Staff

Robert Dean

Founder

What you always wanted to know about Robert…
A native of Las Vegas, Robert is not a “title” person; his official title is Janitor Emeritus, but in truth he is the creative force for the company. He is a third generation IATSE member who began learning the craft of flying with Peter Foy almost 25 years ago. Although grateful to learn from such a legendary pioneer, he felt his potential would never be fully recognized at Foy Enterprises and he left to make his own mark. In 1994, he founded ZFX in his two car garage and drove for eight hours with a bundle of I-beam strapped to ski-racks on top of his sedan to install ZFX job #1. Now, thanks to 20 years of hard work, ZFX is known world-wide for their innovation and infectious enthusiasm, as well as for their quirky sense of humor. You’ll never find Robert sitting on his laurels about what he has done right, but instead focused on what can be still be improved. According to Robert, the American Dream is still a real thing and he gives his life story as proof.

Favorite ZFX gigs:
The First ZFX Peter Pan in 1995
Prestonwood Baptist Church’s Christmas Show (19 years!)
Solving problems under duress
Any project in any place he hasn’t already visited

Favorite part of ZFX…
Being surrounded by artists and craftsmen who are dedicated to coming to fun.

What you never thought you would know about Robert…
Danger is his middle name. It is spelled like William but pronounced like Danger.

Robert’s Stats…
Actual quote: “That’s still not right.” or “Did you ever notice…”
Education: Robert is an autodidactic polymath who shuns sesquipedalianists
Nom de Guerre: Dean-Oh!; (Japanese) Loba-yan; (Chinese) Jackie Chan; (Arabic) Ibn-Battuta
Other Artistic Endeavors: Photographer, Storyteller (it’s a lost art)
States Visited: All 50
Countries Visited: 60+
Favorite Places: Mojave Desert, Utrecht
What he wants on his tombstone: “After-life-ing the American dream”

Email: rdean@zfxflying.com

Emily Ballou

Vice President

Gert Jan Brouwer

President ZFX-Europe

Kalen Larson

Director of Operations

Harry Love

Logistics Manager

Jennifer Thompson

Senior Flying Producer

Steve Rockhold

Flying Producer

What you always wanted to know about Steve…
Steve was born and raised in Kentucky. He wasted most of his youth playing sports and choreographing sweet battle scenes with G.I. Joes and Transformers and the original 5-Lion Voltron and other excellent socially acceptable male dolls…(cough cough)….erm….action figures. All of which he still has. It took Steve 10 years to officially graduate from college. He was living in NYC performing, writing, and having a good time when he finally got his diploma in the mail. He was on a city league basketball team in Manhattan and has balled with some of the most hardcore I.T. Professionals, Teachers and Salespeople in the city. He returned to Kentucky to be closer to his family, and luckily the job at ZFX sort of fell in his lap. And what do you do when a lovable critter jumps in your lap? Pet it, of course. Steve has been with ZFX for several years now, and he even scratches behind its ears.

Favorite thing about ZFX: He can curse all day, wear silly t-shirts, and everyone here works really hard.

Favorite projects: Dropping 50 Cent into a boxing ring. (Well, we set him down gently, actually.)

What you never thought you would know about Steve… He has performed stand-up comedy at least three whole times. And lived to tell the tale.

Steve’s Stats:
Actual quote: “Silliness is its own reward.”
Education: B.A. in Communications, Georgetown College. Masters in Urban Wisdom from the mean streets of Bowling Green, KY.
Call Sign: People stopped liking him enough to assign him a pet name, so he’s just Steve.
Other Artistic Endeavors: He wrote three un-published novels and is currently working on his fourth.
States visited: 21
Countries visited: Mexico.
Favorite places: New York City, the state of Kentucky, and the Red River Gorge.
What he wants on his tombstone: He had a way with words. (With all of that other stuff about loving husband, father, etc. in the event of a wife and kids.)

Email: srockhold@zfxflying.com

Ashleé Austin

Office & Travel Manager

Brian Owens

Senior Flying Director

Andrea Gentry

Senior Flying Director

Michelle Kadikian

Senior Flying Director

What you always wanted to know about Michelle:
Michelle grew up in one of those small towns where there isn’t a lot of access to arts and culture, so she didn’t even consider working in the theatre until she filled some empty space in her high school schedule with a drama class. Before she knew it, she was going to school all day and spending all night at rehearsal. She kept pursuing a career in technical theatre in college, and ended up spending eleven years as a deck chief before finding her place at ZFX.
As a kid, she wanted to be Indiana Jones when she grew up. The funny thing is, her current jet-setting role at ZFX requires her to be more like Indy than if she had actually become an archeologist. Her place is on the road; she feels most useful there and that’s where she learns the most. She is an expert automation technician, and her organizational skills from her time as a deck chief make her one of ZFX’s most valuable players. Whether she’s wiring hoists and drives, or troubleshooting automation with clients on location, she cherishes every opportunity to learn something new while helping to realize an artistic vision.

Favorite thing about ZFX: Learning every single day from the best people in the industry, constant challenges that keep things interesting.

Favorite projects:
Evolution in Shenzen, China
Peter Pan at Memphis Ballet

What you never thought you’d know about Michelle: She spent all four years of high school as a proud member of the FFA before she got into theatre. Because of all the traveling she does, she’s not a Present Farmer of America, but she still plans on getting back to her roots sometime in the future.

Michelle‘s Stats:
Actual quote: (boisterous super-villain laugh)
Education: BA in Technical Theatre from California State University at Stanislaus.
Call Sign/Alias: Don’t call her “Tinkerchelle”; she’s far too powerful for that little name.
Other Artistic Endeavors: Cross-stitching, jamming/jellying.
States visited: 15
Countries visited: Canada, Bahamas, South Korea, China, Mexico, Argentina, Peru, USA.
Favorite Places: SHENZEN!!!
What she wants on her tombstone: There’s a little string that you pull and her pre-recorded spooky laugh comes out of a speaker. Just think about how creepy that’s gonna sound after the batteries start to die. Whew.

Email: mkadikian@zfxflying.com

Shad Ramsey

Flying Director

Sean Roschman

Flying Director

Wesley Miller

Flying Director

Eric Brown

Flying Director

Russ Morgan

Flying Director

What you always wanted to know about Russ:
Simply put, Russ loves people. But unlike most philanthropists, he shows his love for humanity by flying them around onstage. Working with clients is his favorite part of being a Flying Director. And the nice part is, they love him back! People are constantly requesting him when they hire ZFX for their flying productions. (For example, he’s worked with one particular high school in California around 20 times!) Russ has been involved in theater, both onstage and behind-the-scenes, since 1996. He doesn’t prove his experience by sitting around telling stories; he proves it by teaching his clients everything he knows. Coming from a background of Little League coaching and coordinating youth theater, he especially loves working with kids. He’s known for his attentiveness and patience; when clients ask to try something again, he’s fond of saying, “Sure I can, just put another quarter in.”

Russ is a truly laid-back dude, and he loves living in Southern California (where else can you begin the day with surfing and end it with skiing? Can you blame him?). He doesn’t surf as much as he used to, but it has certainly kept him young. Besides working with people, the real treat of his job is the challenge of coming up with new choreography and flying effects for shows. “But that’s what makes it fun. If it was the same thing over and over I’d quit. Once it becomes a job then I quit.”

Favorite thing about ZFX: Meeting people around the world, going places he’d never get to go to if it weren’t for being a Flying Director. You know, fun!

Favorite projects: So many that it’s hard to list them. The traditional ones, especially: Peter Pan, The Wizard of Oz, Mary Poppins, Beauty and the Beast, Tarzan.

What you never thought you’d know about Russ: Of all the famous folks he’s met, Dick Van Dyke was the nicest. He was fascinated with flying, and they talked about absolutely nothing for about an hour. That’s class!

Russ‘s Stats:
Actual quote: “I’ve had a good time. I got no complaints.”
Education:
Call Sign/Alias:
Other Artistic Endeavors:
States visited: 48 (all but Maine and Alaska)
Countries visited: New Zealand.
Favorite Places: New Zealand (he worked on The Wizard of Oz there when he first started out…how fun does that sound?!)

Email: rmorgan@zfxflying.com

Johnathon Tackett

Special Project Manager

What you always wanted to know about Johnathon:
Johnathon began his path to ZFX as an Accounting major at the University of Tennessee. He didn’t know it would lead him here, but that’s the magical part of the story. He wanted to open a hot rod shop and he thought some accounting would look good on his loan application. But while choosing his general education courses, he decided to take classes in theatre and a scene design. He quickly realized his knack for CAD (that’s Computer-Aided Design) translated to a real strength in scene design. He never did take that Accounting class. His story rings true with one of ZFX’s founding concepts – that sometimes you have to ignore the traditional path to success and listen to your inner voice of ingenuity. (Don’t be scared; it’s a healthy voice with a soulful timbre.)
Johnathon spent years honing his craft, and eventually landed at ZFX Headquarters in Louisville, Kentucky. Here, he is an invaluable shop brain. He’s not satisfied just focusing on one aspect of managing projects; he likes to have a hand in everything from the design to coordinating with clients. Mostly involved in permanent install projects, his quick mind and maniacal laugh give him sort of a mad shop scientist feel; which is something you just don’t see everyday.

Favorite thing about ZFX: The broad range of things he gets to work on: not just budgeting and coordinating with clients; but also designing, and going out in the shop to do fab work. And he gets to see the world.

Favorite projects:
Uniqlo Hong Kong
Dixie Stampede Pigeon Forge
NASA hoist for JPL

What you never thought you’d know about Johnathon: His parents put an “H” in the John part of his name, in the event that he ever wanted to go by John, he wouldn’t have to misspell it Jon. (That’s right, Jons of the world – you’re doing it wrong.)

Johnathon‘s Stats:
Actual quote: “I think it would be really cool if we had a shop donkey.”
Education: Bachelor of Arts in Theatre from the University of Tennessee Knoxville, emphasis in scenic design.
Call Sign/Alias: Tackett
Other Artistic Endeavors: (none)
States visited: 22
Countries visited: Hong Kong, China, Macau, Japan, Korea, Sweden, Qatar, Italy, Netherlands, Germany
Favorite Places: Knoxville, Utrecht, Louisville, San Antonio (Even though it is in Texas)
Tombstone: “I’m letting you have shotgun, but that’s only because I’m dead.”

Email: jtackett@zfxflying.com

Brandon Sudiswa

Manufacturing Project Manager

What you always wanted to know about Brandon…
Brandon was born in Conway, SC and raised in the Myrtle Beach area. Though he now resides in Louisville, KY, Brandon has lived in the tourist towns of Myrtle Beach, SC and Pigeon Forge, TN, making him one of few people who can say they have lived in the two Putt-Putt capitals of the world.

Raised on a small farm, Brandon grew, harvested, and sold fruits and vegetables as a child, moving on to the tobacco fields as a teenager. As early as the age of 6 he began hands-on mechanical projects, often learning from his three uncles who had heavy equipment, an automotive shop, and shared a jack-of-all-trades approach to life and building things. Brandon reckons he’s now a true life American picker (you know, the kind that randomly pulls up in a driveway to ask about some junk in the back – just without a flyer and a camera crew.)

In higher education, Brandon did a stint studying computer science, but ended up returning to his first love: working with his hands and building things. Soon thereafter he found a job that utilized both his mechanical skills and those same programming skills he’d thought weren’t for him. Ten years on, that job had allowed Brandon to grow in many ways he’ll always be thankful for, and in no small part because it led him to ZFX where he continues to grow and learn the crafts of American Manufacturing. Becoming an American Craftsman and taking pride in his work is a daily reward.

When Brandon is not at work he enjoys being with his family: his wife of ten years, Jodi, and their two little boys, Adam and Landon. The Sudiswas get outdoors for fishing and kayaking whenever they can.

Favorite ZFX Project:
Obtaining TUV certification on ZFX’s secondary action quick-release harness clip.

Favorite part of ZFX…
The drive and speed at which we can design, prototype, and manufacture.

The motivation to continually seek efficiencies.

What you never thought you would know about Brandon…
His first name is Amerindo, which is derived from his heritage… his father is Indonesian and his mother is American. They blended the first four letters of each country to came up with his name.

His voice doesn’t match most people’s expectation of his appearance. Per Brandon: “The look of an Asian and the voice of a country bumpkin wearing a straw hat, chewing on hay.”

Brandon’s Stats…
Education: Some college at Coastal Carolina University. On-the-job experience. Google and YouTube…(seriously, he learned how to program and run a CNC vertical mill with google and YouTube).
Nom de Guerre: Munk
Other Artistic Endeavors: Art of fly fishing (that’s an art form right?)
States Visited: 18
Countries Visited: 1
Favorite Places: If there are fish and the water is salty it’s my favorite.
What he wants on his tombstone: Hopefully he has many years to come up with this one

Email: bsudiswa@zfxflying.com

Jacques Mugnier

Harness Master

What you always wanted to know about Jacques:

After college Jacques moved to Paris, France to work in Haute Couture and landed THE dream job: a studio position working with Monsieur Yves Saint Laurent for 5 years. He then moved to NYC to continue his work in women’s evening wear. After 15 years working for Ralph Lauren Collections, Vera Wang Collections and Bridal, Calvin Klein Collections, and Jason Wu (yes, he made all those pretty frocks worn by Michelle Obama!)…. he decided to quit all that silliness and buy a tiny farm so he could shovel alpaca poop. Why not?

Favorite thing about ZFX: Working with people who love what they do and are so motivated and passionate about the service we provide. It makes me want to jump out of bed in the morning and rush to work!

Favorite projects: His first custom build after just a week at ZFX, creating a flying vest for a 325 pound starfish, was pretty cool!

What you never thought you’d know about Jacques: He was born a freak (his words!)… with 3 testicles! He’s determined to accomplish what he starts. Proof of this… he pulled one of his own molars with pliers while living in Paris (before he was given health insurance). He is also an avid needle/fiber/ fabric arts expert, and taught himself to knit at 5 years old. As a New Orleans native (where life IS food), he loves cooking. You can also find him chasing his alpacas around the fields trying to get them into the barn before it rains and watching the grass grow on his little farm from the back porch rocking chair.

Johnathon‘s Stats:
Actual quote: “I’m not trying to get you drunk, I’m just keeping your glass cold.”
Education: University Of New Orleans, Fine Arts Lithography major, Ecole de La Chambre Syndicale De La Haute Couture Parisienne, baccalaureate
Nom de Guerre: Leo, born in the Year of the Tiger
Other Artistic Endeavors: Spinning and dying the fiber from his herd of critters, making fun hats for Derby season with feathers from his peacocks, sharing the abundance from his garden with friends and neighbors, making cool clothes for himself
States Visited: All of the south eastern states from Puerto Rico, and Florida, north to New Brunswick , then west across Texas, Arizona, California and up the pacific coast to Seattle and Alaska
Countries Visited: Belgium, Belize, Brazil, Columbia, Croatia, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Honduras, Italy, Lesotho, Madagascar, Mexico, Monaco, Sardinia, South Africa, Switzerland, Tahiti, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Venezuela and most of the Virgin Islands
Favorite Places: SouthPacific Islands around Tahiti, and Phuket, Thailand
What he wants on his tombstone: “I told you I was sick.”