Resume

Billy Schmidt

San Diego, CA ● savageburnmedia@gmail.com

Eleven years experience driving one-of-a-kind creative projects, sourcing talent, and delivering customized services and products efficiently, effectively, and within budget.

SKILL SUMMARY

• Able to draw on an unusually varied background in multiple disciplines, including exhibit design, operation, production and maintenance; scientific and biological processes; science communication; stagecraft; and studio and performing arts.

• Proficient in many popular software suites and programming languages; quite handy with a soldering iron, saw, arc welder, keyboard, and camera; and fully capable of delivering formal presentations to the Board.

• Savvy at generating and maintaining working creative relationships with world-class institutions including The Field Museum, Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, San Diego Natural History Museum, Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and many others.

EXPERIENCE

Multimedia event producer and installation artist 1999–Present
Savage Burn Media; Chicago, New York, St. Louis, San Diego

Design, development, construction, and installation of custom work ranging from standard carpentry to audiovisual media to mechanical interactives and kinetic sculpture. Examples include:
• Push-button interactive and audiovisual media for the exhibition All That Glitters: The Splendor and Science of Gems and Minerals at the San Diego Natural History Museum.
• Touch-screen and push-button interactive media for the exhibition There’s Something About Seahorses at the Birch Aquarium.
• Kinetic sculptures, props, and set builds for Redmoon Theater, Chicago.
• Large-scale murals commissioned for community and outreach programs in St. Louis.
• User-triggered experiences incorporating projections, video, light, sound, and controlled pyrotechnics (various locations).
• Custom sensor- and microcontroller-driven systems.
• Photography services with professional equipment, lighting, and know-how.
• Small budget ($2,500–$250,000) film and video production including Canon 5d mark II workflows.
• Production and management of medium- to large-scale events (100–2,000+ attendees).
• Woodwork restoration, including custom built-in furniture, of numerous 19th and 20th century homes.
• Custom line of hand-made paper and wire floor and wall lamps.

Audiovisual and interactive media producer 2004–2008
The Field Museum, Chicago

Conceptualization and production of exhibits, media, and special projects.
• Developed and produced interactive and media content for 10 traveling, permanent, and special exhibitions totaling more than 75,000 square feet.
• Planned and administered $1.1 million of media and interactive content and components on time and well within budget.
• Collaborated successfully with large teams representing diverse agendas and interests, including designers, content specialists, production crew, and supervisors.
• Consistently managed multiple vendors and simultaneous large projects.
• Supervised student interns and museum staff and hosted participants in local and international outreach programs.
• Identified innovative ways of producing media in-house that allowed our department to expand its offices, personnel, shop space, and general operating budget without taxing preexisting resources.

If you’ve read this far don’t worry there is plenty more where that came from, including dozens of art shows, events, contract jobs and personal work that may be on this site, in my flickr stream, at Vimeo or coming soon. If that isn’t quick enough contact me directly at savageburnmedia@gmail.com