Bob Rogers
Encyclopedia
- For other persons also named Bob Rogers see Bob Rogers (disambiguation)Bob Rogers (disambiguation)Bob Rogers may refer to:*Bob Rogers , Australian radio disc jockey*Bob Rogers , founder and chairman of BRC Imagination Arts in the US*Bob Rogers , American film director...
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Bob Rogers is founder and Chairman of BRC Imagination Arts, an experience design
Experience design
Experience design is the practice of designing products, processes, services, events, and environments with a focus placed on the quality of the user experience and culturally relevant solutions, with less emphasis placed on increasing and improving functionality of the design...
firm. Rogers oversees the creative elements of all BRC projects, serving clients like NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
, Disney, Universal Studios
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
, Ford, General Motors
General Motors
General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...
, China Mobile
China Mobile
China Mobile Limited is a Chinese state-owned telecommunication company that provides mobile voice and multimedia services through its nationwide mobile telecommunications network, the largest of its kind in the world...
, China Telecom
China Telecom
China Telecom Corp. Ltd. is a Chinese state-owned telecommunication company. It is the largest fixed line service and 3rd largest mobile telecommunication provider in the People's Republic of China.-Sectors:...
, and the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum
Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum
The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum documents the life of the 16th U.S. President, Abraham Lincoln, and the course of the American Civil War. Combining traditional scholarship with 21st century showmanship techniques, the popular museum continues to rank as one of the most visited...
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Rogers has also served as Executive Producer or consultant on pavilions at world's fair
World's Fair
World's fair, World fair, Universal Exposition, and World Expo are various large public exhibitions held in different parts of the world. The first Expo was held in The Crystal Palace in Hyde Park, London, United Kingdom, in 1851, under the title "Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All...
s around the world, including Expo 86
Expo 86
The 1986 World Exposition on Transportation and Communication, or simply Expo '86, was a World's Fair held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada from Friday, May 2 until Monday, October 13, 1986...
in Vancouver, Expo 88 in Brisbane, Expo '90
Expo '90
or The International Garden and Greenery Exposition, organized as a part of the International Expositions Convention, was the first large-scale international gardening exposition in Asia and focused on the theme of the Harmonious Coexistence of Nature and Mankind". The exposition was held in...
in Oaska, Japan, Expo '92
Expo '92
Expo '92 is the informal name of the World's Fair held in 1992, which had two sites:* Seville Expo '92 Universal Exposition in Seville, Spain* and the minor Genoa Expo '92 International Exposition in Genoa, Italy, opened on May 15, 1992...
in Seville, Taejon Expo '93
Taejon Expo '93
Taejon Expo '93 was a three-month international exposition held between Saturday, August 7, 1993 and Sunday, November 7, 1993 in the central South Korean city of Daejeon .-Theme:...
in Korea, Expo 2005
Expo 2005
Expo 2005 was the World's Fair held for 185 days between Friday, March 25 and Sunday, September 25, 2005, in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, east of the city of Nagoya. It was a Specialized International Exhibition under the scheme of the 1972 protocol of the Convention relating to International Exhibitions...
in Aichi, Japan, and most recently Expo 2010
Expo 2010
Expo 2010, officially Expo 2010 Shanghai China was held on both banks of the Huangpu River in the city of Shanghai, China, from May 1 to October 31, 2010. It was a major World Expo in the tradition of international fairs and expositions, the first since 1992...
in Shanghai.
Industry achievements
Bob Rogers began his involvement in themed entertainment in 1968 with the Walt Disney Company, as a magician in the Magic Shop at the Disneyland theme park in Anaheim, California. Founded in 1981, Rogers' firm, BRC Imagination Arts has received over 250 international awards, including two Academy Award nominations and 17 Themed Entertainment AssociationThemed Entertainment Association
The Themed Entertainment Association is an international non-profit association that represents creators, developers, designers and producers of themed entertainment...
(TEA) "THEA" Awards for "outstanding achievement in themed entertainment". In 2010, Rogers was inducted into the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA) Hall of Fame. In his induction by IAAPA, Rogers was referred to as ...one of the world's leading creators of content-based visitor experiences for museums, cultural centers and theme parks. and a pioneer of 'experience museums (such as the) recent critically acclaimed...Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield, Illinois and the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex near Orlando, Florida.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
) invited Rogers to help develop its master plan for the exploration of Mars as part of their Mars Exploration Program Analysis Group. In September, 2002, Rogers was awarded one of NASA’s highest civilian honors, the NASA Public Service Medal
NASA Public Service Medal
NASA's Exceptional Public Service Medal is a United States government award granted for exceptional contributions to the mission of NASA to anyone who was not a government employee when the service was performed.- See also :...
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In 2009 Rogers received the "Order of Lincoln Medal" in recognition of his and BRC's work creating the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum.
In the entertainment and design communities, Rogers is an elected member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is a professional honorary organization dedicated to the advancement of the arts and sciences of motion pictures...
, serving as a voting member in the Oscar process; he also serves on the Board of Directors for Ryman Arts
Ryman Arts
Ryman Arts is a non-profit fine arts education organization that is based in Los Angeles, California. Founded in 1990 with just 12 students, the organization provides free art classes in drawing and painting with master teachers to Los Angeles area high school students. As of 2007 the program had...
, which provides recognition and scholarships to young artists of exceptional talent.
Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
has called him the “industry’s resident futurist”. Rogers is a writer and popular speaker on the subject of content-based themed entertainment and is recognized among industry peers and the press as an expert in his field. Rogers has been quoted and interviewed in a wide range of media such as the New York Times, Washington Post, Time Magazine, Fast Company
Fast Company (magazine)
Fast Company is a full-color business magazine that releases 10 issues per year and reports on topics including innovation, digital media, technology, change management, leadership, design, and social responsibility...
, and the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
. He has been a featured guest on National Public Radio’s program, A Prairie Home Companion
A Prairie Home Companion
A Prairie Home Companion is a live radio variety show created and hosted by Garrison Keillor. The show runs on Saturdays from 5 to 7 p.m. Central Time, and usually originates from the Fitzgerald Theater in Saint Paul, Minnesota, although it is frequently taken on the road...
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In 2007 Rogers received the Thea Award for Lifetime Achievement. Each year one such award is given to an individual who is recognized, industry-wide, for their key contributions to the evolution of themed design and entertainment. Past recipients have included film innovator Don Iwerks
Don Iwerks
Don Iwerks is a former Disney executive, a Disney Legend, an Oscar winner, and co-founder of Iwerks Entertainment along with former Disney executive Stan Kinsey...
and Walt Disney Imagineer
Imagineer
Imagineer may refer to:* Disney Imagineer, a position at the Walt Disney company* Imagineer Systems, a visual effects software company* Imagineer , a Japanese video game, mobile, software company...
s Marty Sklar
Marty Sklar
Martin A. "Marty" Sklar was The Walt Disney Company's International Ambassador for Walt Disney Imagineering, the subsidiary of the company which designs and constructs the Disney theme parks and resorts across the world...
, Tony Baxter and John Hench
John Hench
John Hench was an employee of The Walt Disney Company for more than sixty-five years, an exceptionally long tenure which saw the rise of nearly every Disney animated feature and theme park....
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Technical achievements
Rogers holds two patents in theater entertainment technologies. He is the inventor of the “Holavision” Theater; a special effect technique, which pairs live performances with “floating” aerial image illusions. Rogers' Holavision shows include Spirit Lodge at Expo 86, Mystery Lodge at Knott's Berry FarmKnott's Berry Farm
Knott's Berry Farm is a theme park in Buena Park, California, now owned by Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, and a line of jams, jellies, preserves, and other specialty food, now part of The J. M. Smucker Company based in Placentia, California....
, Animation Celebration at Universal Studios Japan
Universal Studios Japan
, located in Osaka, is one of four Universal Studios theme parks, owned and operated by USJ Co., Ltd. . The park is similar to Universal Orlando Resort, since it contains many of the same rides. Most visitors are Japanese tourists or tourists from other Asian countries such as Taiwan, Hong Kong,...
, and most recently Ghosts of the Library for the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum.