Our Team
Gary Solomon, Jr.
Co-Founder & CEO
What topic could you give a presentation on without having anything prepared?
Where to eat and drink in New Orleans. (Ask me for my Dining and Drinking Guide to New Orleans if you're coming to visit us.)
Link a non-profit and tell us why it's your favorite to support.
New Orleans Center for Creative Arts - Louisiana's Arts Conservatory - http://nocca.com/
This high school for pre-professional artists in New Orleans is nothing short of world-class. From dance to creative writing to culinary arts -- and of course Entertainment Production & Design -- if you've got the ambition, commitment and talent, there's a place and a course of study for you here. And there's no cost to attend. This institution has set the national standard for arts education at the high school level for 50 years and continues to change and enrich lives every day. (Oh, and I'm an alum, past chairman of The NOCCA Foundation, and current board chair of the school.)
Describe your career journey in a few words.
I modeled for Saks Fifth Avenue as a child, and they didn't ask me back after my 4-year-old season. I was crushed. So I found my way backstage, first as a lighting designer and later theatre producer. I do miss the magic of the theatre, but it wasn't the path for me. I was #madeforthis.
Steve Fink
Co-Founder & Executive Producer
Sam Aouididi
Chief Financial Officer
Link a non-profit and tell us why it's your favorite to support.
Amaana - Disability Community Resource Center helps provide resources for children with special needs in my community, including my son.
What are your hobbies/passions outside of work?
Spending time with my sons, motorcycles, cars, playing Call of Duty, getting involved in my community, and practicing my faith.
What song do you know by heart?
Lose Yourself by Eminem
Jared Cryder
Managing Director, Exhibits & Immersive Destinations
Craig Connor
Chief Experience Officer
Wendy Richard
Director of People, Culture, and Training
- What topic could you give a presentation on without having anything prepared?
- Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Relationship Building The Immigrant's Story Soccer
- What's the best life or career advice you've ever received?
- My precious wife constantly reminds me to take it one day at a time. One day.
- What’s your favorite project of all time and what was your role?
- I'd pick the International African American Museum due to its significance in world history and its connection to the slave trade which has consequential implications for my Haitian ancestors.
Katrina Sellers
Director of Brand Strategy & Marketing
- What topic could you give a presentation on without having anything prepared?
- Fragrance.
- Link a non-profit and tell us why it's your favorite to support?
- The Isabella Santos Foundation, which focuses its efforts on funding childhood cancer research, as well as direct support for children fighting cancer.
- If you were a brand, what would your tagline be?
- This one isn't about me, but I love hospitality and one of my favorites has always been the Ritz-Carlton's "Let us stay with you" campaign. It's simple, clever, and impactful. One of my favorite brands.
Adan Murad
Director of Sales Operations
- What's the best life or career advice you've ever received?
- You get out of an experience what you put in.
- If you could create a museum, what would it be about?
- I could go on and on about why but...Palestinian culture and history. 🇵🇸
- What's one thing your coworkers don't know about you? (yet)
- That I'm actually compiling the data my coworkers give me for their website profiles into a comprehensive matchmaking tool to connect them with their best friend and/or soulmate at this company.
Dan Dilzell
General Counsel
Link a non-profit and tell us why it's your favorite to support.
I am on the board of a non-profit that promotes awareness of mental illness and initiatives supporting those suffering from mental illness, and families affected by suicide.
- If you were a brand, what would your tagline be?
- Licensed for this....
- What song do you know by heart?
- Virtually anything by Frank Sinatra
Kevin Lee
Controller
- What topic could you give a presentation on without having anything prepared?
- UFC Fighting
- What was the FIRST concert you've ever been to and what was the BEST concert you've ever been to?
- FIRST - Deftones FAVORITE - Foo Fighters
- What are your hobbies / passions outside of work?
- Darts, Disc Golf, & Dancin'
Steven Piglia
IT Manager
Link a non-profit and tell us why it's your favorite to support.
https://www.autismspeaks.org/
We are all equal in the fact that we are all different. We are all the same because we will never be the same.
- What topic could you give a presentation on without having anything prepared?
- Anything related to the New Orleans music scene or consumer electronics.
- What was the FIRST concert you've ever been to and what was the BEST concert you've ever been to?
- FIRST: Eminem, Snoop, Dr. Dre-Up In Smoke Tour; BEST- Mystikal (intimate setting)
Fred Heckman
Sr. Project Accountant
Daniel Hettwer
Director of Strategy and Business Development
Ana Fowler
Project Director
- What's the best life or career advice you've ever received?
- Consider everything a learning opportunity to grow. Also, "keep it simple."
- What are your hobbies / passions outside of work?
- My family, architecture/design, travel, cultural, and learning experiences.
- Describe your career journey in just a few words?
- Architecture grad, former designer, and estimator, sucker for a challenge and figuring out the impossible.
Karla Miller
Project Director
Lance Johnston
Site Fabrication Supervisor
Link a non-profit and tell us why it's your favorite to support.
Habitat for Humanity, it helps people in ways that they could never be thankful enough for.
- What song do you know by heart?
- 8Teen by Khalid.
- Describe your career journey in just a few words?
- Dirt, wood, coordination.
Melissa Vandermark
Project Development Specialist
- If you were a brand, what would your tagline be?
- #alwaysreliable
- What's the best life or career advice you've ever received?
- Never hide behind your mistakes, take ownership and learn the lesson.
- If you could create a museum, what would it be about?
- Museum of Perspective where people would learn other people's perspective.
Joshua James
Technical Designer
Dan Auer
Director of Technical Design
- What topic could you give a presentation on without having anything prepared?
- Top-down parametric 3D modeling.
- What are your hobbies / passions outside of work?
- Mountain Biking, Hiking, Kayaking, 3D Printing, music, robotics, tinkering, CNC Machining, puppets and animatronics. Going on adventures and making silly things with my wife and supporting my son in his passion for music.
- When did you first realize you were Made for This role at Solomon Group?
- Getting to play a crucial role in making my favorite childhood mythos a reality at Galaxy's Edge.
Alex Fish
Director of Business Development
- When did you first realize you were Made for This role at Solomon Group?
- Negotiating and booking talent for Budweiser’s #BudClub at the 2018 World Cup in Moscow, such as Diplo, Nas, Ludacris, Craig David, Armin Van Buuren, Nicky Romero, Oliver Heldens.
- What's the best life or career advice you've ever received?
- “Chance Favors the Prepared Mind”
- Describe your career journey in just a few words?
- Hollywood, Ann Tayor Corporate, Live Streaming, Music Festivals, Entertainment, Impact and Advocacy, International Development, Concert Television, Web3/Metaverse, Solomon Group!
Victoria Sumrall
Senior Producer
- What topic could you give a presentation on without having anything prepared?
- Event Production.
- What are your hobbies / passions outside of work?
- Exploring new restaurants, attending concerts I didn't produce, and riding my motorcycle.
- What song do you know by heart?
- Anything by Brandi Carlile.
Asha Robinson
Senior Producer
Link a non-profit and tell us why it's your favorite to support.
Music Cares https://www.musicares.org/ I love this organization because the mission is EVERYTHING and very much reflects who I am in the world: MusiCares helps the humans behind music because music gives so much to the world.
- What topic could you give a presentation on without having anything prepared?
- Voiceovers
- If you were a brand, what would your tagline be?
- On Purpose
Rachel Miller
Senior Producer
Tiffany Phouangphrachanh
Associate Producer
- If you were a brand, what would your tagline be?
- Tiffany May, Espresso Martini Connoisseur.
- What are your hobbies / passions outside of work?
- I love the outdoors and being on the water. Big sports gal. Avid fisher-woman and proud dog mom.
- Describe your career journey in just a few words?
- Former College Football Playoff Puppy Wrangler and Current SG Associate Producer: Coffee. Spreadsheets. Live Events.
Jeffrey Cusimano
Fabrication Project Manager
- What topic could you give a presentation on without having anything prepared?
- The importance of black gaff tape.
- When did you first realize you were Made for This role at Solomon Group?
- When the hands were cut at 6pm and my project lead and I installed the rest of the set until 7am.
- What's the best life or career advice you've ever received?
- The words "Mistakes" and "Experience" are synonymous.
Bill Nearhood
Senior Director of Technical Solutions
- If you could create a museum, what would it be about?
- The Writings of Stephen King.
- Link a non-profit and tell us why it's your favorite to support?
- St. Jude.org. St. Jude has increased the childhood cancer survival rate from 20% to 80% since the hospital opened over 50 years ago.
- Describe your career journey in just a few words?
- Theater, Models, Scenery, Decor, Special Effects, Prop Making, Project Management, Estimating, Technical Direction, Management.
James Hebert
Solomon NEXT, Director of Experiential Technology
Link a non-profit and tell us why it's your favorite to support.
https://www.peopleforpublicart...
I love that people will donate their talent to making the city more palatable.
- When did you first realize you were Made for This role at Solomon Group?
- I realized I was made for this as soon as I started. My first project was Sazerac House and I was so proud to be a part of that. With Planet Word, I was able to be on-site when the first guests came through, and it was so rewarding to see the sense of wonder and excitement that they shared.
- If you were a brand, what would your tagline be?
- More awesome than a zeppelin of melted cheese hurtling into a city of macaroni.
Barry Mendelson
A/V Programmer
JP Allen
Audio/Visual Design Engineer
Link a non-profit and tell us why it's your favorite to support.
https://agendaforchildren.org/
For 40 years, Agenda for Children has advocated on behalf of children and families in Louisiana, raising awareness and enacting policy surrounding issues impacting child development and providing resources to families that help children and parents thrive.
- What’s your favorite project of all time and what was your role?
- Having recently seen examples of SG's work at the Superdome and the energy efficient considerations for the outdoor lighting used there, as well as the D-Day museum additions, I knew SG's creativity and broad portfolio would be a perfect match for my next career choice.
- What was the FIRST concert you've ever been to and what was the BEST concert you've ever been to?
- I've been to well over 100 concerts as a fan/musician/photographer, so it's difficult to choose. My favorite band to see live is Propagandhi.