Moongate Design Studio is a new international concept designer and development firm. Founded by former Universal Studio Japan executive Sol Song and producer David Newman, the company is on a mission to reimagine art and the relationship between the space and guests creating and supporting innovative new projects within the artainment and immersive exhibition world.
The idea for this new company was born out of the global pandemic and will provide a dedicated professional services division to help clients succeed in this rapidly changing post-COVID landscape. It is also developing its own installations.
Blooloop caught up with Song, creative director, and Newman, managing director, to find out what makes the firm unique, and how the pair will draw on their considerable experience within the attractions industry to make this mission a reality.
A passion for entertainment
Song and Newman met and became friends while working together at Universal Studios Japan, where they had many discussions during the last two years on where the industry is headed, and how it can best be supported in the face of changing guest expectations.
Song, who has been at Universal Japan as an executive art director for the past five years, has a background in animation and began his career working on scenic design for the National Theatre of Korea, before transitioning into the theme park world.
“I worked in theatre because I liked that live-action world where you have to build and produce everything on site,” he explains. “It captured my excitement. And that got me into theme parks, which is something that sits right in the middle of theatre and animation, in a way, because it’s a mixed media of animation, 2D platforms and the 3D experience.”
Song has also worked for Walt Disney Imagineering and Thinkwell.
Meanwhile, “My career path is a little bit different than Sol’s; my education was in economics and management.” says Newman. “I started my career working for a consulting firm in Minnesota, before moving to Los Angeles to pursue new opportunities. This led to a consulting role at Disney on multiple projects for two and a half years. That is when a former executive, who was working at USJ, recruited me to Japan.”
During his time with Universal, Newman worked on attractions such as Hunter X Hunter: C4-D, Sailor Moon: C4D, Attack on Titan: XR Ride and the Demon Slayer – XR Ride.
Career highlights
Reflecting on what they love about this industry, Song and Newman talk about some of the stand-out moments from their careers so far. For Song, his passion for the attractions business was sparked early on, when working on a project with Thinkwell for the Fernbank Museum of Natural History in Atlanta, Georgia.
“They have a kid’s zone called the Nature Quest, and that was my first project, working as a model maker for this Thinkwell-designed concept,” he says. “It made me realise how much this world of attractions and entertainment means to people. Seeing families exploring the space and enjoying the thing we had worked on was one of the first highlights of my career.”
Another truly memorable moment came while working at Imagineering:
“I worked on Rivers of Light at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, under Michael Jung. The project started from such an amazing, abstract place. It was almost like there was a spiritual approach to it because that’s how Joe Rohde and Michael Jung envisioned the project. It was an incredible experience to work with those masters.”
A rewarding experience
Newman cites his experience at Universal for giving him the skills needed to start Moongate Design Studio. Looking back at some of the highlights, he says:
“There’s an IP called Demon Slayer which is huge in Japan, it’s the top-grossing movie ever there. Universal collaborated with them and we made a VR roller coaster called Demon Slayer XR. With a great team, I was the lead producer on creating the VR media, the pre-show and all the scenic.”
“When we opened Demon Slayer – XR, it had four to five hour-long queue lines and great guest scores. I would say that has been one of the highlights of my career because it was maybe the second or third significant attraction that I launched, and I was able to use a lot of the things that I had learned so far and implement them quickly to launch something and see the results.”
For both Song and Newman, there is a huge sense of satisfaction in seeing a project come to life and witnessing visitors enjoying it. Song adds: “I remember the opening date for Demon Slayer; we had a team photo shoot, and the park was opening at nine o’clock, but the people were waiting behind the gate from seven o’clock, everybody was in cosplay as the demon slayer characters.
“When it opened, people were just sprinting to the new attraction. When you have a year of working hard on a project and then you see the looks of happiness on our guests’ faces, it makes all the hard work worthwhile.”
Introducing Moongate Design Studio
Song and Newman came up with the idea for the new firm during the pandemic, believing that, with the global crisis, visitors will not lose the desire to experience world-class entertainment, but the way that they want to experience this entertainment will change.
“We came up with the idea while we were talking over dinner,” says Newman. “I was wondering where the industry was going, and what’s next.
“So, for Moongate, our mission is to reimagine our relationship with exhibitions and exhibit spaces. We say that we want to reimagine art and the relationship between the space and you.
“In the wake of the pandemic, there have been so many smaller exhibitions taking place in smaller locations. The trend for artainment is redefining how people interact with art and with different spaces. It is no longer a passive experience; the visitor is now able to become part of the art. We think that is such an interesting direction.
“Sol and I had lots of conversations about it; with his background in art and me coming from the experience economy angle, we think we can find that sweet spot when we start building and designing some of our own exhibits. So that’s one of our areas of focus and we’re already coming up with some top-secret exhibits.
“Then we also have our professional services group, which is already up and running, where we have been working with clients to support their design goals.”
Moongate’s design services
Moongate Design Studio features a dedicated professional services division, developed to help clients achieve their design goals. Under this unit, projects will be guided through blue sky ideation, visualisation, and schematic design, all the way through to field art direction, where the team will lead the creative oversight of the installation, making sure that the design ultimately becomes a reality.
The company has hand-selected a group of over twenty colleagues with a proven track record in the industry to help deliver innovative experiences worldwide. Team members have worked with the likes of Disney, Universal, and 20th Century Fox, designing, developing, fabricating, installing, and opening successful experiences across the globe.
“The team has been working in this industry for a long time, some for over 25 years,” says Song. “Our new team is pretty diverse, and based on our backgrounds, we can offer a wide range of services.”
A unique outlook
Both Newman and Song have worked in Japan for several years, as well as having contributed to projects for well-known names in the USA. This gives Moongate Design Studios a unique opportunity, says Newman:
“We’ve been honoured to live in Japan for over four years and then with Sol being raised in Korea and learning traditional art there before going to school in the US, we have a particular perspective. Now, we have this great opportunity to draw on both the design backgrounds and teachings that we’ve had in the United States and on our experience in theme parks in Asia, to support some of these up-and-coming exhibitions in this region.”
While it was the pandemic that sparked this new move for the pair, COVID has also had a wide impact on the attractions industry. Looking at some of the trends to watch, and where he sees the sector heading, Song says:
“Pre-COVID, it felt like people were willing to go to mass events, to be part of a big group in order to enjoy entertainment. But now, post-COVID, I think there has been a change, people are a little more cautious about where they want to go but the desire for social outings still remains, and as a result, we will see more diversity of entertainment.
“People are always going to want the top-class theme parks, like Disney and Universal, but now they also want something different. This has sparked a few key trends, like the immersive Van Gogh exhibition, which is a great example of the immersive themed experience meeting the traditional museum genre. I think we will see a lot more of this kind of hybrid experience emerging for local markets, thus making it more accessible.”
Trends to watch
Guest expectations are changing too. People want their entertainment to be fresh, and they want it to speak to them; personalisation is also a huge trend.
“I’m seeing that entertainment, what people watch and what they react to, is changing every single day,” says Newman. “People are always on their phones and with platforms like Tik Tok and Instagram, what they’re entertained by changes rapidly. Of course, those permanent installations like Disney’s Star Wars and Universal’s Super Nintendo World will always have their spot, but even the big theme parks make seasonal changes every quarter or every six months.”
“Things like photo ops and chances for visitors to put themselves in the experience and share it, are going to be a huge draw,” adds Song. “Guests expect a much more personalised experience now that can be shared digitally.”
Differences in the market
Having experience in both the Asian and the US markets means that Newman and Song have clear insights into some of the main differences between the two regions, in terms of the attractions industry.
“Culturally, they are very different places,” explains Song. “So, while the idea might be similar, the way that audiences enjoy it varies. For instance, Americans love to be active participants in the story, we love to be in the centre, and we want to be that character. Whereas in Asian markets, people like to see their beloved characters, they like to see their favourite stories coming to life, but as a witness. That level of involvement, that activeness is very different.
“When you are designing for America, it has to be a little more immersive and has to be for you to control, to make your own path. With Asian audiences, they are more like participants in a bigger picture, so in this market, it’s natural to see more exhibitions, more concerts, more passive types of entertainment.”
What’s next for Moongate Design Studio
It’s an exciting time for Moongate Design Studio, with several key clients on board already and some big ambitions for the future.
“Right now, our big focus is on our professional services, so we have been bringing on team members and we have a couple of projects already,” says Newman. “We’ve also started talking about the first exhibition that we want to create. So far, the focus for that division has been on finding the right space, with a target of maybe early 2024 to open our own exhibit.”
Looking ahead, he adds:
“The market in Japan and Korea can be challenging for outsiders. And we’re lucky enough to be positioned where we can bring a little bit of a different perspective but also understand some cultural norms in building relationships.
“There’s been so much that I’ve had to learn from every project that I’ve been a part of, and I’m very excited for this new chapter. If Moongate Design Studio can help others achieve their goals, our company is honoured to be a part of the ride.”
