I’ve got to say that of ALL the many special days I’ve had in my life, my Wednesday this last week ranks right up there with the best of all time. I get all teary-eyed just writing that sentence.
I have a dear friend Nelson Coates. Massive award-winning, Emmy-nominated Leading Hollywood Production Designer Nelson Coates. When he’s not creating the entire world of a film or streaming series, he spends his time here as much as possible in Laguna Beach with his long-time partner and my other dear friend, Ruben Flores. The three of us just had dinner last night at Oliver’s Osteria; I love hanging out with these two.
This past week, Nelson invited me and Ruben to Downtown L.A. (“DTLA”) to a “set” he had created in my honor - an imaginary restaurant - “The Armitage Café.” This is a really big deal because Nelson is responsible for creating the entire world of Apple TV’s “The Morning Show.”
As I write this, that Willy Wonka song comes to mind … “Come with me and you’ll see in a world of pure imagination …” This was that tour for me, but it was WAY better than a golden ticket to a chocolate factory.
It’s one thing to be told by Nelson that he’s created an “easter egg” for you on one of the biggest shows in streaming history …
It’s quite another to see it live and in color on downtown streets of L.A. that have been categorically transformed to look like Manhattan’s intersection of 5th Avenue and 56th Avenue.
Some of you may be subscribers in my other blog, my Golden Ticket. I wrote a bit about Wednesday’s experience there as it fits hand-in-glove with a new course I’m teaching at the end of this month on putting the limitless expanse of your imagination into creating anything in your reality. Nelson has that skill down.
As a leading Hollywood Production Designer, Nelson designs the entire world of a movie or series.
Nelson works hand-in-hand with the Director of the movie or streaming series. He’s in charge of creating everything around the actors – everything they wear, their detailed offices and homes, everything in their environment. It is a magical moment, indeed, when you see the real-world result from what started as a simple idea for a show called The Morning Show.
Nelson takes words on a script and breathes life and color into its existence.
The detail he puts into his work is beyond words. When Ruben and I showed up Wednesday, it was INCREDIBLE. Nelson and his team had transformed two blocks of downtown Los Angeles into Manhattan! There were New York City policemen and police cars … New York taxi cabs … kebab carts … corner deli shops … even scuffed subway venting towers. And, of course, there’s “my” restaurant there, too!
Nelson says he came up with the Armitage Café for all the restaurant consulting I do as well as for what I do for the restaurants here in Laguna. Awwwww! For the record, my Armitage Café must be quite a successful restaurant because it sits (purportedly) on Manhattan’s 5th avenue (at 56th Avenue) right across from the (imaginary) UBN headquarters, the big TV network that The Morning Show is all about. He wanted me to see it in person before the café set was dismantled again.
Throughout the day, everywhere Nelson took us, it was absolutely astounding to see all of this detail, all of this man’s imagination that has, in turn, created its own ripple effect forward. AND I got to meet the wonderful Director, Mimi Leder. I sat in on the filming of one of Reese Witherspoon’s scenes (everything around her designed and built by Nelson with his amazing team in a matter of a few days). And we got to hob-nob with so many members of his design team - they all have so much respect and adoration for Nelson, of course. He marshals a serious army every single day.
I walked four miles yesterday just getting across Nelson’s stages and sets.
These stages are ENORMOUS; they fill buildings the size of Costco warehouses.
And each set is so detailed, down to pencil cups and artwork he chooses to reflect the character’s personality. (Much of the artwork comes from Laguna’s own art community, which is such a lovely thing to do.) The detail in his designs left me speechless.
It further amazes me just how much Nelson creates and, then, fulfills with his team and crew in mere days.
Nelson isn’t some Willy Wonka guy who spent decades shuttered from the public while he figured out his chocolate river. This is a guy who creates an airport or a SoHo loft or a rocket launch in a matter of days WHILE racing to build other sets of the same magnitude in the very same week.
I consider myself one of the most efficient and productive beings on the planet. Seriously, I get a lot done; I am always working on multiple projects and churning out one result after another. But after a day in the world of Nelson Coates, I’ve been completely and thoroughly schooled.
I'm going to be culling some of Nelson’s genius, imaginative examples I witnessed last week – the very height of Hollywood production – into the “Tower of Power” course I’m teaching … I figure if my clients are ready to take their results up exponentially before the end of the year, why not follow the examples of the best in the business? Right? If you’re interested, here’s info on a free Zoom masterclass I’m teaching this Friday (Oct 18th) that overviews the 5-week course:
Once Nelson gets through these harried weeks of filming Season 4 for “The Morning Show” … and once he probably collapses on a beach somewhere for a week or two to recover … he’s usually doing talks about his flabbergasting work. I’ll keep you updated if these dates arise.