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From backstage to big ideas: Mark Snell ’87 turns theatre tech into experiential design

Mark Snell, Auburn University theatre alumnus, brings storytelling and creativity to brand experiences across the world.

When Snell graduated in 1987 from the Department of Theatre & Dance with a BFA in Theatre Design, he didn’t know that his path would lead him from theatre stages to immersive brand experiences. Today, as an experiential strategist – a professional who designs interactive environments and brand experiences – he remembers his time at Auburn as “hard in the right ways.”

After transferring to Auburn from Samford University, following his now wife, Performance alumna Stephanie Cotton-Snell ’86, he discovered that “this thing called set designing” allowed him to be creative through storytelling and collaboration.

“We all had to have a very broad background, and this was fantastic,” Snell said. “It gave me an extremely strong foundation for understanding the business of theatre.”

Immediately after graduation, Snell attended Virginia Commonwealth University for his MFA in Design. After its completion in 1990, he moved to Florida pursuing a career in set design close to an emerging theme park: Universal Studios.

“I wanted to be the designer,” said Snell, explaining how after knocking on Universal Studios’ door and not getting an answer, SeaWorld hired him as scenic artist to work on the remaking of all their major show sets. But, despite being hired to paint, he started to assist the set designer, rendering all day and drafting show plans by hand.

After all the sets at SeaWorld were finished, he started doing design work for Universal and Disney as a freelancer, working with sound, lights, sets and costumes, and applying the foundational skills that he had acquired during his college years.

While theatre was always a constant in his life, Snell’s focus became designing shows and attractions, including LEGOLAND California, a Volkswagen brand center in Germany, and dozens of theme parks in Asia, among other projects. In 2004, after a shift in the corporate world towards immersive brand experiences, Snell became an experiential strategist.

Although he had never met an experiential designer before becoming one himself, Snell explains how everything is connected.

“I left Auburn thinking how the audience going to feel before, during and after the show,” said Snell, who is now based in Boston, Massachusetts.

Today, as chief of experience officer at Harborview Creative, he designs spaces where lights, sounds, architecture and human interaction guide emotion and engagement.

“We can tailor the experience to meet their needs or to influence their transition from one head space or emotional space to another,” Snell said.

Despite rapid technology changes, Snell believes the fundamentals he learned during his time at Auburn still hold true.

“I’ve made a career out of doing things that have never been done before,” said Snell, who encourages students who want to pursue a career path in technical theatre to broaden their skills and hone a strong foundation.

Snell is currently helping open new experience centers, including a high-tech visitor space at the Opelika Chamber of Commerce, complete with what he calls “a lot of Easter eggs.” Soon, Auburn and Opelika locals will see firsthand how an Auburn theatre education can lead to big ideas that extend far beyond the stage.

Tags: Theatre and Dance Alumni