Devlin Design Group

WZTV’s News Set Receives Mid-South Emmy Nomination!

WZTV in Nashville launched their new HD News Set  created by Devlin Design Group in late September, 2011 to rave reviews, and has just received an Emmy nomination for excellence in set design.

“We are thrilled with the Emmy nomination for our set!  The DDG set rocks, and viewer feedback has been tremendous since we launched!  Our set is high-tech, hip and really lets our anchors work the room.  Viewers have seen instant benefit now that we have so many ways to showcase a story, all the electronic displays give us so many options to see clear, beautiful HD video and graphics. Our working weather set is a huge factor during severe weather, allowing for team weather coverage and so many ways to visually warn viewers with radar, video and graphics, and is so accessible.”  Roberta Petterson,  News Director, WZTV-TV.

WZTV was the first of DDG’s next generation designs for TV news.  It was a conscious decision for us to “break the mold” that was a long time in the making.  We wanted to create a dynamic and versatile visual presentation and storytelling environment, fusing technology and architecture in a cohesive blend.  We are thrilled about our client’s Emmy nomination, and very excited to be a part of their success. Dan Devlin, Creative Director, Devlin Design Group.

We could not be more pleased with the very unique versatile set that the team at Devlin Design Group built for us at WZTV in Nashville.  WZTV’s set has the look, feel and fit of what is going on it today’s high tech connected society. Devlin broke the mold with this set and we love it! Mark Nadeau, Director of TV Production, Sinclair Broadcast Group.

The new set has given us a quantum leap forward visually and we now have the hottest looking set in town.  We’ve only just begun to explore everything we can do in terms of presentation with the video wall.  The set’s flexibility gives us great new looks for a number of other non-newscast programs we produce.  It’s also recharged the talent whose excitement was palpable as we began to produce our shows from the new set.” Dominic Mancuso, General Manager, WZTV.

You can see pictures and video of the WZTV News Set on our projects page: http://ddgtv.wpengine.com/our-projects/wztv-nashville/

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There's nothing we like more than rolling up our sleeves and starting a brand new project. Please send us a message if you would like to explore the opportunity to collaborate and make a great set together!

Devlin Design Group
100 Easy Street
Unit #815
Carefree, AZ 85377

Phone:1-970-349-5836

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.

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. They know how to juggle all the moving parts of a scenic project, anticipate challenges and address them before they become problems.

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.

Bruce Aleksander

(HE/HIM)

LIGHTING CONSULTANT

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 13, and was lighting performances at 14. Long before lighting and production were his profession, they were his hobbies. Today they remain one of his passions.

Bruce is an accomplished and creative lighting consultant for multi-camera television production. 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, PROMAX Gold, Set of the Year and the Illuminating Engineering Society’s international award.

His projects include news studios, talk shows, a national network series, network remote production, promos, commercials, sports, telethons, theatre, symphony orchestra broadcasts, and cultural events. Bruce shares his extensive knowledge and vast experience by continuing to publish articles about lighting design and the latest in lighting technology.  

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

 

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, DiFi delights DDG’s clients with multiple solutions for their every design challenge

Being nimble is critical when dealing with today’s brands across many touchpoints. Not only well versed in set design, she also is a seasoned animation and graphics pro. DiFi adds special skills and knowledge to Team DDG’s creative toolbox and will put all those outstanding creative talents to work on your project.

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.

Diane graduated from Michigan State University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design, in addition to completion of courses in interior design and technical drawing at Michigan State University. DiFi is well versed in the Adobe suite and has completed VIZrt training.

Kartik Dakshinamoorthy

(HE/HIM)

CO-OWNER, PRESIDENT / SCENIC DESIGN DIRECTOR

Kartik is Team DDG’s inspirational Spirit Leader. He has an exceptional ability to collect input from seemingly disparate sources, pull it all together and create designs that amaze clients and engage 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.

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 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 custom set 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

Kartik is a stickler for detail and personally oversees all aspects of the building process to ensure that the construction is kept at a high standard, meets the intent of the project design, and comes in on budget and on time.

Kartik pursued his education beginning at the prestigious Sir. JJ School of Architecture and merited a Bachelor of Architecture, an India Gold Medalist, immediately followed with a Master of Architecture from the University of Arizona.

Dan Devlin

(HE/HIM)

CO-OWNER, CEO / BIG PICTURE OPTIMIST

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 the company more than 30 years ago – Creativity, Knowledge, and Innovation. These principles form the keystone of DDG’s success in captivating audiences around the world through award winning, stunning, and technologically advanced scenic storytelling environments.

A Jersey boy who spent his formative years in Arizona, Dan’s creativity is fueled by his passions: mountain biking, travelling and the pursuit of excellence. When not at his desk overlooking the Sonoran Desert, you can find him in Huatulco Mexico, Sandpoint Idaho, or the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, 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 set designs 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 leads Team DDG in the process of identifying your expectations for a winning project outcome. He firmly believes, if you can imagine it – you can create it!

Dan earned both a Bachelor of Arts in Architecture and a Master of Architecture from Arizona State University.