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Our story begins way, way back, with a little girl {a type-A, creative, color-coding, dramatist, who liked to make production schedules for her slumber parties to be exact} who, just like her daddy, loved The Wizard of Oz.
She wanted to live in a world where dreams intersect reality, where merely one door separated a drab existence in shades of gray from a magical adventure in Technicolor; a world where truly anything was possible.
As time went on, she found that the celebrations around her brought a way to tap into this magic.
From extravagant birthday parties and thematic school dances, to over-the-top family gatherings – she started planning them all. The experiences she shared with the ones she loved became the perfect medium to bring a little extra “Technicolor” to life. And thus was born a passion for live events.
An education in Film Production at Chapman University was a foundational step toward the future of ZOē. From the technical production and talent development to the scenic design and location management – films and events both require production prowess and impeccable creative collaboration. Most importantly, just like the best films – every event has the opportunity to tell a story.
But the true first step of ZOē’s adventure down the proverbial ‘Yellow Brick Road’ began just as Dorothy’s first step: from a modest little house. The year was 2002. An Apple eMac, a combo phone/fax machine, and a stylish file cabinet from Staples were tucked into the corner of their bedroom in Irvine, California, and for the first time, co-owners Jessica & Ryan Whitney answered the phone:
Good Morning, ZOē Productions
Along the road, ZOē began to pick up a team with not only brains, courage, and heart (all of which are essential in event production), but also design sense, technical ability, construction expertise, marketing savvy, culinary passion, financial management, an eye for entertainment, and a keen aptitude for logistics.
Though each ZOē team member has a unique skill set and ability, we all share three very important philosophies*.
A collective inquisitiveness and love of life — people, culture, travel, and food.
The story is everything. From classic, epic mythologies to the everyday of human existence; stories are the fabric of life.
Live events have the power to share these stories in new, creative, and comprehensive ways.
*We share additional, miscellaneous eccentricities and deep-rooted passions, which are less earth-shattering, perhaps, but equally worthy of mentioning: conquering late nights and early mornings, a burning love for coffee, color-coding schedules (or anything we can get our hands on), discussing advancements in science and technology (read: high tech toys), training in aerial acrobatics, and dance parties, generally.
Events are the perfect medium for the ZOē team to pour all of our shared passions into. They are an incredible forum for each ZOē crew member to shine in their own field… to express their creativity, or have an outlet for their OCD; whatever each person brings to table. Best of all, events provide the opportunity to share our vision with a live, responsive audience.
If OZ is a metaphor for these events, the ZOē team is sort of like the city planners, the designers, the landscapers, the engineers. They are the architects of Oz; truly the ‘men (and women) behind the curtain’.
But ZOē Productions is doing something that the Wizard never could – making it all come true. Sadly for Dorothy, Oz was just a dream. The crew at ZOē aims for quite the opposite – to bring the dream to life. ZOē injects reality into the magic, creating enchanting environments in 3 dimensions that touch all five senses.
…so why the name ZOē Productions?
Quite simply, it’s the flip-side of OZ: ZO (and an “e” for events).
Thankfully our story is still being told; though we’ve traveled far, our journey is only beginning. The adventure forges on as the ZOē team tackles new challenges, explores new technology, and follows paths to new lands. In this ever-evolving world filled with sound bites, media, and an infinite cycle of stimulation – genuine human connections are paramount. As we move into the future, the ZOē team continues to develop new ways to utilize events to cultivate those connections.
We facilitate the creation of new stories, give new hope to the impossible, and transform moments into memories.
The end results are really quite magical, not far off from the dream of Oz that started it all.
© 2016 - 2024 ZOē PRODUCTIONS