Sam Doust is a creative director at Art Processors, the experiential design consultancy. He led the project, From the Sails which won the Fast Company Innovation in Experience Design Award in 2023 and also led the Pentridge Prison Tours which was voted as one of the top five tours in Melbourne, Australia. In addition, Doust led the design teams for Hidden, an immersive experience at the Melbourne Holocaust Museum that focuses on the experiences of Children in Europe during the Holocaust, and 50 Years of the Sydney Opera House at the Museum of Sydney.
From the Sails: Light Years was the first in a year-long programme of events to commemorate five decades of the Sydney Opera House. The show was created to celebrate the story of the building’s design and construction, its opening in 1973, and its ongoing contribution to the community.
“The film is based on a circular sense of time—it loops and doesn’t start or finish,” said Doust. “This is an acknowledgement of the history of the land the Opera House is resting on, Tubowgule, which has been a First Nations meeting point since time immemorial. It says this House was chosen to be on this incredible place.”
Meanwhile, the firm’s reimagined Pentridge Prison tour combines an exploration of the site’s history with powerful first-hand accounts from former inmates, prison officers and clerics. The old B Division, H Division, rock-breaking yards, and former Warders’ Residence are all included in the visitor journey.
One nominator said: “He has been pushing the boundary of what an immersive experience is, while at the same time taking a journalist’s eye for detail and authenticity. Sam works to include multiple viewpoints in everything he does. His mastery of storytelling and visual talent weaves all of these stories together in a narrative that makes the viewer an active part of the story. He is also incredibly kind and humble. He is a joy to work with.”