Margaret Kerrison, the award-winning immersive story designer and writer behind Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge, Avengers Campus and other notable Disney projects, will share the multi-faceted influences that shaped her 15-year storytelling career.
Kerrison will give a public lecture on the range of her experiences, from Walt Disney theme parks to Fortune 500 companies to museums during a public lecture in Cal Poly Pomona's Building 7 Atrium on Friday, April 14, from noon to 1 p.m.
From traditional to emerging entertainment platforms, Kerrison has created narratives and writing for television, film, digital media, games, brand storytelling, location-based entertainment, narrative placemaking and immersive experiences. She has worked as a story lead, story consultant and writer for projects such as Star Wars: Galactic Cruiser, Star Wars: Launch Bay, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, Heineken Experience, StoryGarden by AMOREPACIFIC, and the Information and Communications Pavilion for Expo 2010 Shanghai.
Kerrison is currently a senior experiential creative lead for Airbnb's Experiential Creative Product team. She was a Disney Imagineer from 2014-21.
The Department of Architecture, where she leads students in a series of environmental design project programs as the 2023 Paul Helmle Fellow, is hosting her lecture. The annual Helmle award recognizes the contributions of influential professionals in architecture and the broader landscape of the allied creative fields. The fellowship program honors the legacy of the late Professor Paul Helmle, who educated generations of architects and designers for over three decades.
"Architecture is the original immersive experience," Kerrison said. "When we build places that are intentionally designed as human-centered and narrative-driven environments, we encourage community, play, and engagement in meaningful ways. We need more places that promote a sense of play, fulfillment, and purpose in our lives."
In addition to her Star Wars and Marvel portfolio of work, her other notable projects include National Geographic Base Camp and the NASA Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex's Journey to Mars: Explorers Wanted. Kerrison is the author of "Immersive Storytelling for the Real and Imagined Worlds: A Writer's Guide" (2022). She is currently working on her second book.
"The Cal Poly Pomona Department of Architecture is delighted to receive Margaret's insight, enthusiasm and energy to outline a creative process that incorporates the narratives of people and cultures into the designs of real, virtual and hybrid environments," said George Proctor, professor and department chair.