Michael Downs
Michael E. Downs is a distinguished career designer and 3D storyteller, specializing in the creation of immersive events, experiences, and environments. With over 46 years of expertise, he has held such diverse roles as Experiential Designer, Creative Director, Production & Scenic Designer, Environments Designer, Video Content Designer, Illustrator, and Art Director. His impressive portfolio spans more than 1200 productions across 50 countries, on 5 continents, and in 49 of the 50 United States.
Known as a creative hybrid, Michael excels at transforming project strategies and theatrical challenges into captivating visual narratives. He contributes inventive ideas from the initial stages of any creative process, translating them into unique, multi-dimensional, and awe inspiring designs. His work supports a vast array of media, from plays and screenplays to film, TV, and comprehensive corporate brand messaging and sponsorships.
His extensive contributions touch virtually every communications channel requiring environmental design, encompassing public spectaculars, theatre, opera, retail, corporate meetings, product launches, sports productions, concerts, mobile marketing, consumer events, museum and trade show exhibits, as well as film, television, and video. Large or small, the Story still needs to have good, powerful and supportive connection to the message, be that a script, screenplay, brand or corporation.
Michael's designs have graced renowned stages from local dinner theaters to Broadway, appeared in nineteen North American Science and Historical Museums, supported the last five National Presidential Elections, featured in six NFL Super Bowls and six Olympic Games. His diverse clientele includes leading brands such as AWS, Salesforce Dreamforce, Block, Google, IBM, Microsoft, McDonald's, Samsung, Cisco, Canva and Victoria's Secret.
He has also designed for major concert tours, including Snoop Dogg, Aerosmith, Alice Cooper, Due Lips, Cher, Fifth Harmony, Halsey, Rihanna & Berner, and contributed to highprofile public spectacles like The Broadway Festival, Saudi Arabia's Founding Day, FIFA 2026 Mexico City & Atlanta Experiences and the America's Cup Fan Experience. Notable television and live event broadcasts include MTV’s Wonderland, Virgin Galactic’s Unity 22 Space Flight, ESPN's NFL Game Day, and the US Open Broadcast Center for CBS.
His Broadway Scenic Coordinator credits include Peter Pan, Roza, Our Country’s Good & State Fair, and he has contributed to numerous acclaimed theatre productions of Into The Woods, My Fair Lady, Jersey Boys, Grease & Frozen: The Musical.
In addition to his design work, Michael has illustrated six books or book covers and collaborated with the U.S. Military on developing theatrical deception techniques.
His exceptional talent has garnered significant recognition, including an Emmy Award Nomination for NBC's Democracy Plaza, a Reggie Award nomination for his work on the History Channel Pop Shop, and an Adrian Award for the British Airways Concorde Fleet Retirement Events. He is also the recipient of an After Dark Award, five Roxy’s Awards, two Mary Jane Teall Awards, and three Sarah Awards for his theatrical designs in the U.S.
Michael is a design scholar who has studied with famed Russian designer Alexander Okun. He holds a Bachelor's Degree in Scenic Design from the School of Theatre Arts at Boston University (Magna Cum Laude, 1986) and remains a proud and active member of I.A.T.S.E. #190 and United Scenic Artists #829. For the last 45 years, he has been Founder, President & Lifeguard of Creativity at Downsart, Inc.
