Creativity in Captivity

Puerto Rican born Rick Negron made his professional debut at age ten in a production of the musical The Me Nobody Knows in San Juan. By the time he graduated high school he had performed in musicals and danced on television with some of Puerto Rico’s top celebrities. He graduated from Sarah Lawrence College and briefly pursued a concert dance career before setting his sights on Broadway. His Broad...

One of the world’s greatest ventriloquists who also happens to be an extraordinary writer, comic, actor, cartoonist, poet and puppeteer. Jay considers his real job to be a tour guide on a journey into the imagination. He is best known for playing the schizophrenic role of Bob & Chuck Campbell on the classic television series Soap. His one man show Jay Johnson: The Two and Only! ran on Broadway and...

A writer, actor, filmmaker, and activist all embodied in one talented muti-disciplinary artist. Candice is a soul-centered entrepreneur from Houston, Texas who believes in the transformative power of belief. She is the creator of Fatherland, WAIL and 30 Ways To Get Free. In Candice’s artistic productions she merges her academic background (B.A., Black Studies; Master of Public Administration) with...

A New York City based director, choreographer and educator who recently directed the London premiere of On The Edge, a new musical from composer Sam Hall. On Broadway he served as the Associate Choreographer of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s hit musical School of Rock, which he also had the privilege of staging in Sydney, Melbourne, and Seoul. He currently serves as the Associate Choreographer on the Broad...

A master chocolatier who makes European-style chocolates and is recognized for igniting the artesian chocolate renaissance.  Fran’s smoked salted caramels are reported to be a favorite of President Obama who frequently shared them with visitors to the White House.  Fran’s passion for life underscores her appreciation of pure flavors paired with superb, fresh ingredients. Her joie d'vie and devotio...

A visual artist and designer that plants his flag at the center of art, nature & science.  Christopher works with reclaimed organisms and natural elements to create breathtaking museum exhibits by transforming exotic insects and tropical sea creatures into astounding works of art.  Marley’s artwork has been exhibited in hundreds of galleries worldwide. His solo exhibitions have been featured at Th...

A visual artist known for her hand-cut, wall-mounted paper forms and immersive, site-specific sculptures. Crystal’s colorful work exudes wonder and whimsy while being constructed from humble everyday materials like chicken wire and repurposed children’s birthday party tablecloths. Her sprawling installations can be seen bursting off of gallery walls and engulfing the outside of buildings from Lodz...

A Vice News Tonight correspondent covering stories at the intersection of politics and culture. Dexter is an Emmy-winning journalist plus two nominations and has contributed to Pulitzer Prize-winning coverage while working with the Los Angeles Times. He has a PhD in East Asian studies at Cornell University and is currently splitting his time between a pos-doctorate at Princeton and as documentary...

A musician and songwriter for over 40 years who rose to the top of the charts as a member of the iconic band The Go-Go’s. Kathy wrote or co-wrote some of the bands most renowned tunes, including the hits Vacation and Head Over Heels. Her journey went from opening for The Rolling Stones to the cover of Rolling Stone Magazine. She returned to Austin to pursue creative opportunities as a public speak...

The Experience Architect for Virgin Galatic who was a 40-year veteran of Walt Disney’s Imagineering, the lead designer of Disney’s Animal Kingdom and the principal creative force behind Walt Disney World Resort’s Expedition Everest thrill ride. Rohde was one of the lead designers on the Disney Vacation Club property Aulani in Oahu, Hawaii and is recognized as the creator of Pandora - The World of...

A Grammy-nominated comedian and podcaster with 10 appearances on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon and 4 appearances on Conan. His debut Comedy Central special, Full-Time Magic, and his debut album, Yelled At By a Clown, reached #1 on the iTunes Comedy Charts and remained on Billboard’s Top Ten Comedy Charts for weeks. Bargatze’s half-hour Netflix special on The Standups, premiered in 2017, and h...

A visual designer born in Montreal, raised in Cincinnati, now living in Las Vegas where he serves as co-director with David Copperfield and as David’s design director. Homer is often multi-tasking between conceptual drawing and design, cinematography, theatrical lighting design, script development, illusion staging, and video/music editing and sound design. Homer's illusion designs and cinematogra...

A producer, executive creative director, and Imagineer for over 31 years, Doris Hardoon, has just received the Buzz Price Thea Award recognizing her for “a lifetime of distinguished achievements.” Beginning her themed entertainment career in 1975 at Marine World Africa USA as a graphic designer, Doris was hired four years later by WED Enterprises (now known as Walt Disney Imagineering), working on...

Anna Condo is a filmmaker and a photographer born in Armenia and raised in France. From a young age, Anna enjoyed a passion for the arts and a love for the natural world's mysteries. As a teenager, she took art classes at the École des Arts Appliqués in Paris. Upon graduation, she enrolled at the Université Paris Nanterre for Art History and Archeology. That same year, she landed a TV role, transf...

A “Solo Show Powerhouse” and consummate storyteller with a full toolkit of characters, sound effects, impersonations and improvisation. Reed was nominated for three Primetime Emmy Awards for Dream On, The Cosby Show and Robert Townsend and His Partners in Crime. Reed was an advertising & promotion executive at NBC for two years, then did voice-work for cartoons such as Disney’s Gargoyles, Spider-M...

An award-winning American playwright, author, essayist, poet and professor at the David Geffen School of Drama at Yale. Her plays include The Oldest Boy, Dear Elizabeth, Stage Kiss, In the Next Room, (or The Vibrator Play) (Pulitzer Prize finalist, 2010); The Clean House (Pulitzer Prize finalist, 2005; Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, 2004); Passion Play (Pen American Award, Fourth Freedom Forum Playw...

An established Hollywood screenwriter and novelist whose credits include Arachnophobia, True Believer, Final Analysis, Wolf, A Nightmare on Elm Streetand the Martin Scorsese remake of Cape Fear. As a “script doctor” he has done production polishes on such films as Batman Returns, Face/Off and Mission: Impossible 2. Strick wrote the original script for Tim Burton’s unproduced Superman Lives. His fi...

An award-winning creative director for cultural attractions, theme parks, and destinations. Cynthia is a principal for Thinkwell Group, a global experience design company. She has gained a reputation for combining creative approaches to exhibition and education development with a focused understanding of experiences as a means of advancing equity, inclusion, early education, and visitor behavior....

An exceptional Photographer, Creative Director and Visual Storyteller known for his signature style with Beauty, Celebrity & Fashion Photography. His list of clients include Cardi B, Billy Porter, Priyanka Chopra, Lewis Hamilton, Ruby Rose, Kim Kardashian, Katy Perry, Prince, Taraji P. Henson, Jim Parsons, Queen Latifah, Betty White & Kelly Clarkson. He has gone on to direct music videos for Kelly...

A professional, confessional writer and producer who created the TV series The New Adventures of Old Christine and Call Your Mother. She served as co-executive producer on Will & Grace and is the author of a book of humorous and unflinching essays on midlife called Aren’t You Forgetting Someone? Essays from my Mid-Life Revenge. Kari started her career writing for the series Weird Science and creat...

A world-class illusionist and the choreographer & artistic director of Austin’s long-running musical/comedy review Esther’s Follies. Ray is the featured performer in this theatrical juggernaut blending illusion, comedy, and audience participation into one of the most carefully constructed performances in the magic world today. There isn't a dull moment when Ray is onstage. Performing immaculate an...

Journey is the Executive Director of the National Comedy Center, the nation’s official cultural institution dedicated to the art of comedy. Under Journey’s direction, the National Comedy Center leads the way in 21st Century museum design, featuring state-of-the-art technology, interactivity, and customization for visitors of all ages. Blooloop recognized Gunderson as one of the Top Museum Influenc...

The director and writer of the comedy martial arts movie The Paper Tigers, Bao tells global stories that have universal appeal. Mentored by master action director Corey Yuen, Bao Tran’s approach draws on spectacle through story and character. Screen Anarchy commended his written-and-directed short Bookie for its “flawlessly realized world populated by entirely fleshed out and believable characters...

An award-winning and accredited German art conservator for paintings and sculptures in Los Angeles with over 15 years of experience in the field of cultural heritage conservation. She completed graduate studies in Art Conservation and has held positions at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Balboa Art Conservation Center, the National Gallery of Denmark, and for the German Government. Kamil...

Brian Regan is one of the most respected comedians in America and a veteran of Late Night TV with multiple appearances on The Tonight Show, The Late Show with David Letterman and Late Night with Conan O’Brien. His Netflix stand-up specials include: Brian Regan: On The Rocks and Brian Regan: Nunchucks and Flamethrowers, which is also available as a vinyl album. Brian stars in his own original half-...