Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1456917
ida random Production Designer Born in the small town of Johnstone, Scotland, Ida Random always knew she wanted to be an artist, and this would be her destiny in Hollywood whether she realized it or not. Her father was an engineer and his career led them to living in Liberia, Zaire, Brussels; her family eventually settled in Vancouver, Canada, where she developed her skills as a painter in art school in the mid-1960s. She married her high school sweetheart, a popular young actor who had landed a role on a TV show and they were off to sunny Los Angeles. As she described: "After the wild days of the late sixties and being a flower child, the bottom fell out and I had to go to work." Now a mother of two, she managed to land a job at The Hollywood Reporter in the Art Department and it was here that she started fulfilling her dreams of production design. With the support of Tichi Wilkerson, Ida was able to take on small Art Department jobs, including a TV movie for Beau Bridges. Soon thereafter, a friend introduced her to one of her biggest influences, Production Designer Richard Sylbert. It was with his guidance that she continued her education and learned how to draft. Later, he introduced her to the great British Production Designer, Terry Marsh, who gave her, her first job as a Set Designer on the film The Frisco Kid. Seemingly guided by a lucky star, Terry then introduced her to Oscar-winning Production Designer Stephen Grimes and she was his Assistant Art Director on the films Urban Cowboy and On Golden Pond. Her big break came when Richard Sylbert was offered to do The Big Chill but wasn't available, so he recommended her. She met with Lawrence Kasdan and he took a chance, hiring her on her first Production Designer job. No one could have imagined the success of this film, and it became the perfect launching pad for her career. She lifetime achievement award