10.08.13

Highlights from Leader's Breakfast

On September 20th the design industry gathered at the LA Hotel downtown to celebrate the 2013 Leader’s Breakfast. The morning began with mingling and networking over coffee along with numerous photo opportunities for IIDA members and their guests. Moving into the large ballroom the attendees were greeted by a welcome from IIDA Southern California Chapter president David Fridlund who kicked off the morning event. James Bonar was presented with a Tiffany award and Eames Splint to honor his work with Clifford Beers Housing which was thoughtfully exhibited in a video highlighting the achievements of both James and the non-profit. It was an honor to host James at the event and to introduce him to the industry.

The program then led into a poignant and at sometimes humorous introduction of Pixar’s Jay Shuster by IIDA’s Executive Vice President and CEO Cheryl Durst. She underscored the importance of Pixar Animation Studios in the world of design as well as Jay and the company’s ability to create films that are universally recognizable. Jay’s presentation gave guests a look behind the scenes into the full process of creating a movie from concept to release, a labor of love, one of which many people were unaware. The down to earth presentation of Jay took Pixar’s enormous presence and distilled it down to the individuality of each employee, from the caterers to the illustrators. Plus, any presentation that involves cat memes is sure to be memorable. Among the many insights Jay presented, a major theme was the creative process and how anything in life can be an inspiration, even a simple pair of binoculars at a baseball game.

The morning highlighted the importance of inspiration and a love of one’s career, something that can often be overlooked during busy work weeks and approaching deadlines. The committee has already begun discussing next year’s Leader’s Breakfast and is looking forward to planning another landmark morning for the IIDA Southern California Chapter.

Click here for photos of the event!

Jaclyn Giuliano
Herman Miller 

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