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Hannah Welter '10: Creating Visual Worlds

November 01, 2018 - 2 minute read


Alum Hannah Welter working on piece for a production

Hannah Welter '10, a set and costume designer, has graced Disneyland park, online TV shows and Concordia University Irvine's theatre productions. But until she came to Concordia, she didn’t realize she could create visual worlds for a living.

“It had never crossed my mind that I could make a career out of it. That was a little bit of a revelation,” Welter says. “It was cool to see there was a way for the visual and artistic aspects of my life to influence the performing arts. Working with Concordia’s theatre department showed me there was more out there.”

It was cool to see there was a way for the visual and artistic aspects of my life to influence the performing arts. Working with Concordia’s theatre department showed me there was more out there.

Welter spent some high school years in Paris, France, soaking in the museums, then followed her older siblings to Concordia University Irvine.

“I liked that it was a Christian school,” she says. “I was excited to go to an environment where more people believe the same thing.”

Expecting to become a website and graphic designer, she soon discovered scenic painting, set design and costume design.

“In theater, my favorite part is seeing the actors put their costumes on and become their character,” she says. “That’s beautiful.”

After graduating with a double major in art and theater, she was hired by a company that produced scenery for infomercials, theater shows — and Disneyland. Welter helped create the “experience” for the Pirates of the Caribbean 2 movie premiere at the park. It involved building stages that looked like broken parts of a ship. Her company also created trick-or-treat stations for Disney’s Halloween season.

“It was great to walk through with my sisters and nephew and see the work I had created,” Welter says. “My parents were very proud.”

She also worked for Concordia as a production manager, assistant technical director and professional designer. During Welter’s time as a student and an employee, Concordia University Irvine theatre professor Tony Vezner instilled in her the importance of enjoying herself and others in the workplace.

Being a pleasant person, treating other people like they’re human and trying to be as well-rounded and balanced as you can in your personality — that’s what I really took with me from Concordia. Get your work done, be on time, be conscious of other people’s opinions and try to make yourself agreeable. The real-world advice they shared has stuck with me.

“Being a pleasant person, treating other people like they’re human and trying to be as well-rounded and balanced as you can in your personality — that’s what I really took with me from Concordia,” she says. “Get your work done, be on time, be conscious of other people’s opinions and try to make yourself agreeable. The real-world advice they shared has stuck with me.”

Today, she imagines visual worlds for a production company that designs original sets for streaming television shows, IGN Entertainment and Orange Lutheran High School.

“We create the physical world that sits behind or around the person who streams,” she says. “It’s a baby industry, but it’s been very interesting to be part of the advent of something like this, where people want to create an atmosphere more than just their living room to share with their community. The joy of this job is I feel like I’m constantly learning. There’s always someone with a new idea. It opens up your mind.”

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