Production Designer Jeff Mann brings a sense of artistry to his work through thoughtful decisions and a propulsive imagination. His knowledge of the film business incorporates an understanding of the logistic and financial intricacies involved in creative decision making; his ability to consult on the mechanical details between idea and product is combined with a genuine resourcefulness. This expertise has proven invaluable to countless producers and creative visionaries.

Selected projects: Mann’s first feature was producer Jerry Bruckheimers’s Gone In Sixty Seconds with director Dominic Sena, a long time commercial client. That opportunity paved the way for landmark design in Mr & Mrs Smith with director Doug Liman, being credited with launching the Transformers series for Michael Bay (having conceived and designed the “race” of robot’s dynamic aesthetics and functional story for live action), and an ongoing collaboration with Ben Stiller which started with Tropic Thunder and continues today with The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty.

Leaving home at age 16 to play out his wild teen years in the thick of L.A. and San Francisco’s burgeoning music culture, Mann honed his sense of irony and befriended many artists who would stick with him for life. Concurrently, he worked as a marine mechanic until age 22, when his circle of friends began working in the fast-and-loose music video (and eventually commercial) world and pulled him into full-time work in the art department. Within a few years he was production designing commercials on his own.

Working in commercials before the CG revolution in the mid 1990s gave Mann the opportunity to adopt the classic skills of creating astounding images in-camera. Mann refined his innate sense of composition and framing in this fast paced medium, learning to trust his instincts, to great effect. He has designed spots for clients including Gucci, Nissan, AOL, Mercedes, Budweiser, Visa, Nike, Levi’s, L’Oreal and Coca-Cola to name a few.

Mann’s unique perspective, sense of proportion, scale, color and mechanical sensibility continued to develop, branding him within the industry as a versatile “go to” guy. The scope of his jobs and accountability rapidly grew and were recognized by forward thinking individuals who were quick to employ him on features.

Mann remains a production designer with something to say. He has a talent for generating unorthodox ideas and selling them. This often includes the farthest reaches of what people think they want—weaving diverse influences into a unique vision for a project. Informal, good natured and top-end professionalism—these traits combined with his vision are key to Mann being a vital asset to the projects he is involved with. Complacency is his enemy.

Mann continues to call Los Angeles his home. He lives in South Pasadena where he loves his wife and two daughters.