Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1542693
1 2 P E R S P E C T I V E | J A N U A R Y / F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 6 N E W S Art Direction Craft Winner: Bo Welch A D G L I F E T I M E A C H I E V E M E N T AWA R D B O W E L C H Bo Welch was born and raised in a small town in rural Bucks County, Pennsylvania, far, far from the entertainment capital of the world (back then). He decided at a young age that he would be an architect. After four years at an elite East Coast boarding school, he migrated west to study architecture at the University of Arizona, where he received his professional degree and passed the state board. Work in architecture was scarce to nonexistent in 1975 in southern Arizona. Following a very enjoyable year as a copywriter and producer in advertising, but determined to use his design training, he packed up and moved to Los Angeles. Bo landed a job in architecture, only to discover the reality of architectural work in a large firm in LA was not for him. However, his skill set earned him a job in Universal Studio's Art Department, one of the last studio Art Departments to exist. He worked at Universal as a Set Designer for a little over a year and left there to work as an Assistant Art Director, which led to work on several shows, ultimately getting his Art Director card on Mommie Dearest, with the help of the film's Production Designer Bill Malley. Following some Art Direction jobs, Bo was hired as a Production Designer on a couple of TV and cable movies. Then the talented Production Designer and great friend, Michael Riva, with whom Bo had worked as an Art Director on The Color Purple, recommended Bo to Joel Schumacher, whose next film, as it turned out, was Lost Boys. Back then, Tim Burton had an office at Warner Bros. and happened to wander onto the set of Lost Boys at the behest of Larry Mirisch, Bo's agent at the time. Tim agreed to meet, resulting in Beetlejuice, which became Bo's second feature Production Design job and the foundation of his career. The relationship thrived and Bo designed two more films with Tim Burton, Edward Scissorhands and Batman Returns, further cementing his status as a Production Designer of note. There were numerous films in between these films and after, including two films with Lawrence Kasdan, The Accidental Tourist and Grand Canyon, A Little Princess with Alphonso Cuaron, and a four- film collaboration with legendary director Mike Nichols, including The Birdcage. Bo also designed Thor with Kenneth Branagh for Marvel. Bo's long collaboration with Barry Sonnenfeld began with Men in Black and led to Men in Black 2 and 3, Wild Wild West, the series The Tick with A. BO WELCH B. BEETLEJUICE (1988) C. EDWARD SCISSORHANDS (1990) B A C