Bran Ferren

Bran Ferren

Action portrait of a man in his fifties with a bushy, strawberry-blond beard seated while speaking wearing a safari jacket and gold watch

Ferren at the 2005 O'Reilly Emerging Technology Conference
Born (1953-01-16) January 16, 1953[1]
New York City, New York, U.S.
Nationality American
Alma mater MIT[2]
Occupation Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer, Applied Minds[3]
Relatives John Ferren (father)

Bran Ferren (born January 16, 1953), is an American technologist,[4][5] artist,[6] architectural designer,[7][8] vehicle designer,[9][10][11] engineer,[9][10][11] lighting and sound designer,[12][13] visual effects artist,[14] scientist,[15] lecturer,[16][17] photographer,[18] entrepreneur,[19] and inventor.[20] Ferren is the former President of Research and Development of Walt Disney Imagineering[21] as well as founder of Associates & Ferren, a multidisciplinary engineering and design firm acquired in 1993 by Disney.[22] He is Chief Creative Officer of Applied Minds, which he co-founded in 2000 with Danny Hillis. Apple’s “pinch-to-zoom” patent, which features prominently in its legal battle with Samsung, was invalidated by the US Patent and Trademark Office in 2013 based on a 2005 patent by Ferren and Hillis for multi-touch gestures.[23][24]

Early life

Bran Ferren was the only child of artists John Ferren and Rae Ferren.[7] He grew up surrounded by art, artists, and technology. His father, whose work is part of the permanent collections of many American art museums, mixed with luminaries such as Picasso, Miró, and Mondrian[25] before becoming an integral member of the New York School of Abstract Expressionists.[26] His father was also personal friends with Alfred Hitchcock and created paintings for The Trouble with Harry and designed the nightmare sequence in Vertigo.[27] Ferren's uncles came from the worlds of engineering and technology: Roy Ferren served as director of flight test for North American Aviation[28] (later North American Rockwell), and Stanley Tonkel, a noted senior recording engineer for Columbia Records, engineered recordings for artists such as Miles Davis.[29]

Ferren started his first design company, Synchronetics while in high school.[30] He left high school at age 16 to attend MIT, but departed in 1970 to continue entrepreneurial pursuits. Before his 21st birthday, Ferren had worked on TV commercials, films, and regional theater. He had also pioneered visual effects for arena concerts for groups such as Emerson, Lake & Palmer using pyrotechnics, audio, and novel lighting techniques.[30][31]

Career

Associates & Ferren

Ferren founded Associates & Ferren at the age of 25[1][3][4] to do work at the "crossroads of design and science and entertainment."[31] One of the first projects was for Broadway play The Crucifer of Blood, a Sherlock Holmes mystery that starred Glenn Close and won Ferren a Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle award.[32] The production featured a “shattering display of thunder and lightning”,[33] which got the attention of director Ken Russell, leading to Ferren’s first prominent assignment on a major film, Altered States.[30]

For his work in theatre, Ferren received the New York Drama Desk Award, the Maharam Foundation Award, and was the recipient of the Wally Russell Lifetime Achievement Award for lighting design.[34]

As principal designer of Associates & Ferren, Ferren went on to lead many high-profile projects, such as special effects for the Paul McCartney World Tour,[15] Pink Floyd,[1][35] and visual effects for Little Shop of Horrors. He also produced, directed, and did cinematography for the movie “Funny”, which received a Nomination for a Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival.[36] “Funny” features over 100 individuals, from Dick Cavett to Frank Zappa, telling their favorite jokes on camera.[37]

Ferren served as lead designer, engineer, and producer of the 50-state, 16-month tour of the Bill of Rights, which celebrated the document's bicentennial.[11][38] For the tour, he designed and built the Bill of Rights Secure Transit Vehicle, which transported the fragile parchment document, as well as a 15,000-square-foot travelling exhibit equipped with state-of-the-art lighting, A/V, security, and safety systems.

By the time Disney acquired Associates & Ferren in 1993, the company had won an Academy Award for Science and Engineering as well as two Academy Awards for Technical Achievement.[39][40] Ferren was also nominated for an Oscar for Best Visual Effects for “Little Shop of Horrors”.[41]

His entertainment industry projects at Associates & Ferren include:

The Walt Disney Company

Ferren led the Disney Imagineering R&D group as Senior Vice President, then Executive Vice President, before eventually becoming President of R&D and Creative Technology for Disney.[21] According to his former boss, CEO Michael Eisner, Ferren’s mission was “to dream about the future and show us new and innovative ways to tell stories”.[48] Ferren supported Disney’s Strategic Planning Group and had direct involvement in a wide variety of technology projects for Disney Theme Parks, such as the Tower of Terror ride, the Test Track by General Motors, the Virtual Reality Animation Studio, and ABC Television projects.[49] His team was responsible for engineering the ABC Times Square Studios curved LED ticker display.[50][51]

In 1996, Ferren created the Disney Fellows Program which attracted some of the brightest minds in Computer Science, including Alan Kay, Marvin Minsky, and Seymour Papert, as well as astronaut Story Musgrave.[52] The first Disney fellow was parallel-computing pioneer Hillis[53] with whom Ferren went on to found technology innovation and design firm Applied Minds in 2000. Applied Minds is still headquartered in Glendale, California, around the block from Imagineering headquarters.

Applied Minds

Ferren's company Applied Minds (AMI) has been described as a “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” for geeks.[19] AMI invents, designs, prototypes, and creates high-technology products, vehicles, architectural designs, and services for government institutions and Fortune 100 companies.[54][55] For example, the Smithsonian American Art Museum selected Applied Minds as winner of an international design competition for the renovation of the Renwick Gallery's Grand Salon.[56] AMI also spins off technology companies. Notable spinouts include Metaweb, purchased by Google in 2010[57][58] and cancer diagnostics firm Advanced Proteomics.[59] In his role as Chief Creative Officer and Co-Chairman, Ferren serves as lead technical consultant, management consultant, systems engineer, engineer, and designer across multiple disciplines.

Ferren has been named inventor on over 500 current and pending US patents.[20][60] His 2005 patent with Hillis for multi-touch gestures led to the invalidation of Apple's “pinch-to-zoom” patent, which Apple cited in its billion-dollar lawsuit against Samsung.[23][24] Another of his patents is for Metaweb, a contextual database technology that Google acquired in 2010 and which now underlies Knowledge Graph.[61] Google claims Knowledge Graph is “a critical first step towards building the next generation of search”. Its output appears on a panel to the right in Google search results or in a carousel at the top of the screen. In addition, Knowledge Graph technology drives Google's autocomplete feature in the search box.[62]

At Applied Minds, Ferren has also been lead designer and engineer on a number of vehicle projects:

His architectural and interior design projects include Lockheed Martin's Center for Innovation, known as "The Lighthouse".[65][66]

Public speaking

Ferren has an extensive public speaking career that has spanned a wide range of professional, government, and academic audiences. His over 200 speaking engagements include Harvard's Center for Public Leadership,[67] MIT Media Lab,[68][69] Wharton,[70] NASA,[17] Air Force,[71] National Academy of Engineering,[72] Intel Corporation,[73] the Smithsonian,[74] and TED.[75][76]

Advisory board memberships

Ferren's advisory work has included board memberships at the U.S. Federal Communications Commission,[77] Securities and Exchange Commission,[78] International Design Conference in Aspen,[79][80] PBS Kids[81] and the science magazine Nautilus.[82] He has also served as a member of the Army Science Board for 5 years,[83] the Defense Science Board,[84] the Naval Historical Foundation Advisory Council,[85] and the Chief of Naval Operations Executive Panel.[86] Bran Ferren is a member of the CuriosityStream Advisory Board. [87]

Fine art photography

Two of his photographs have been accepted into the Smithsonian Museum for American Art permanent collection.[88] He has presented and exhibited his artwork at 2008 the Entertainment Gathering (e.g.) Conference.[89]

Creative collaborations

In 2009, Ferren collaborated with Laurie Anderson on the “The Third Mind” exhibition at the Guggenheim Museum in New York.[90] In 2004, he helped to develop a gigapixel image system and 360 degree cyclorama with artist/photographer Clifford Ross.[91] He had creative meetings with Jim Henson in 1988 about a Muppets theme park prior to Henson selling his company to Disney.[92]

Quotes

In popular culture

The final scene in the 1980s music video "Take on Me" by A-ha was inspired by the similar scene designed by Ferren in Altered States.[103][104]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Phelan, J. Greg (February 26, 1995). "Sound Bytes; Disney's Virtual Visionary". The New York Times. Retrieved January 16, 2012.
  2. ↑ "How Smart Are You?". Discover Magazine. December 3, 2003. Retrieved January 16, 2012.
  3. 1 2 "Smithsonian 2.0 Conference Participants". Retrieved January 16, 2012.
  4. 1 2 "Talking Back to the Machine" (PDF). Retrieved January 16, 2012.
  5. ↑ "Designing Bits & Pieces: Creativity; Design & Materials; and Sensors, Actuators & Displays". Retrieved January 16, 2012.
  6. ↑ "pomegranate arts – Laurie Anderson – artists". Retrieved January 16, 2012.
  7. 1 2 "An Architect of Special Effects Builds for Himself". The New York Times. January 4, 1990. Retrieved January 16, 2012.
  8. ↑ "Lockheed Martin's Center for Innovation". Retrieved January 16, 2012.
  9. 1 2 3 "Maximog: A scientist builds the ultimate vehicle for field research". Discover Magazine. June 1, 2003. Retrieved January 16, 2012.
  10. 1 2 3 "MAXIMOG". Retrieved January 16, 2012.
  11. 1 2 3 "The Bill of Rights Tour: safeguarding freedom's symbol." (PDF). Retrieved September 1, 2013.
  12. 1 2 "THEATER: 'FRANKENSTEIN' HAS PREMIERE AT PALACE". The New York Times. January 5, 1981. Retrieved January 16, 2012.
  13. ↑ "THEATER: 'SPOOKHOUSE'". The New York Times. May 3, 1984. Retrieved January 16, 2012.
  14. ↑ "Welcome to the Machine: The story of Pink Floyds live sound". Retrieved January 16, 2012.
  15. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Champlin, Charles (September 12, 1989). "Bran Ferren: Master of Arts and Sciences". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 16, 2012.
  16. ↑ "Harvard CPL Leadership Speaker Series: Bran Ferren". Retrieved January 16, 2012.
  17. 1 2 "Bran Ferren". Retrieved January 16, 2012.
  18. ↑ "Bran Ferren << The Entertainment Gathering". Retrieved January 16, 2012.
  19. 1 2 "Applied Minds Think Remarkably". Wired. June 21, 2005. Archived from the original on January 14, 2012. Retrieved January 16, 2012.
  20. 1 2 "Patent Database Search Results: IN/bran AND IN/ferren in US Patent Collection". Retrieved January 16, 2012.
  21. 1 2 "Valley People". Los Angeles Times. March 16, 1999. Retrieved January 16, 2012.
  22. ↑ "Future Perfect: The Next Magic Kingdom". The New Yorker. October 20, 1997. Retrieved January 16, 2012.
  23. 1 2 "Apple Loses Another Patent Relevant to Samsung Case". July 30, 2013. Retrieved August 23, 2013.
  24. 1 2 "Springs' Own Beats Apple: Pinch to Zoom patent goes to Bran Ferren". August 29, 2013. Retrieved September 1, 2013.
  25. ↑ Glueck, Grace (April 3, 1998). "ART IN REVIEW". The New York Times. Retrieved January 16, 2012.
  26. ↑ "John Ferren Biography". Retrieved January 16, 2012.
  27. ↑ "The world gone wiggy: The Trouble with Harry (1955)". Retrieved January 16, 2012.
  28. ↑ Blackburn, Al (1998). Aces Wild: The Race for Mach 1. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 0842027327. Retrieved July 29, 2013.
  29. ↑ Lawrence, Tim (2009). Hold On to Your Dreams: Arthur Russell and the Downtown Music Scene, 1973–1992. Duke University Press Books. ISBN 0822344858. Retrieved July 29, 2013.
  30. 1 2 3 Haseltine, Eric (2010). Long Fuse, Big Bang: Achieving Long-Term Success Through Daily Victories. Hyperion. ISBN 1401323634. Retrieved January 16, 2012.
  31. 1 2 Remnick, David (October 20, 1997). "The Next Magic Kingdom: FUTURE PERFECT". The New Yorker. Retrieved January 16, 2012.
  32. 1 2 "Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle – 1980–1989 LADCC Awards". Archived from the original on February 10, 2009. Retrieved January 16, 2012.
  33. ↑ Country Life Volume 165. Country Life, Ltd. 1979. p. 1063.
  34. ↑ "Curiosity Expert : Bran Ferren : Discovery Channel". Retrieved September 8, 2013.
  35. 1 2 "Pink Floyd and Company – Pink Floyd Articles and Reviews: Sound on Stage, March 1997". Retrieved August 5, 2013.
  36. ↑ "Sundance Film Festival (1989)". Retrieved January 16, 2012.
  37. ↑ "Funny, Archives, Sundance Institute". Retrieved January 16, 2012.
  38. ↑ "Visitors moved, impressed by Bill of Rights exhibit 3-day stay in Baltimore begins for touring display". Retrieved September 1, 2013.
  39. ↑ Atkinson, Terry (March 25, 1987). "Tech Oscars Recognize Films' Off-screen Stars". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 16, 2012.
  40. ↑ "Academy Awards, USA (1983)". Retrieved August 15, 2013.
  41. ↑ "The 59th Academy Awards Nominees and Winners". Retrieved January 16, 2012.
  42. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Bran ferren – IMDB". Retrieved September 8, 2013.
  43. ↑ "The Untouchables". The New York Times. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
  44. ↑ "The light fantastic". Retrieved September 8, 2013.
  45. 1 2 3 "Oscar-winning firm will design the exhibits for Columbus Center". Retrieved September 6, 2013.
  46. ↑ Farber, Stephen (August 29, 1982). "A WHIZ BREWS AN ILL WIND THAT BLOWS WELL". New York Times. Retrieved September 6, 2013.
  47. ↑ "Associates and Ferren". Retrieved September 6, 2013.
  48. ↑ "Ferren heads R&D, tech at Imagineering". Variety. March 9, 1999. Retrieved January 16, 2012.
  49. ↑ "Ferren Named President of Walt Disney Imagineering Research and Development and Creative Technology.". Retrieved January 16, 2012.
  50. ↑ "Part ABC Studio, Part Disney Billboard". New York Times. September 18, 1999. Retrieved September 1, 2013.
  51. ↑ "ABC Times Square Studios: Good Morning in Times Square". Retrieved September 1, 2013.
  52. ↑ "Disney's Wizards". Newsweek. August 10, 1997. Retrieved January 16, 2012.
  53. ↑ "Disney's Mickey Mensa Club". Business Week. March 8, 1999. Retrieved January 16, 2012.
  54. ↑ "The 100 Most Creative People in Business 2011". Retrieved August 15, 2013.
  55. ↑ "Curiosity Bran Ferren Bio". Retrieved January 16, 2012.
  56. ↑ "Smithsonian American Art Museum Selects Winner for Renwick Gallery Grand Salon Design Competition". June 14, 2013. Retrieved September 1, 2013.
  57. ↑ "Official Google Blog: Deeper understanding with Metaweb". Retrieved January 16, 2012.
  58. ↑ "Metaweb Technologies CrunchBase Profile". Retrieved January 16, 2012.
  59. ↑ Tweney, Dylan (June 23, 2011). "How to Make a Clock Run for 10,000 Years". Wired. Retrieved January 16, 2012.
  60. ↑ "Bran Ferren -- Economist Conferences UK". Retrieved September 1, 2013.
  61. ↑ "Introducing the Knowledge Graph: things, not strings". May 16, 2012. Retrieved August 23, 2013.
  62. ↑ "Google Knowledge Graph Going Global For English Speakers, Will Appear In Auto-Complete Results". August 8, 2012. Retrieved September 1, 2013.
  63. ↑ "Bran Ferren on Building the Ultimate Concept Vehicle". Retrieved August 15, 2013.
  64. ↑ "Army AL&T" (PDF). Retrieved August 15, 2013.
  65. ↑ "Center for Innovation". Retrieved September 1, 2013.
  66. ↑ "Lockheed Martin Center for Innovation". Retrieved September 1, 2013.
  67. ↑ "Leadership Speaker Series: Bran Ferren". Retrieved September 8, 2013.
  68. ↑ "MIT Media Lab -- Searching for bran ferren". Retrieved September 8, 2013.
  69. ↑ "Designing Bits and Pieces Agenda". Retrieved September 8, 2013.
  70. ↑ "After Broadband: Imagining a Future When Networks Are All Pervasive". Retrieved September 8, 2013.
  71. ↑ "Air Force Association Blog". Retrieved September 8, 2013.
  72. ↑ "NAE Website – Participant Roster from Engineer of 2020: Visioning and Scenario-Development Workshop". Retrieved September 8, 2013.
  73. ↑ "Intel Developer Forum". Retrieved September 8, 2013.
  74. ↑ "Who doesn't love whiteboards -- Smithsonian 2.0". Retrieved September 8, 2013.
  75. ↑ "The TED2 Conference Writeup -- 22 Years Later". Retrieved September 8, 2013.
  76. ↑ "Wired 8.02: The Wurmanizer". Retrieved September 8, 2013.
  77. ↑ "FCC ANNOUNCES FORMATION OF THE TECHNOLOGICAL ADVISORY COUNCIL". Retrieved September 8, 2013.
  78. ↑ "SEC to Host Technology Roundtable -- FINRA". Retrieved September 8, 2013.
  79. ↑ "Aspen Historical Society -- Info Nugget". Retrieved September 8, 2013.
  80. ↑ "35th Anniversary of the Internet – Speaker Bios". Retrieved September 8, 2013.
  81. ↑ "PBS Kids Next Generation Advisory Board" (PDF). Retrieved September 8, 2013.
  82. ↑ "Nautilus Magazine Board of Advisors". Retrieved September 22, 2014.
  83. ↑ "Army Science Board 1997 Summer Study Final Report". Retrieved September 8, 2013.
  84. ↑ Defense Science Board (2007). Strategic Communication: Report of the Defense Science Board. Crossbow Press. ISBN 9780615140612. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
  85. ↑ "Dynamic New Lighting for Submarine Exhibit -- Naval Historical Foundation". Retrieved September 8, 2013.
  86. ↑ "A New Maritime Strategy" (PDF). Retrieved September 8, 2013.
  87. ↑ "CuriosityStream Advisory Board". Retrieved 31 August 2015.
  88. ↑ "Artwork Search Results -- American Art". Retrieved September 8, 2013.
  89. ↑ "Bran Ferren << The Entertainment Gathering". Retrieved September 8, 2013.
  90. ↑ "Walker Art Center Liquid Music Series". Retrieved September 8, 2013.
  91. ↑ "information immersion interactivity" (PDF). Retrieved September 8, 2013.
  92. ↑ "Creative meetings about Theme Park Concepts with Bran Ferren". Jim Henson's Red Book. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
  93. ↑ "How to Stop Worrying and Learn to Love the Internet". Retrieved September 8, 2013.
  94. ↑ "The Creators". The New York Times Magazine. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
  95. ↑ "Could reading and writing ever be replaced?". Retrieved September 8, 2013.
  96. ↑ Guber, Peter (2011). Tell to Win. Crown Business. ISBN 0307587975. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
  97. ↑ "Wired 9.01: A Conversation About The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly". Wired Magazine. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
  98. ↑ "Westfall design: Quotes We Like". Retrieved September 8, 2013.
  99. ↑ "Technology Predictions". Retrieved September 8, 2013.
  100. ↑ "Design Mindfullness" (PDF). Retrieved September 8, 2013.
  101. ↑ "Strategies for Peak Performance". Retrieved September 8, 2013.
  102. ↑ "PC Sector Round Table Message Board". Retrieved September 8, 2013.
  103. ↑ "Videos: The Official Website of a-ha". Retrieved January 16, 2012.
  104. ↑ "Revisiting Cinefex (4): Outland and Altered States". Retrieved January 16, 2012.

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