Colin Ulmer

Building immersive experiences where software, hardware, and story meet.

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About

I’ve been working in the themed entertainment space for over 7 years with a passion for creating beautiful and meaningful guest experiences by integrating cutting edge software and hardware. I am deeply passionate about finding creative, cost effective solutions to complex technical problems to leave audiences stunned.

I attended the Gnomon School of Visual Effects, Games, and Animation in North Hollywood where I joined their CG Generalist track, gaining proficiency in a wide variety of industry standard tools and processes in production digital art.

My training spans 3D modeling and animation in Maya, game environment creation in Unreal Engine, and 2D compositing and editing in Adobe After Effects, Photoshop, and Premiere — alongside traditional disciplines including figure drawing, sculpture, Art History, and Anatomy.

Starting out as a digital artist at Mousetrappe, I spent years crafting visuals for world-class theme parks and immersive experiences for clients such as Disney, The Hollywood Bowl, and Hudson Yards New York. I worked across the production pipeline — from asset artist to compositing to on-site installation — and learned how exceptional entertainment experiences actually get built.

At Medici XD, an experience design firm, I worked on a variety of projects where I was able to exercise my passion for creative problem solving to create exceptional guest experiences.

For Expressions of America, a nighttime spectacular at the National World War II Museum in New Orleans, I developed and implemented an AI-based upscaling and coloration process for over 2,000 archival images.

My biggest project with Medici XD was an experiential dining restaurant and bar in downtown Los Angeles called The Gallery. With both an immersive dining theater and a more traditional restaurant and bar, this project was packed from wall to wall with immersive elements — from a miniature projection mapped cityscape to a dinner-and-a-show theater with interactive projection mapped tables and walls.

For the bar and restaurant we wanted to build an exceptional space that made guests want to return, or stop by just to see. Our concept was a miniature version of the Downtown Los Angeles skyline, with projection mapping and miniature screens in the windows to make it come alive. Alongside another artist, we designed and modeled 52 unique miniature facades that were 3D printed in-house at our shop in Burbank, California, along with an assembly structure that made it simple to remove facades as needed for repairs and upgrades down the road.

For the dining experience theater, our first show was called Elementa — a celebration of the elemental forces that make up all of life and creation. Our 80-seat theater featured a live performance by a narrator character called The Curator, 20 tables with projection mapped tabletops that could be interacted with by waving a hand, four massive projection mapped windows, and two massive sculptures for projection mapping.

Elementa took guests on a 5-course culinary journey through the five classical elements — Earth, Water, Air, Fire, and the Aether — with a different course after each 2–4 minute show moment and performance from The Curator. The show opened in January 2025 to rave reviews for the food, the performance, and the exceptional theater experience.

For my hands-on knowledge and experience with all of the systems in the building, I was made Technical Director of The Gallery shortly before our opening in January 2025. I was responsible for all technical and show-related aspects in the building — from performing maintenance and upkeep of all hardware and software to overseeing the creation of new media content for the immersive dining experience, as well as seasonal updates to the bar’s cityscape.

Working at TechMDinc, I’ve broadened my skillset designing, engineering, and documenting the audio visual control systems for multiple unannounced forthcoming themed entertainment installations around the world. I’ve gained proficiency in CAD using Autodesk Revit, AutoCAD, and Fusion to create highly accurate, build-ready drawings for installation. Working alongside some of the best AV engineers in the business, I have taken part in bringing multiple projects from initial concept design to detailed drawings ready for installation, as well as participating in the installation and maintenance of multiple projects.

Projects

Contact

If you’re building something immersive, ambitious, or technically strange, I’d love to hear about it.