Suzuki Ingerslev

With 31 years in the industry, I've built my career as a visual storyteller in film and television. My journey began in architecture - I studied physics initially at UC Berkeley before switching to architecture, which allowed me to combine my love of drawing and math. I even spent time studying in Vienna, Austria. When I returned, a friend's father kept telling me I shouldn't be an architect but should become an art director in the film industry. I didn't really know what that was, but I did the research and landed an interview that led to my first job drafting for Days of Our Lives. I learned the ropes there, and when someone had to leave on maternity leave, I got lucky and was moved up to start designing sets and doing decorating. I continued advancing through assistant art directing and art directing positions until I received a call to work on Six Feet Under - the show was in trouble and behind schedule, and they asked me to come over and get the sets ready on time. That worked out really well, and when the designer left, they moved me into the production designer role, which I've held since 2003. As a production designer, I serve as the hub of the show with my department. We come in early, read scripts, develop ideas about characters and their environments with the creators, and decide whether to build sets or find locations. I pitch concepts and oversee a large crew including 7-8 art department staff and construction teams of painters, plasterers, welders, and carpenters, plus props and set dressing departments. When I build a set, it's not just about beauty - it's about functionality, ease of shooting, and creating depth and interest so it doesn't look like a set. Communication is crucial because everyone can have different visual interpretations of a script. I've earned 13 Emmy nominations and 5 Art Directors Guild nominations, and I won a Set Decorator Association Award. I've always been the bridesmaid but never the bride with most awards, but I'm proud of the recognition and the opportunity to work with creative, interesting people.