Rick Lazzarini
The Character Shop
Simi Valley, CA, USA
(805) 306-9441
www.character-shop.com
I've been creating amazing Creatures, Characters, Puppets, Robots, Animatronics, and just all-around cool stuff, professionally, since 1975. I and my Genius teams of Artists, Sculptors, Illustrators, Mechanical and Electrical Imagineers, Fur and Fabric Experts, Painters, Mad Scientists...we come up with innovative, exciting ways to bring Characters to life! You've seen our work in hundreds of commercials, tons of Films. Our favorite project? The next one; the one we do with YOU!
Work Experience
The Character Shop
President and Founder
I founded The Character Shop back in 1985, after having been a Creature Effects Supervisor at various high end Hollywood FX Shops, including Stan Winston Studios, Boss Films, and Apogee. I was responsible for designing and creating the animatronic innards for the Running FaceHugger and Hero Queen Alien facial movements for Jim Cameron's "Aliens". I own the Trademark to the "Waldo®", a system of controlling both Live-Action and Computer -Generated Characters.
May 1985
-
Simi Valley, California, United States
Education
Loyola Marymount University
Bachelor of Arts, Film and Communication Arts
Loyola is known for its reputation of High Quality Education, and its Film School students solidly fill the ranks of working professionals in the Film and Television Industry here in Southern California
1978
- 1982
Los Angeles, California, United States
Languages
English (Native),
Awards
Skills
Character Design,
Aliens,
Animatronic Animals,
Animatronics,
Creature Design,
Giant Scale Events,
Live Event Experiences,
Oversize Creations,
Puppeteer,
A Unique Approach to Character Creation
Our goal is to deliver Memorable Character and Creature Effects. We're known for uncompromising quality, our innovative approach, and resourceful methods of creating new ways to bring recognizable and lovable Characters to life. From the initial Design Phase, through the Build, and all the way through to the Performance, we shepherd our creations and help them evolve. It's our caring, integrity-driven work ethic and boundless creativity that have produced advertising Icons that have lasted years. Our longest running campaign, Foster Farms, has run over 17 years. That's because we work in harmony with our Creative Partners: the Agency, the Production Company,the Producer, the Director, the Production Designer, the Client.