Prop Maker

About Starlings

Starlings is an entertainment company creating immersive, story-driven experiences that turn cities into game boards and audiences into active participants.

Our first public offering, Field Quests, transforms San Francisco into a live mystery adventure where guests uncover hidden layers of the city, encounter performers and unexpected moments, and become part of a larger unfolding world. As guests face real challenges together, they must engage their own hero qualities and discover that the Quest’s conclusion is not always what is expected or planned for.

We’re looking for an Interactive Prop Designer and Maker to support the development, production, testing, and launch of interactive, narrative-driven, outdoor mystery excursions in San Francisco.

Starlings, by nature, repurpose. The prop design, interactive design, and fabrication are challenged to follow that guideline. All products fabricated or found should be repurposed, enhanced, or modified into the tool that is necessary for the action.

The Role

We are looking for someone who can:

• Collaborate closely with the development team

• Design consistently reliable, heavy-use, hand-held interactives

• Thrive in mechanical simplicity

• Support existing in-world themes and styles

• Independently design/build prototypes and, when possible, final products
  

The Prop Designer and Maker will report to the project’s creative lead and in close collaboration with the creative team.

Core Goals

Success in this role means providing a guest experience that:

• is unique to the field

• never the same twice

• encourages continued participation and return visitation

• fun for groups and individuals

• emotionally relevant and passionate

• inspires fear of missing out

Responsibilities

Interactive Design

• Develop interactive units to support the experience’s games, puzzles, and physical activities

• Provide mood boards and research 

• Create accurate sketches of interactive units

• Outline in writing a user interface description of each unit

• Provide full designer drawings for all units 

• Accurately estimate cost and schedule for build process

• Support the oversite of the build process by any outside fabricators 

• Fabricate all units, including a prototype, when possible 
  

Prop Design

• Responsible for the development and design of all properties and dressing 

• Provide mood boards and research 

• Develop a concise list of items for guest use, dressing, and consumable items

• Accurately estimate cost and schedule for acquisition 

• Manage the acquisition or fabrication process

Ensure the product Is

• On-brand

• Of exceptional quality

• Playful, fun, suspenseful, challenging, and safe

• Of repurposed materials

• On budget and on time

• Oh… and stunningly beautiful

Team & Collaboration

This creative space is welcoming and fun, but also fast-paced and results oriented. The position is a part of a larger collaborative group using storytelling, entertainment and play to inspire positive, joy-fueled civic and environmental engagement.

• The Prop Designer and Maker will work closely with and report to the Chief Creative Officer.

• This role collaborates closely with the CEO and the creative development team.

• The Prop Designer and Maker will work within the Starlings world, supporting the existing story and lore.

Who You Are

You are

• highly execution-oriented

• a maker, tinkerer, inventor, toy maker

• unconventional, outside of the box thinker

• detail focused

• collaborative and fast-moving

• positive and optimistic

You care about

• aesthetic, play, entertainment

• real nature, history, and culture

• art, materials, balance

• fondly and passionately about the Bay Area

Desired Experience

Strong candidates may come with backgrounds including:

• Theatre prop and scenic design

• Escape room design

• Game and puzzle design

• Live action roll play world making

• Interactive design

• Technical prototyping 

Experience with the following is strongly preferred:

• Collaborative small group dynamics

• Installation art, interactive art

Logistics

• Designer is required to be based in the Bay Area 

• Project based free-lance contract 

• Hand-on participation, prototyping, and production will be expected