Steve McGowan
Graduated Loveland High School 1982
Ohio University 1987
At an early age, Steve knew he wanted to do something different and was inspired by the Arts. He credits high school teachers Bob Wagner, “Cookie” Berwanger, Virginia Reynolds, and the “tough love” from “Winkie” Foster as helping him to create his own path. The work he is most proud of is experimental. He is the Producer/Director of Lumenocity, Cincinnati’s premier visual and performance art event which, this past year, attracted 440,000 people to Washington Park for a shared experience. It was the first ever projection mapping to a live symphony orchestra. He owns his own company, Brave Berlin, and serves and chairs many non-profits such as Art Works, CAC, CSO and Cincinnati Film Commission.
Production Designer Paramount Parks - Designed Retail, Restaurants, Shows and
Attractions for Kings Island Amusement Park 1987-1988
Executive Creative Director of FRCH Design Worldwide – Designed Retail and Attractions for Disney, Universal Studies, MGM, Busch Gardens, Sea World, International Spy Museum, Discovery Channel, Under Armour, Harley Davidson, KFC and Starbucks 1988-2000
Executive Creative Director of Landor – Leading Creative Brand Strategy for Kraft Foods and P&G Brands such as Tide, Crest, Old Spice and the Olympics 2008-2014
Founder of Brave Berlin – a Creative Agency Creating and Developing Immersive Experiences for Pepsi, Superbowl, Ford Motor Co. Boca Restaurant Group, Nada, Sotto, Jean-Robert, P&G, The Haile Foundation, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Contemporary Art Center, Cincinnati Art Museum October, 2014
Producer/Director of Lumenocity Cincinnati’s Premier Visual and Performance Art Event
Adjunct Professor and Advisor University of Cincinnati DAPP, CCM
International Speaker Advocating Brand Storytelling and Experiential Design
Keynote Speaker at How Design Conference, National Retail Federation, International
Retail Design Conference, and Euro Shop
Leads Creative Workshops for Major Fortune 500 Brands
Community Leader and Creative Advisor of ArtWorks, Cincinnati Film Commission,
Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and Elementz
Published in ID Magazine, How Magazine, VN&SD
Work Featured in New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Huffington Post