Bob Gurr              

 



            Design Consultant Bob Gurr’s Philosophy of life comes from a quote by Malcolm Forbes.  “While alive, live.”  And Bob Does.

 

            His serendipitous career began with an eight-month stint in 1952 at Ford Motor Company in Detroit after graduation from Art Center School.  After realizing in two weeks that it would be a “dead end job,” Bob was later asked to join George Walker industrial Design, but within the first year decided to move back to Southern California.  In 1953, he bought a rubber stamp and an invoice pad, and inaugurated R.H. Gurr industrial Design – a company of one, whose first big job was to consult with the Walt Disney Studios on the design of mini cars for a project called Autopia.

 

            Walt Disney was so impressed with Bob’s work that he hired him as a permanent employee in his recently formed company, WED Enterprises – whose sole mission was to design and build Disneyland.

 

            During his three-decade employment with WED, Bob worked on over 100 designs for attractions that include the Disneyland and Walt Disney World Monorails, Matterhorn Bobsleds. The memorable Flying Saucers, and the original Abraham Lincoln “Audio-Animatronics” figure for the 1964-1965 New York World’s Fair, along with the Ford Motor Company’s Magic Skyway Ride.

 

            In 1981, Bob took an early retirement from WED to start his own firm, GurrDesign, Inc.  In 1984, he teamed up with two former imagineers to form Sequoia Creative, Inc.  The firm specialized in “leisure time spectaculars” and fantastical beasts, such as Universal Studios Tour’s King Kong and Conan’s serpent.  Two of Bob’s all-time favorite projects were the mysterious UFO that flew over the closing ceremonies of the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Olympics and the animated “spiders” for Michael Jackson’s “Victory” tour.

 

            While consulting on new attraction ideas for WDI’s R & D department, Steven Spielberg asked Bob to help design the T-Rex animated figure for the all-time hit film “Jurassic Park.”  After designing the mechanical sinking ship for the Treasure Island Pirate Battle Show in Las Vegas, Bob continued with more “wild” Las Vegas showbiz spectaculars such as mechanical sets for the MGM EFX show, and the upcoming Rio Masquerade Floats.  Currently, Bob is working with Walt Disney Attractions on giant animated EFX for the Tokyo DisneySea Night Time Spectacular, and is also engineering the mechanical action for the new giant “Godzilla” animates creature for a 1998 Tri-State film for Patrick Tatopoulos Designs, Inc.

 

 

GurrDesign, Inc

 


BASIC INFORMATION

1.1   GurrDesign, Inc.

1.2   9639 Crystal View Drive, Tujunga CA 91042

1.3   Telephone (818) 352-7739

1.4   Facsimile (818) 352-7739 with switching device

1.5   Robert H. Gurr, President

1.6   California Corporation – Personal Consultancy

GENERAL INFORMATION

2.1 Robert H. Gurr, Sole Principal

2.2 GurrDesign, Inc. 1981 – Present

Co-Founder, Sequoia Creative, Inc. 1984-1989

Vice President, Engineering, Applied Entertainment Systems, 1983-1984

Designer, WED Enterprises, Inc. Walt Disney Company 1954-1981

R.H. Gurr, Industrial Design d.b.a. 1953-1954

Designer, George W. Walker, Industrial Design 1953

Designer, Ford Motor Company, Lincoln Studio 1952-1953

2.3 Robert H. Gurr, Sole Owner

2.4 Facility – 130 SF

2.5 Equipment – Macintosh Performa 6400/180 21 IN. Color Ashlar Vellum V2.7 3D CAD HP 757GA E-Size Plotter import/Export DXF Epson Color 800 Printer 28.8 V.32bis Modem Mita TC-110 group 3 fax

2.6 No Employees

COMPANY PROFILE

3. REFERENCES

See Contacts listed below

4. Recent Client/Project Listing 1989-Present

CLIENT CONTACT PROJECT

Patrick Tatopoulos Designs ¨ P. Tatopoulos ¨ Godzilla Animated Creature Walt Disney Imagineering ¨ Dave Fink ¨ Various R&D Classified Jobs Entertainment Engineering ¨ Kent Bingham ¨ MGM EFX! Show Mountain Unit Entertainment Engineering ¨ Kent Bingham ¨ Tokyo Disneyland Floats Showtech USA, Inc. ¨ Peter Mensching ¨ Buccaneer Bay Pirate Attraction Amblin Entertainment ¨ Don Iwarks ¨ Quatro Reversing Projector Garner Holt Productions ¨ Garner Holt ¨ Fountain Tower Structures Scenographic Designs ¨ Dan Flannery ¨ Prismatic Fantasy Mechanical Malibu Grand Prix ¨ Charlie Haga ¨ New Race Body Designs Anthony A. Marnell II, Chtd ¨ Mitch Trageton ¨ Shop Inspection Animation Landmark Roboshop ¨ Mark Driscoll ¨ Field Inspection of Animation Stan Winston, Inc. ¨ Stan Winston ¨ Jurassic Park Animated T-Rex Economics Research Assoc. ¨ John Robinett ¨ Project Analysis and Review

TYPICAL LARGE PROJECT 1954 - 1989 EQUIPMENT DESIGNED BY GURR

King Kong Animated Figures, Universal Studios Tour, Florida 1989 Catastrophe Canyon Show Action Equipment, Disney/MGM Studio 1988 King Kong Animated Figure, Universal Studios Tour, Hollywood 1986 Olympics Closing Ceremony Spacecraft, L.A. Olympics 1984 Michael Jackson Victory Tour Animated Lighting EFX 1984 Conan Animated Serpent, Universal Studios Tour, Hollywood 1983 Monorail Trains, Disneyland and Walt Disney World 1959-1972 Omnimover Systems, Disneyland And Walt Disney World 1966-1970 Abraham Lincoln Animated Figure, New York World’s Fair 1964 Autopia Cars, Omnibus, Antique Cars, Excursion Train, WEDway People/Mover Flying Saucers, Skyway, Starjets, Matterhorn Track, Space Mountain Cars………

COMPANY PROFILE

COMPANY PROFILE – PAGE 3

6. RANGE OF SERVICES

6.1 Concept Design.  Create Visualization of verbal/textual client ideas.  This allows the client and subcontractor team to understand the entire major components and systems required to execute the idea.  This can consist of sketches, 2D/3D CAD drawings (E-size plots and 8.5 x 11 color), technical descriptions, and preliminary detailed scope estimates.

6.2 Bid Documents.  Preparation of design documents to illustrate a concept design sufficient enough for estimation and vendor bidding competition.  Can include 2D/3D CAD drawings plotted on pre-formatted client project media (E-size plots and 8.5 x 11 color), technical descriptions, and DXF exported electronic files.

6.3 Vendor Bid Evaluation.  Join with other client team members to review potential bidders capabilities, inspect manufacturing facilities, and follow up operational history of prior projects with a view towards assisting in bidder selection list.

6.4 Vendor Design Review.  Join with other client team members to review bid submittals and make contract recommendations.

6.5 Design Layout.  Develop detailed design layouts based on acceptance of concept design.  This effort is intended to be the basis for manufacture since the layouts will specify actual materials and use selected component dimensions.  The documents are detailed sufficiently that final estimates can be made, long lead items ordered and initial production started.

6.6 Design Engineering.  Calculations and preliminary stress analysis sufficient to validate the design and allow a licensed engineer to furnish a signed/sealed report.

6.7 Shop Drawings. . All documents required to manufacture all components of a design.  Can include 2D/3D CAD drawings plotted on pre-formatted client project media (E-size plots and 8.5 x 11 color), technical descriptions, and DXF exported electronic files.  Level of detail can be as required for each type of project and contractor use.

6.8 As-Built Documentation.  Level of documentation of actual components sufficient to repeat the project at a future date and location.

6.9 Design Review.  Review project designs by others for a client.  Participate through all phases with other client team members.  Make recommendations to the client with respect to design QC and technical feasibility.  Prime objective is to eliminate a technical errors and omissions prior to production start-up.

6.10 Production Follow-Up.   Periodic review and recommendations to the client with respect to all production activities.  Includes production design detail, process specifications, installation interfaces, and operational considerations.  Prime objective is to furnish third party evaluation of ongoing production to ensure that observed progress and contractor percent of progress billings agree.  Also includes suggested problem solving when required by the client.  Also involves schedule compliance.

6.11 Production Report.  Typically a detailed monthly written report to the client used as a third party technical production progress comparison to submitted monthly invoices.