Russell Studios

Russell Studios Presents...

Project Name: Russell Studios Presents: 100 Years of Captain Rogers
Opening: 2021
Role: Creative Director, Producer, Show Writer, Graphics, SFX Lead, Game Designer
Overview: Russell Studios is your passport to a world of cinematic wonder. Developed and operated by a talented team of themed entertainment professionals, we specialize in crafting unique, immersive, limited time offerings for friends, families, and colleagues to experience and enjoy. Each event is a chapter in the every growing saga of Russell Studios, a Hollywood studio that never was and always will be. In time Russell Studios has developed its own richly detailed studio history, legacy brands, and cherished annual traditions that keep our guests coming back year after year. Are you ready for your close up?

Welcome To Hollywood!

Creating narratively themed experiences has always been a passion of mine, and moving in with three like-minded colleagues from the world of entertainment meant we were constantly bouncing ideas off one another for events and experiences we either hoped to visit or develop ourselves. Our home, which looked out onto the historic Prospect Studios in Los Feliz, became the birthplace of Russell Studios—a golden age movie studio that never really was.

From Halloween extravaganzas like “Russell-O-Ween” to our annual Studio Christmas Tree Lighting, aptly named “Los Feliz Navidad, we regularly invited our friends and family over to "The Studios" for all kinds of exciting events. In time, we even had our own logo, studio fanfare, and personal talavera tile design. Our pièce de résistance, however, proved to be our Spring 2021 event, “Russell Studios Presents: 100 Years of Captain Rogers.”

You're Invited!

Poster Designs by Maria Mondloch

May 29th, 2021 marked the first Saturday that those who had gotten their Covid-19 Vaccines, once made publicly accessible, would be fully inoculated. This, in turn, marked the first time in nearly a year and a half that 30 unmasked individuals would be able to safely gather indoors together and we knew we wanted to mark the occasion. Each of the 30 hand-selected guests received a hand-addressed invitation to an event "On the Studio Lot," celebrating 100 years of the fictitious “Captain Rogers” an action adventurer hero inspired by Doc Savage and Indiana Jones. In the story world of the experience, the event would also serve as a wrap party for the latest Captain Rogers film as the franchise was being "rebooted". Reboots were big back then.

The A-List

Also included in guests invitations were cards which outlined the new persona's they would be assuming at the experience. Based on the guests themselves, and co-opting their own names, these new personas each had their own personalised back stories that explained which of the five unique roles (Star, Director, Producer, Writer, or Production Designer) they held and what their latest project at the studio had been.

In the weeks leading up to the party, guests were encouraged to peruse the Russell Studios website, where additional details about the history of Captain Rogers and the company could be uncovered. Some of these details would prove helpful the night and some was simply fun world building but none of it was required reading to enjoy the experience.

The Stars Are Out Tonight

Dressed in their Golden Age Hollywood Glamour Best, guests hit the red carpet, were checked in by the security guard, and received a fresh copy of their persona card and well as a deep-cleaned empty SPAM container for their drinks—courtesy of the original Captain Rogers TV show sponsor.

They were then free to explore exhibits throughout the studios about the various iterations of the Captain Rogers franchise over the years, enjoy in-world themed food and beverage (including a giant roast pig), and visit "Sound Stage 33" where some of the set from the latest film had been left up and guests could meet the animal actor who played “Amazon,” a mysterious and magical python from the world of Captain Rogers.

Let the Games Begin!

Once everyone had arrived, the guests were gathered in the executive lounge for the main event.

There it was revealed that on the back of each person's card was part of a riddle that could only be decoded by the guests reassembling the cast and crew from their most recent picture. Once decoded, the riddle would lead guests an envelope hidden somewhere on the studio lot and containing an enchanted phrase. Speaking their team's unique phrase to “Amazon” triggered unique lighting effects and the theme song from their latest movie to play across the studio lot while their SPAM containers exchanged for new custom glassware featuring their film’s poster.

Each time another team found their unique passcode, the party levelled up to the next era of the Captain Rogers franchise— evolving from the 1930s comic book era on to the 1950s TV shows, etc. The gamification and collaborative nature of the event proved an exciting way for guests to feel like they had genuinely impacted their environment as well as an opportunity to mingle with other guests who they may not have previously known, a kind of socialisation much missed and deeply needed after 15 months of quarantine.

Poster Designs by Maria Mondloch

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