DESIGN DIRECTOR

As design director for Kirk Design, a creative consulting company specializing in the leisure entertainment market, Tim brings vast experience to the areas of creative content, concepts and art direction. Tim served as a design director for Walt Disney Imagineering for 22 years, where he conceived ideas that were later realized as attractions and theme parks world wide. Tim was overall senior designer for Tokyo DisneySea, a new theme park adjacent to Tokyo Disneyland in Japan. The $3 billion-plus park includes seven themed lands, entertainment and a new hotel incorporated into the body of the park.

Tim played a key role in the conceptualization of Disney MGM Studio Tour Park in Walt Disney World resort. The book "Disney Imagineering" paid tribute to Tim by depicting his sketch of the park and stating "the park was completed almost exactly as the original concept sketch by Tim Kirk." Tim was the primary concept designer for The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror™, a major thrill attraction, Sunset Boulevard, a promenade filled with Hollywood-themed shopping and dining experiences and art director for the park's first landmark thoroughfare, the 1930s-themed Hollywood Boulevard. In overseeing the re-creation of the famous Tinseltown street he authenticated every design and architectural detail from the design for the WPA-inspired bas-reliefs on the studio gate and the historical reproductions for period Hollywood billboards.

For The Great Movie Ride, at Disney-MGM Studios, Tim designed and art directed the largest sets of any Disney attraction for the "Lost Temple," "Raiders of the Lost Ark" and "Alien" sequences. Tim was also responsible for the concepts behind Jim Henson's Muppet*Vision 3D, Sid Cahuenga’s One of a Kind Shop, The Loony Bin and the story for the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular!

Tim joined Imagineering in 1980 as a designer. His first artwork appeared as a sing-a-long slide show in Kitchen Kabaret for the original Land pavilion at EPCOT. In 1982, he worked on story concept for the new Mr. Toad's Wild Ride and the facade concept for Peter Pan's Flight for the new Fantasyland at Disneyland. The Adventurers’ Club at Pleasure Island and Cranium Command for the Wonders of Life pavilion at EPCOT sprang to life as a result of Tim's early concepts.

Before becoming an Imagineer, Tim was a freelance illustrator for children's books and science fiction books and magazines, winning five prestigious Hugo awards. In addition to his illustration work, he designed concepts for toys and themed restaurants. From 1973 to 1980, he worked for Hallmark Cards, Inc and Current Inc., designing greeting cards, jigsaw puzzles and wrapping paper, stationery and books.

Tim received both his Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts with an emphasis in Commercial Art, and his Master’s degree in Illustration from California State University, Long Beach. Tim’s thesis project, was a series of illustrations for "The Lord of the Rings" by J.R.R. Tolkien, published by Ballantine Books as the 1975 Tolkien Calendar.