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