Design from Savannah College of Art and Design, the first program of its kind in the country. While attending SCAD, I completed an internship at Universal Creative and was chosen to work on three different projects for Universal Parks & Resorts in the US and abroad. After returning to SCAD in 2018, my team finished First Place at Walt Disney Imagineering’s Imaginations Design Competition. This led me to a position as a show set & theme lighting designer at Walt Disney Imagineering, where I had the privilege to help bring Peter Pan’s Never Land to life at Fantasy Springs at Tokyo DisneySea.
After a year working freelance for esteemed firms BRC Imagination Arts and Mycotoo, I landed at my current position as Design Manager, Creative at Warner Bros. Discovery Global Experiences. At WB, I help oversee licensed themed entertainment activations worldwide. I provide creative direction on all aspects of a project, from script to scenic, to ensure that our licensed experiences are being executed to the highest possible quality. I direct projects of all budgets & scopes, from small-scale temporary pop-up activations to prestige theme park attractions with global industry leaders.
I am highly skilled in Revit, Rhino, AutoCAD, Photoshop, and Procreate, and also have some experience with Blender and SketchUp. I am passionate about collaborative design and enjoy working in a variety of programs and media - from hand sketching to 3D modeling to CAD drafting - to communicate my ideas. I’m also a huge people person and an effective creative communicator - public speaking doesn’t scare me, and I love to give a good pitch. My favorite moments in my job happen in creative brainstorms & charrettes! Kicking around ideas and getting nerdy with other creatives of diverse backgrounds is truly the most fulfilling & exciting part of my job.
Want to chat? Contact me via the links below!