Biography
About Hurricane Bestman
Creative Philosophy
I believe the most powerful experiences are built at the intersection of story, engineering, and physical reality.
My work begins with a clear idea — then pushes through the constraints of material, scale, and logistics to make that idea real in the world.
The goal is not just spectacle, yet transformation — to create environments that shift perception, hold attention, and stay with people long after they leave.
Creative Technical Director with over twenty years of experience delivering large-scale immersive environments across themed entertainment, festivals, film, and public art.
Specialising in the integration of scenic design, engineering, fabrication, and show systems — including LED architecture, lighting, projection, and audio.
Known for translating ambitious creative concepts into reliable, buildable environments for large audiences — combining design leadership with deep expertise in fabrication, installation logistics, and media integration.
Career Timeline
Bachelor of Design (Industrial), UTS
First gig — lightsabers for Star Wars
Project Manager, Big City Productions, Sydney
Senior Technical Designer, Showman Fabricators NYC — Broadway, Guggenheim, Times Square, Rockefeller Centre, The White House, Super Bowl
Design Engineer, Opera Australia
Head of Scenery Shop, Thomas Creative
Creative Director, XYZ Dimensions
Creative Director & Technical Producer, Defqon.1 Australia ($1M annual budget)
Robot SPACELand — Vivid Sydney ($350K)
Prawn Run — permanent public sculpture, Lake Illawarra
Robot SPACELand — Melbourne, 4 sites ($250K)
Burning Man Dragonfly art car ($300K)
Giant Cave Designer — cave film set ($1.8M)
Spaceship Designer — Spaceballs ($3.5M)
Built with Purpose
Built from upcycled industrial waste streams, sourced within 5km of my studio.
Most of my festival stages and large-scale works follow this approach — including Psychedelic Forest, Killer Fish, Hole in the Wall, Crystal Cave, Spaceship, Ragebot, The Gatekeeper, and Robot SPACELand.
It's about extracting value from what's been discarded — and proving that scale, impact, and spectacle don't require new materials.
Festival Worlds
Technical Capabilities
Software
- Autodesk Inventor
- Rhino
- Grasshopper
- AutoCAD
- Photoshop
- Illustrator
- Premiere
- Unreal
Skills
- Large-scale fabrication workflows
- Structural design
- LED and lighting integration
- Scenic engineering
- CNC
- Rigging
- Welding
Licenses
- High-Risk Work (Boom, Fork, Crane)
- Heavy Rigid Driver's License
Education
Bachelor of Design (Industrial)
University of Technology Sydney
2002
Let's Build Something
Available for international projects in themed entertainment, festivals, film production, and public art.
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