MEET TEAM DDG!

We take our core values of Creativity, Knowledge, and Innovation to heart. We believe these characteristics should influence what we do in business and in life. We enjoy the work we do and our clients get to reap the benefits of a well rounded, talented, seasoned, and dedicated team.

Dan Devlin (he/him) - CO-OWNER, CEO CHIEF CREATIVE STRATEGIST

Dan is the inspirational chieftain of Team DDG’s creative geniuses. He is a team building, ‘Think-Meister’ who lives the founding principles he used to establish his company more than 30 years ago – Creativity, Knowledge and Innovation. These principles form the keystone of Team DDG’s success in captivating television viewers around the world!

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A Jersey boy who spent his formative years in Arizona, Dan’s creativity is fueled by three passions: his wonderful wife, mountain biking, and the pursuit of excellence. When not at his desk overlooking the Sonoran Desert, you can find him in Moab, Utah or Sandpoint, Idaho traversing high country trails on a mountain bike. These soul replenishing rides are bounded by discipline but nourish unbridled creativity.

The inspiration from these frequent adventures through breath-taking scenery, coupled with a passion for technological expertise is the blend that produces amazing scenery of another type -beautiful and technologically advanced scenic storytelling environments that have been awarded Set of the Year nine times, the PROMAX Gold Award for a record breaking eight out of nine years, and more than two dozen Emmy Awards. Dan brings a competitive edge to all he does. He firmly believes, if you can imagine it... you can create it.

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Kartik Dakshinamoorthy (he/him) - CO-OWNER, PRESIDENT SCENIC DESIGN

Kartik is Team DDG’s inspirational Spirit Leader. With an uncanny ability to collect input from seemingly disparate sources, he pulls it all together to create designs that surprise and amaze clients and enthrall audiences. He says his most creative time of day is sometime after 2 am when distractions are at a minimum and his full creative energies are at their zenith.

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Kartik grew up in India on a road to become a heart surgeon. As a college student he sought balance in his world by back-packing through India, a path that led him to turn down a full scholarship to one of India’s most prestigious medical schools and follow his creative passions... much to the delight of Team DDG clients around the world.

With over 20 years at DDG, Kartik has led the team in some impressive wins. His award count includes a dozen Emmys, nine Set of the Year trophies, eight PROMAX Gold Awards, and a silver Telly Award.

Kartik finds balance through his life with his amazing wife and daughter. His passion is fueled by the desire to be the very best... a goal fulfilled with every one of Team DDG’s award winning designs. Kartik’s eyes light up when someone says...“I know this isn’t possible, but what if...” That is the precise moment Kartik begins crafting the design that transforms their ideas into stunning reality!

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Diane Fiolek “DiFI” (she/her) - Vice President, Creative Services Director

DiFi is legendary in the TV biz for her breakthrough designs. A Michigander happily transplanted to Florida’s Gulf Coast, she’s taken home some of the industry’s most prestigious honors including 30+ Emmys, PROMAX awards, Set of the Year and Telly Awards. A strategic thinker who’s “been there” in stations and networks, DiFi delights clients with multiple solutions for their every design challenge.

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Being nimble is critical when dealing with today’s brands across many touchpoints. A seasoned animation and graphics pro, DiFi’s long career in broadcast graphics production adds special skills and knowledge to Team DDG’s creative toolbox.

A classical pianist who’s as comfortable with Bach and Brahms as she is with generating new and exciting designs, her branding prowess is perhaps matched only by her talents in the kitchen, much to the appreciation of her husband and friends! And she gets as much pleasure from being around positive people as she does wading into brainstorming sessions with seasoned professionals.

What sets DiFi apart in the intensely competitive world of scenic design is her passion for learning, her ability to share that knowledge, and her delight in mentoring people and watching them soar.

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EJ BAKER (they/them) - DIRECTOR OF PRODUCTION & PROJECT MANAGEMENT

Productive, proactive and passionate about executing the ‘never been done before’ describes EJ! Their belief that creative project managers are the stuff that holds creative teams together by helping to foster an environment where innovative ideas happen, is pure magic.

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EJ is passionate about the diversity of their work history on a variety of high-profile projects. A gamer at heart they organized their own mini esports tournament which led to a gig at esports titan, Riot Games. It wasn’t long before the creators of VENN, the streaming network dedicated to gaming and pop culture, noticed and invited them to join the team in launching this ambitious project.

Having worked from ‘the client side’ perspective of scenic design projects, DDG clients benefit from EJ’s magical skills -- facilitating collaboration and brainstorming sessions, setting realistic deadlines, keeping projects on track and on budget.

What does downtime look like for this dynamo? How about being one of Brooklyn’s top roller derby stars for starters. EJ’s opinion carries lots of weight around DDG -- and weightlifting circles as an Olympic coach and competitor. Throw in training for the next marathon, watch EJ run circles around the competition.

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Bruce Aleksander - LIGHTING DESIGNER

With an interest in photography, theatre and film that goes back to childhood, Bruce had his first camera at age 6, shot his first film at age 13, and was lighting theatre performances at age 14. Long before lighting and production were his profession, they were his hobbies. Today they remain one of his passions.

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He learned the fundamentals of lighting from the pioneers of television lighting, including Imero Fiorentino, Bill Klages and George Spiro Dibie. From that base, Bruce has gone on to win recognition for his work, including Emmy and Telly Awards, PromaxBDA Gold and Newscaststudio Set of the Year, and the Illuminating Engineering Society’s international award for merit.

Amongst Bruce’s past and current projects are a national network series, symphony orchestra broadcasts, talk shows, network news remotes, commercials, promos, telethons, theatre, cultural events... and quite a few news sets!

Bruce lives in Seattle where he enjoys his other passions. the local art scene, hiking, travel, and getting together with friends.

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Yuki & Koda - Mascots

Koda Dan and Mary adopted Koda, via the Alaskan Malmute Rescue of Arizona, in July 2011. Her original name was Nala, but Dan thought Koda fit her spirit and northern breeding. She is a sweet girl, a real love bug; she often performs her favorite downward dog pose with a twist to belly up pose for all humans who want to pay her some special attention. Koda is definitely an alpha female! When she visits a dog park she’s all about establishing the pack and the order, with herself as the female alpha before launching into play groups. A survivor, (she was rescued just before euthanasia) she’ll eat just about any kind of food she can scavenge, which means a lot of “Leave-it” commands that go ignored! A lover of toast, pizza crusts, and oatmeal, she has the ‘dog-eyes’ down pat when it comes to human meal times. Mary is steadfast, but Dan’s a softy! A goof ball and a youngster at her core, she loves to dig, play with her favorite ball and mostly rough and tumble wrestle with her adopted brother Yuki.

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Yuki Originally from Montana, Yuki was adopted him from Moonsong Malamutes out of Utah in May 2013. Koda, needed a bro! Yuki, (originally named Drifter) was a survivor of a significant rescue operation conducted by the Lewis and Clark Humane Society in Helena, MT. Yuki, was renamed because ‘Drifter’ just didn’t seem like an auspicious name for a Malamute that Dan and Mary wanted to keep track of! Yuki means ‘snow’ in Japanese. After a few names considered on a drive from Utah to Colorado, Mary looked at Drifter and said ‘Yuki’…his ears popped up and he looked her right in the eye! He also has the nickname ‘Batman’, because the markings on his face look just like the bat signal in the sky! He is a vocal boy. He likes to make sure you know he is trying to get your attention. He’s a little attached to Mary (aka the feed bag, daily dog walker,) so he follows her from room to room until he gets tired of all the moving around-lol! He likes to be your personal foot warmer, and enjoys watching TV from the couch and sleeping at the end of the bed! Following the alpha female of the pack, he has also established a taste for pizza crusts, toast and oatmeal, using his vocalizations to let you know he’d like to share your meal with you! Yuki and Koda are perfect playmates, and are the treasured mascots for the entire DDG Team. Team retreats include hikes in Moab, Utah led by Yuki and Koda.

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