Today we’d like to introduce you to Morgan Lee Richardson.
Hi Morgan, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
My journey in the world of themed entertainment started shortly after I got out of high school. I had been creating art for most of my youth – selling sketches and painting skateboards for a few bucks here and there. I was moving into a point in my life where I was thinking more seriously about a creative career. It just so happened that this opportunity came up for me to perform in a Nickelodeon parade at a regional theme park. I jumped at the chance because I was told I’d be able to wear orange pants every day…for some reason, I found that too enticing to pass up. At a certain point, I was introduced to the designer of the parade and learned more about what it took to create live entertainment. In the years following, I continued to work creatively in the themed entertainment industry, developing my skills with companies like Paramount Parks, Cedar Fair, and several other smaller players.
I took work in innovative education with a company called Galileo, I started my own firm and did several projects with smaller zoos, museums, and live entertainment companies, and I completed my undergraduate degree in photography and a master’s degree in themed entertainment design. All of this led to eventually taking a role with Walt Disney Imagineering.
I was an Imagineer for seven years and had the chance to work on 11 of the 12 Disney theme parks around the world. I learned from some incredibly talented people while I was there and found projects that allowed me to fulfill my creative expression in unique ways. One of the things I really valued about working for the Walt Disney Company is its philanthropic efforts that focus on conservation and wildlife. It’s something I’ve always been passionate about and it ended up playing a huge role in the next chapter of my career.
I’m now the co-founder of Mangolin Creative – an experience design firm here in Southern California. We specialize in designing for zoos, theme parks, aquariums, and other cultural & immersive experiences. Our focus on zoos & aquariums is the direct result of my passion for wildlife.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Absolutely not. I’ve failed many times and had to reflect and rethink my career decisions at several key junctures in the past 20 years. Right now, I’ve never been happier with my career. I’m creatively fulfilled, successful, and creating experiences that I could have only dreamed of a few years ago.
I don’t look at my career as a ladder climb. Ladders can only go so high. If you want to climb a mountain, a ladder will not get you there. Ladders require you to climb by yourself – in front of or behind someone. I prefer to look at my career as rock climbing.
Rock climbing is most fun when you do it with friends when everyone rises together and you’ve got someone to catch you if you falter. Sometimes, in order to move up you need to scramble to the left or the right, sometimes you need to move down and take another path.
Climbing the face of the mountain will be messy. There is never going to be one correct or direct path to take. But when you rise to the top, and you all rise together, you will have had a greater journey and climbed so much higher than you would have if you had taken the ladder.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Even though I started as more of a traditional artist, I now make my living in a blended creative role. I still create boatloads of artwork…but I’m also a designer/creative director and I run my own business.
I’ve always been a very colorful person — in both my personality and aesthetic. That is clearly represented in my personal artwork, which is often super vibrant. My reputation for color sometimes acts as a magnet for clients and collaborators. I get folks who seek me out simply because I have a tendency to use color in interesting ways. When I blend my color sensibilities with my other passions, the result is something unique to only me. I take pride in being able to offer the world something that only I can.
As the co-owner of a small company, I have to juggle the responsibilities of a leader and a creator. I thrive in the creative director role — it allows me to maintain a high-level purview over projects and still roll up my sleeves to develop designs, artwork, written treatments and perform the field art direction work that keeps me creatively fulfilled. I had to craft this sort of role for myself…it allows me the kind of multidimensional freedom I would never have if I were at a bigger company or working for someone else.
Because my background is so varied, our company is able to offer disruptive creative solutions to industries, like zoos & aquariums, which have fallen into predictable patterns of development. Our entire team has multidisciplinary experience — it’s one of our biggest strengths and allows us to stay nimble and iterate swiftly.
Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the Covid-19 Crisis?
To be honest, the pandemic feels like a real blur. 2020 was definitely a low point for me. Everything that I had built for myself up to that point, my safety net of support, my creative worth…it all seemed to be deteriorating and shifting in uncomfortable ways. But like many times before, I found an opportunity in crisis. I was forced into moments of exploration that led me to what I’m doing today. This is not to say that the pandemic was at all a good thing…but the fallout forced me to decide whether to let the changes consume me or to rise to the occasion and turn things around.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.mangolincreative.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/morganleerichardson/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/morganleerichardson/
- Other: www.morganrichardsonart.com
