Doris Hardoon : Buzz Price Thea Award - Recognizing a Lifetime of Distinguished Achievements

Themed Entertainment Leader, Executive Creative Director and Producer

THE BUZZ PRICE THEA AWARD - RECOGNIZING A LIFETIME OF DISTINGUISHED ACHIEVEMENTS

Doris Hardoon began her illustrative career in 1975 as a graphic designer at Marine World Africa USA. This invaluable experience introduced her to the world of entertainment design.

In 1979 Doris was hired by now Disney Legends Marty Sklar, John Hench and Rolly Crump as a junior designer at WED Enterprises (now Walt Disney Imagineering), quickly evolving into lead designer, creative director and producer on projects that included the Land Pavilion, seven World Showcase galleries at EPCOT Center, Disneyland Park in Anaheim, Tokyo Disneyland, Disneyland Paris, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Disney Cruise Line, and Disney urban entertainment centers, nationwide.

Doris went on to become a senior executive creative director, producer, and creative portfolio lead for several theme parks and resorts, such as the designed-but-never-built WESTCOT Center in Anaheim and Long Beach DisneySea projects. Doris is one of the few creative executives to have contributed her design and leadership skills to all six of Disney’s Magic Kingdom-style theme parks in the world. During her career at Walt Disney Imagineering, Doris was also one of a few creative executives responsible for the design and implementation of large-scale, non-Disney installations such as Autry Museum of the American West and Port Discovery – the Baltimore Children’s Museum.

Upon successfully leading her team to complete the original Hong Kong Disneyland concept, and actively participating in the signing agreement with the Hong Kong Government, Doris left Imagineering for nine years to spend time with her family while continuing her design career in the entertainment industry as the co-founder and owner of Taft Design + Associates. In 2009, she was invited by Bob Weis to rejoin Imagineering as one of the designers and creative leadership team members on Shanghai Disney Resort.

In her role as executive creative director and producer for Shanghai Disney Resort, Doris provided overall creative direction and team guidance which included designers, artists, writers, architects, operators, and consulting partners in developing the overarching concepts for specific areas within the theme park and overall resort. Her oversight included the realization of the design philosophy “Authentically Disney and Distinctly Chinese” throughout the resort. Once the concepts had been defined, she followed through with internal talent and valued consulting production teams in developing the ideas into reality, while always maintaining the vision of the original concepts throughout the process.

Upon recently retiring from Walt Disney Imagineering after 31 years, Doris launched her global connections and design consultancy company, DDesign, so she can continue to offer her creative artistry with emphasis on fostering innovative spirit for present and future generations in the entertainment industry. Doris builds upon the relationships and connections with various industries and academic institutions to reach professionals and inspire emerging talent to new heights.

Doris is of Eurasian descent, born and raised in Hong Kong with family roots in Shanghai, China. She graduated from California College of the Arts with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Graphic Design with Distinction. She is fluent in Shanghainese, Cantonese, and English.