Name Bob Rogers Organizations founded BRC Imagination Arts | Role Motion film producer | |
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Nominations Academy Award for Best Short Film (Live Action) Movies Rainbow War, Back to Neverland, Closet Cases of the Nerd, Ballet Robotique, The Lean Machine Similar Reed Smoot, Andy Gaskill, Jerry Rees, Ryan Stiles, Blu Mankuma | ||
Bob Rogers is founder and chairman of BRC Imagination Arts, an experience design agency. In 1998 Newsweek magazine described him as "the theme-park industry's resident futurist". Rogers oversees the creative elements of all BRC projects, serving clients like Coca-Cola, NASA, Disney, Universal Studios, Ford, General Motors, China Mobile, China Telecom, and the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. He is on the board of governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
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Rogers is also a film and television director and producer who has earned two Academy Award nominations, for the live action short films Ballet Robotique and Rainbow War, and a Los Angeles Emmy Award nomination as the producer of the documentary short The Wedge: Dynasty, Tragedy, Legacy. Rogers has also served as executive producer or consultant on pavilions at world's fairs around the world, including Expo 86 in Vancouver, Expo 88 in Brisbane, Expo '90 in Oaska, Japan, Expo '92 in Seville, Taejon Expo '93 in Korea, Expo 2005 in Aichi, Japan, and most recently Expo 2010 in Shanghai, and the Expo 2015 in Milan, Italy.
Career
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 California. In 1980, he co-wrote and co-produced the parody short film Closet Cases of the Nerd Kind. Founded in 1981, Rogers' firm, BRC Imagination Arts has received over 250 international awards, including two Academy Award nominations and 18 Themed Entertainment Association (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' company was referred to as "one of the world's leading creators of content-based visitor experiences for museums, cultural centers and theme parks".
In 1984, Rogers was elected into the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, serving as a voting member in the Oscar process. In 2014 he was elected to serve on the board of governors (their board of directors) of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Rogers is also a former board member of Ryman Arts, a non-profit which provides recognition and scholarships to young artists of exceptional talent.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) 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.
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.
Newsweek 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, Popular Science, and the Los Angeles Times. He has been a featured guest on National Public Radio’s program, A Prairie Home Companion.
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 and Walt Disney Imagineers Marty Sklar, Tony Baxter and John Hench.
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 the Vancouver World's Fair, Mystery Lodge at Knott's Berry Farm, Animation Celebration at Universal Studios Japan, and Ghosts of the Library for the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum.
In 2012, Rogers and BRC revealed plans for "The Vomit Comet", a zero-G roller coaster capable of delivering eight full seconds of zero-gravity.