Scott Givens is dedicated to leaving a deep and lasting impression on every person experiencing the work his company creates. From spectacles at the Rio 2007 Pan American Games to branding campaigns for the 50th Anniversary of Disneyland, he immerses himself in the story and core messaging to maximize the emotional connection each client seeks with its audience, consumers, fans, or visitors. During a 20 plus year career working on some of the world’s biggest stages—the Super Bowl, Pasadena Rose Parade, Atlanta 1996 Summer Olympic Games, NBA All-Star Game, Australian Football League Grand Final, Singapore’s 50th Jubilee and Salt Lake 2002 Olympic Winter Games—there have been many emotional moments.
Time Magazine’s review of the Salt Lake 2002 Opening Ceremony show proclaimed: “There was some real emotion this night in Salt Lake City.” As the managing creative director, Scott was responsible for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, Olympic Medals Plaza and everything from the color palette and branding to the production of the Olympic Torch Relay’s key moments and design of the Olympic Cauldron. For his work on Salt Lake 2002, Scott was awarded the Olympic Order by President Jacques Rogge of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). This is the IOC’s most prestigious award for service to the Olympics. Based on this success, Scott was retained as a consultant to the IOC and helped oversee the creative and ceremonies in Athens 2004 and Torino 2006. Scott also wrote the IOC Technical Manual on Ceremonies and served as a judge during the selection of the emblems in Beijing 2008 and Vancouver 2010.
Watching Disneyland’s fireworks is all about pure adrenaline and the “ooh” and “awe” of human emotion. Scott led a 2,700-person team during Disneyland’s 50th Anniversary. The $100 plus million “Happiest Homecoming On Earth” lasted for more than a year and included refurbishments of classic attractions and new touches, such as an expansive environmental graphics program that included installing 38 photo mosaics created out of family pictures collected guests through Disneyland’s history. Scott and his team conceived and produced everything from the Block Party Bash at Disney’s California Adventure to Disney’s Parade of Dreams and the nightly “Remember… Dreams Come True” fireworks show at Disneyland.Beyond entertainment, Scott has inspired emotional connections in his work that will impact people for generations.
Since 2005, Scott and his team at FiveCurrents have produced the Clinton Global Initiative. This non-partisan project by Former President William J. Clinton is a catalyst for action bringing together a community of global leaders such as Jordan’s King Abdullah II, Microsoft’s Bill Gates, Sir Richard Branson and President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan to take action against some of the world’s most pressing challenges. The goal of the experience is to inspire systemic action. From its inception, Scott has crafted the live experience aligning nearly 1,000 leaders from business, governments and non-government organizations who have collectively made 1,700 commitments valued at more than $57 billion. These commitments will benefit well over 200 million lives in more than 150 countries.
Scott served as the executive producer for the ceremonies of the Rio 2007 Pan American Games in Brazil. From the Opening Ceremony to daily medal awards and sport production to the Closing Ceremony, Scott’s team managed a $24.7 million budget, cast of more than 7,000 and created the largest shows in Brazil’s 500-year history. Scott’s innovative strategy for the ceremonies also involved an all-Brazilian creative team at its core and a staff that is 97 percent Brazilian. As president of FiveCurrents, a creative and production firm that he founded, Scott’s mission to capture the flow of human emotion permeates all of the company’s work for clients like the Rio 2007 Pan American Games, Clinton Global Initiative, the International Olympic Committee, National Underground Railroad Freedom Center museum and others.
