"The human spirit in design is one of the strongest thematic elements there is. A sincere and passionate project drawn straight from the heart can succeed at a deeper level as the audience can sense the sincerity but not point directly to it. That passion translates to a vigilant attitude that details matter and all communicate that core emotion as part of a greater whole." - Eddie Sotto
Eddie Sotto is a thinker, a visionary, and a designer on the cutting edge of entertainment design. He was recently Senior Vice President of Concept Design at Walt Disney Imagineering […].
Nate Naversen: Thanks for joining me for this interview.
Eddie Sotto: You're very welcome, Nate. Glad to be here.
NN: First of all, what inspired you to get into this business?
Sotto: Disneyland and the movies. My father recently recounted my first inspiration to me: Our first trip to Disneyland when I was about 5 years old. We stood on Main Street U.S.A., spellbound while watching the fireworks. When it was over he asked me, "Eddie, Do you like Disneyland?" "Yes...I liked Disneyland." Then paused, tugged his sweater again and seriously stared up at him and said, "Dad, I REALLY like Disneyland." He knew his son was hooked. I remember telling my boyhood friend Tim O'Brien at age 6 that "I wanted to be the guy that came up with the rides at Disneyland." I grew up as a "Disneyphile", then married young at 19. My first "breadwinning" job was selling Appliances at Sears in 1977. But the love and obsession with theme parks and Hollywood set design never subsided. My family has a history in film design and art and I was fortunate enough to be gifted in this area.
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