We were lucky to catch up with Ama Romp recently and have shared our conversation below.
Ama, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.
There are risks involved in each project I get presented with and take on. As a production designer, each project comes along with a task, or design element I have never done before. It’s more or less a challenge which are always risky business! I have to believe in myself every step of the way. I’m mostly self taught so doing research to prep for a job is the “norm” as is learning new skills on the fly. That’s why I love the nature of my job so much. It is always different, there is always something to learn, and a skill to walk away with once the job is completed.
One project that rings a bell from this year is when I was hired to make (20) 7’ paper flowers for an event in Beverly Hills + install them at Neiman Marcus the following day. I had never made such large scaled paper flowers before, but decided to take the project head on. I had a week to watch tutorials, research materials, learn skills on the fly, and put a budget together for a project I was unfamiliar with. I estimated a lot… or we can say educated guesstimated a lot! I did hours of math to figure out measurements of each petal, amount of petals for each flower type and how this equated to how much a single roll of crepe paper would give me. I did the same for the stems, leaves, sandbags, bases… everything needed lots of math. I must have done this math about 20 times a day for that week to be sure I had it figured out. We could say this very week hurt the brain and made a permanent dent, but taking this time to do this diligently brought the right results.
I made templates for each petal in a variety of sizes for each flower and each leaf and learned how to work with crepe paper with the grains and stretching techniques. I learned how to work with PVC pipe and methods on bending it to make the stem look more natural for each flower type. I also learned how to make instant concrete to make the bases of the flowers to hold the flowers in place. There were so many steps and moving parts in these flowers and they all had to be learned, managed, taught, and designed differently. Throughout the fabricating process, I was faced with issues that needed immediate solutions to move forward with. I forgot to mention this was also a super rushed project that gave zero moments of stillness. Let’s say I slept like a baby each night from pure exhaustion but woke up each morning with excitement to continue the work.
I had a team of 3 assistants that helped bring the 20 flowers to life. I had to teach them each new skill I just recently learned from my speed training and was so incredibly lucky they all took it on so well. When you have the right team, projects like this truly run smoothly, with each person taking on a piece of the project and honing in on their tasks. Although it was scary and quite a risk to take on a project that I was completely unfamiliar with, the actual fabrication went really well and we all wound up having so much fun creating them together.
The 7’ Icelandic Poppies, English Roses, and Parrot Tulips came to life and it was absolutely incredibly enlightening to understand I could take something on and make something premium for a luxury brand without doing it before. This risk made me realize some hidden talents I had within myself, the passionate dedication I endure on completing a creative project, the management skills I have to take a newly learned project, the time management to bring the designs to fruition within a very tight timeframe, and the attention to details that made the flowers pop in their glory.
Once we brought them to the event for installation, the event planner + crew’s feedback confirmed that the flowers were exactly what they were looking for. Everyone was so hyped on them and they wound up being a major highlight of the event becoming the photo op for all the influencers that attended. It was a really special project and I was lucky to have the opportunity to take the risk. I am so beyond happy I did! I love fabricating my own props. These flowers are a great skill to know how to make for any upcoming projects and I’m excited for opportunities that come my way that allow me to utilize this new skill!
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I’m a native NYer currently living in Los Angeles and am a Set Designer in the entertainment industry conceptualizing, designing and building environments for photoshoots, and film projects. My work is seen in fashion editorials, brand campaigns, commercial work, short films, music videos, etc. My 17 years living in NYC, I moved around different creative jobs such as, Window Design, Fabrication Design, Interior Design, Art Direction, Event Design, to find my way into Set Design where I’ve stuck with since 2016.
I got my start in Set Design working under a High Fashion Set Designer that I looked up to for many years, Mary Howard. I got to work on elite sets with very renowned creatives such as Annie Leibovitz, Steven Meisel, Craig McDean, just to name a few, photographing sets for Vogue and luxury brands such as Dior, Loewe, Moschino, etc. It lit a fire under me. I immediately took to it, and understood I was on the right path to what felt fulfilling to me. I shopped for jobs, which essentially is making a creative deck and sourcing, renting + buying the props for the project. You have to learn the details of the project, research movies, shows, vintage designs, interiors, etc. to be sure everything aligns with the project’s aesthetic correctly. I also art coordinated the projects, orchestrating the logistics of the project. And finally on set, I decorated using all the props I sourced and shopped. All of these positions helped me understand all the moving parts to have a successful project as an end result. I learned a lot in those few years and moved into naturally taking on my own projects.
Since I’ve taken on my own projects, I’ve been lucky enough to be able to design sets for Capital One, Vanity Fair, Adobe Frameio, Glenmorangie, Luxardo and many more.. I love the process of meeting with the director/photographer, producer and clients on what their visions are for the project, learning the budget and putting together a design deck with their vision in mind. This job requires a lot of discipline, concentration, attention to details, management skills, juggling a few tasks at the same time, spontaneous changes, last minute decisions, solution solving on the go, balancing a budget etc.. There are so many moving parts so it’s important to stay focused and take on each portion of the project with grace. I always am collected, calm, kind, graceful and personable on set with my clients, the production crew, and my art team.
I am able to be very versatile with my work and can take on a large variety of projects. I’ve designed a gas station, living rooms, bedrooms, offices, kitchens, a ping pong tournament, a mini golf course, an outdoor park movie theater, etc all in a sound stage from scratch. Some were realistic, some were fantastical and fun. I can do both! I love the more creative jobs as I typically like to think outside of the box. I also work on table top projects for product and alcohol/beverage. I take on prop styling projects and do location styling at houses. I am able to accomplish a lot with my design abilities and am always excited to take on whatever project lands in my lap! Big or small, I’m always equally excited to take it on.
I also fabricate paper mache props, large scale paper flowers, fiber art, paint fun backdrops, dye fabric, make paper props of all sorts. You name it!! I love being able to be creative with a project. I actually love fabricating and painting for creative projects that come my way, those ones always become my absolute favorite because they have a piece of me on the set.
In my free time I work a lot with paper mache sculpture, and making paper sets from scratch. I paint cardboard and gator board, use poster board, and paper along with draping fabrics and other recycled materials to create the environment, props, masks, costumes, etc. I’ve grown to become addicted to making these sorts of theatrical facade sets at home and am very excited to see where that takes me. I hope some clients enjoy this and would like for me to create interesting theatrical sets for them in the future. If this sounds intriguing, get in touch with me, I’d be thrilled to hear your ideas and work with you.
My personal style is very much inspired and aligned by movies like: Big Fish, The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus, Moulin Rouge, Water for Elephants, Forbidden Zone, All of Georges Méliès illusionary films, Karel Zemon, Kenneth Anger, Tim Burton, Old Expressionist Films from the early 1900’s, Peewee Herman’s worlds throughout the years… Clients with Projects inspired by these styles are the ideal match for me!
Also, Clients that love artists like: Dali, Steven Arnold, Frida Kahlo, Henri Rousseau, Tony Duquette, Tom Waits, Betsey Johnson, If they like aesthetics mirroring: Gucci, Silent films/Charlie Chaplin, The Old Circus (1880-1930 era), Sideshows, Carnivals, Coney Island, Bizarre Desert landscapes of Joshua Tree, Occultism, Orientalism, Tableaux portraits, Ritual, Decadence, Psychedelic tones, Illusionary camera/filter tricks, and expressionism art + design elements— I am your girl! Please contact me and let’s make some magic together!
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
There is! I’m a big dreamer so I always have goals and missions driving me around throughout the day, week, month, year. I’m really passionate about the path I’ve taken on and being creative every day is something that feeds my soul. A goal I am currently working on is with a photographer in the industry on opening up our own photo/design studio aiming to have a soft opening in the beginning of 2024. We will specialize in Tableaux Portraits, Table top shoots + smaller design builds, while also offering niche fabrication design. We will rent the space out for photoshoots, film, workshops, intimate events, etc. An in house photographer and set designer working collectively and independently on projects. This has been a dream of mine for over a decade and I’m excited to have this finally coming to light! I can’t wait to see who we meet and all the opportunities this space will bring us collectively and independently. We are currently shooting our portfolio and building our initiatives while finding agencies to rep us as we speak. A dream that is coming to fruition is honestly quite a rush and I’m looking forward to the future more than ever! Hoping the design studio brings me a Gucci campaign in the future… another dream and goal I have in mind, amongst many many more! Happy to sit down and have a chat on all of my fantastical ideas with anyone interested.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
Welcome to the life of freelancing. Pivot, pivot, pivot!!!
Right before the pandemic hit I was living in NYC and my professional career was just taking off in the entertainment industry. I just started taking my own set design jobs for a year before covid spread around. Once the pandemic hit the industry was shut down completely for almost an entire year. I was left defeated as I really started to feel like I was on my way to something great and moving along at a comfortable pace.
During this break I pivoted… twice. I worked on illustrations and started a little side hustle of designing logos, social media content, product labels, website materials and illustrating posters that I was getting printed on big canvases for custom orders. It was interesting using my creativity in more of a relaxed form while the pandemic had the active creative part of me shut down.
My second pivot was I decided to move from NYC to Los Angeles. I always wanted to make this move and found this as an open opportunity for me to do so and do it with ease without having to rush around juggling work and moving. I knew that production work was far larger in Los Angeles than in NY and once our industry opened back up it was going to be pumping with an over-saturated amount of work.
This pivot in location was the smartest and brightest choice I had ever made for me personally and my career path. I assumed right. Once our industry started opening up again there was so much work out there! I got to work immediately and my network started to grow organically. I picked jobs up by word of mouth and it was booming. This shows when you follow your intuition for your own sake, it will absolutely reward you. These two pivots truly helped keep me calm, collected, focused and ready to take on what I had set myself up for in the future and I am so proud of myself for taking a leap of faith because it is still showcasing to be the best decision I’ve made in life in general!
But, then a third unexpected pivot. The writers strike. After a pandemic, when I started building momentum in a new city and began my blossoming west coast career I’ve come to an immediate halt in work, and it’s hard. Noone wants to hit a recession while trying to pull themselves out of debt from a global pandemic, Its become survival mode. But on the other hand, I do hope the writers are able to get what they are asking for and everyone stays safe, housed, and work can start picking back up for all of us on a positive beat. I know so many creatives having a hard time currently. My third pivot has me staying calm though. I’ve spent this time building a creative portfolio with shoots at home, reaching out to agencies for potential representations (currently looking, please email me if you are interested in partnering up with me), networking, planning a business, staying creative and positive while also feeling grateful for where I am, and what’s to come in the future.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.amaromp.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amaromp/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amalia-rompoulias-02447425/
- TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ama.romp
Image Credits
Image: taxidermy with Darren Criss + Este Haim : Photograph by Daniel Prakopcyk Image of Gild Walton in tub: Photograph by Amber Gress Image of gas station: Photograph by Eric Ogden