Hey, I’m Tony
I make video and projections for theatre, live events and experiences at all levels, and you can see my work on six continents. I collaborate with a lot of different folks on projects in a lot of different spaces. Some of my work is with shows and companies like Death Becomes Her, Marriott Theatre, Drury Lane Productions, Timeline Theatre, Paramount Theatre, FeverUp Productions, Phoenix Theatre Company, Next Act Theatre, Chicago Opera Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, Grand Rapids Civic Theatre, the U.S. State Department (Obama), Rivendell Theatre, The Cher Show, Q Brothers, and the Museum of Broadcast Communications. I’ve been nominated for a ton of Joseph Jefferson Awards for Projections or video in Chicago, and awarded a few. When not making plays, I love sculpting tiny astronauts in peril, and exploring with my family: Sara (my amazing wife), Arlo (a baby), and Douglass (an anxious rescue dog).
Specialization
I create unique video experiences that interact with performers and space to tell stories in the most evocative and original ways. I don’t make scenery, I make environments for audiences to experience the story in.
Skillsets
Adobe Creative Suite, specializing in After Effects, Photoshop, Premiere, InDesign, and Illustrator. Photography and video. Specs for print media for standard and individual projects. Projections. qLab. Watchout 6. Linear playback and live media creation. Finish and rough carpentry. AutoCAD. qLab. Watchout. Linear video editing. Production media and content creation. Fine scale modeling. Sound production and design. Project estimation and coordination. Special effects and pyrotechnics.
Awards
Joseph Jefferson Award - Projection Design 2025
(2) Joseph Jefferson Nominations - Projection Design 2024
Joseph Jefferson Nomination - Projection Design 2023
Joseph Jefferson Nomination - Projection Design 2020
Joseph Jefferson Nomination - Projection Design 2019
Joseph Jefferson Nomination - Projection Design 2019
Joseph Jefferson Nomination - Projection Design 2018
Joseph Jefferson Award - Projection Design 2017
Joseph Jefferson Award for Artistic Specialization 2015
My Approach
I believe that each project is unique, but the path I follow is generally the same. It is grown from years of practice and a deep trust in the value of collaborative making. No matter the size and scope of a project, having a voice and material for each stage of the process is un-negotiably vital to make video something that transforms and works in hand with all other departments to make the most evocative experience possible.
Discuss
The heart of every project comes from a collection of ideas curated from group discussions and sharing. Sharing a meaningful point for you can activate a memory and grow a branch to the piece in someone else. For me, the early stages of a process is this conversation.
Research
I find that the most efficient and generative way of discovering a visual or narrative style is through research. Looking at art, news, pop culture, and styles of a place or time can be so revealing in how a story can be more engaging to an audience.
Iterate
For me, the most successful way to integrate others' reactions to my work is through pre-visualization and mock-ups. Both of these methods offer the director and other production team members time to react to what the video and projections could be and that helps inform the discussion and others' work, while offering the video team feedback and direction in a more impactful way during pre-production.
Make
One of the most important times for the evolution of video and projections is in the room. I believe it is critical to start every tek process with content ready to go, so that the surfaces, environment, and tempo of a piece - and how they interact with video - can quickly be discovered and crafted. This means creating things that may not be used in the final production, but are still incredibly important to the process.