We had the good fortune of connecting with David Ruzicka and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi David, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
A thought process? What’s that?! In all honesty, starting my own business sort of snuck up on me.

The main driver along my winding path has always been attempting to tell unexpected new stories; bringing people into wildly fun and strange experiences. In other words, that came first — and the business followed along behind. I guess it always WAS a business; I just didn’t think of it that way.

When I lived in Orlando, the companies I was working with required me to have an LLC, so some of the true “business” was by necessity and out of practicality. In more recent years, my company Gryffon Creations has grown in pace along with the complexity of the projects. When I was doing activations and experiences with five actors at a time, it didn’t seem necessary to be too structured – although I was operating through the LLC from a technical standpoint.

However, by the time it was 40-50 actors, a costuming team, a stage management team, and a makeup team, I had to admit to myself that now, perhaps, I really did have a company against all my original instincts. In that sense, the company came about as a way of supporting and growing the community of folks I’m lucky enough to work with.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My professional practice spans a bunch of different types of art, but generally speaking it continues to revolve around themed entertainment, immersive theater, and live activations for brands.

What excites me the most about this type of work is twofold: There’s nothing I love more than making things that “shouldn’t” work. Some of the most memorable moments in these experiences are the truly preposterous, audacious ones. When you have a total conviction to be just RIDICULOUS, I think the audience can feel that and embrace it in themselves. So as much as possible, I don’t make a project without some aspect being totally ridiculous, whether that’s a puppet-infused dark fantasy for one audience member at a time or a family-friendly Halloween character who bottles screams. If it makes us laugh and say, “Can we actually do that?” it’s probably the right instinct.

Beyond that, the other part that I love is how multi- and inter-disciplinary this work is. You really have a chance to blur so many mediums and sensory art modes into one, and this affords a chance to bring people from many, many different perspectives into the developmental process. I want theme parks and immersive experiences to be designed – in part – by people who don’t necessarily know how they’re “supposed to” work. So I actively incorporate that outreach in my practice. These stories benefit from the input of so many different people.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
It depends on the friend and what they personally are into. I can pack a lot into one week!

I think it’s surprising for people to see the sheer variety of communities and settings that exist here, so I’d recommend spending at least a little time in K-Town, Santa Monica, DTLA, Olvera Street, Little Tokyo. If you spend time in any of these places, you’ll be amazed at how they just keep growing in complexity and things to explore.

After living in a few places, I’ve ended up in Pasadena. I’m partial, but I continue to be surprised by the range of restaurants and other attractions here. Being able to walk to a kickass Peruvian restaurant (Bodegon No. 69), Himalayan spot (Tibet Nepal House), or a cheesery (Agnes) is fulfilling to be sure.

There are so many great, unusual places to check out. I’m big on books and comics, so I’d always be game for a trip to the Last Bookstore, Secret Headquarters, or Heavy Manners Library. Another one of my nerdy havens is Monster Patrol, which I still kind of can’t believe exists.

I’d recommend taking on the Griffith Park trails to get outside, even though the outdoors and I have a complicated relationship. I would probably tell my friend to go to the Museum of Jurassic Technology, with zero context given. And maybe we’d finally check Vespertine off the bucket list.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Everyone I speak with now who is trying to find their way into the business agonizes over how to take that “first step.” Looking back, it’s hard for me to see my first step in any other place than at a Slice Creative Network “Speed Networking” Event. At the time of the one that really “started it all,” I was still working on the operational side of the Disney and Universal parks in Florida. I was a theater kid and playwright (and haunted house weirdo) who’d stranded myself in the theme parks.

It took the eyes of Colette Piceau and Adam Berger to see what I’d done in theater and have faith that I could translate it into themed entertainment. They had the belief, the eye, and took the risk on me. In a moment, that took my aspirations from abstract into something tangible — and I’ve “traded up” to the next creative project ever since!

A lot of people will tell you they can help you on a surface level. But it’s rare to find the people who will actually put their own reputation and time on the line to see what you can offer. I’ll always be thankful to those two, plus of course Melody Matheny who made the entire Slice thing a possibility. It’s an often-thankless job, and her tenacity is unmatched.

Instagram: david.roozicka

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-ruzicka-2b226019/

Image Credits
House of the Dragon Activation:

SDCC’22: House of the Dragon Activation Experience

Uncharted Experience:

I want to live in your mouth.:
Photo. Carl Welti

Horror Experience ‘I want to live in your mouth’ is a Fantastical Nightmare

Quantum Leap:
https://nerdsthatgeek.com/special-events/a-look-at-nbcs-quantum-leap-activation-at-san-diego-comic-con-2023
All Photos of the ‘Quantum Leap’ Activation Courtesy of David Yeh/NBC.

Creep LA Awake:
https://www.westcoaster.net/home/2018/10/8/creep-awake-review
Photo by Hatbox Photography and courtesy of Just Fix It Productions.

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutLA is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.