Biography

About Hurricane Bestman

Creative technical director with over twenty years of experience developing large-scale immersive environments across themed entertainment, festivals, film production and public art. Specialist 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 knowledge of fabrication, installation logistics and media integration.

Career Timeline

2002

Bachelor of Design (Industrial), UTS

2003

First gig — lightsabers for Star Wars

2004–2008

Project Manager, Big City Productions, Sydney

2008–2013

Senior Technical Designer, Showman Fabricators NYC — Broadway, Guggenheim, Times Square, Rockefeller Centre, The White House, Super Bowl

2013–2014

Head of Scenery Shop, Thomas Creative / Technical Designer, Opera Australia

2015–present

Creative Director, XYZ Dimensions

2017–2018

Creative Director & Technical Producer, Defqon.1 Australia ($1M annual budget)

2019

Robot SPACELand — Vivid Sydney ($350K)

2020

Prawn Run — permanent public sculpture, Lake Illawarra

2021

Robot SPACELand — Melbourne, 4 sites ($250K)

2024

Burning Man Dragonfly art car ($300K)

Building with Purpose

Uses recycled and upcycled industrial materials. Robot SPACELand robots built from materials sourced within 5km of production facility.

"It sends a powerful message to the audience about the importance of recycling, and the message comes out even stronger when the light spectacle begins at night."

Festival Portfolio

Defqon.1 Australia Defqon.1 Netherlands Burning Seed Subsonic Days Like This Let Them Eat Cake Babylon Regrowth The Town

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.

Get in Touch