Biography
Doug Chiang, an Academy Award-winning artist, author, and production designer, started his career as a stop motion animator on the TV show Pee Wee's Playhouse. After graduating from UCLA Film School, he became a commercial TV director for Rhythm and Hues, Robert Abel and Associates, and Digital Productions. As Creative Director at George Lucas's Industrial Light and Magic, he worked as Visual Effects Art Director on films including Terminator 2, Ghost, The Mask, Forrest Gump, and Death Becomes Her. Chiang has received numerous honors, including an Academy Award, two BAFTA Awards, and a Clio Award for design excellence.
As an author, he has published several books, notably Robota, an acclaimed illustrated novel he created and co-wrote with Nebula and Hugo Award-winning author Orson Scott Card. His latest work, Mechanika, released in 2008, is now in its second edition. Chiang’s artwork has been showcased internationally at venues such as the Brooklyn Museum, Chicago's Field Museum, and the Kyoto and Tokyo National Museums.
In 1995, George Lucas personally chose Chiang to lead the Lucasfilm art department for seven years, overseeing Star Wars: Episodes I and II. He departed Lucasfilm in 2002 to establish his own 35-person design studio, IceBlink Studios, and collaborated with Steven Spielberg on War of the Worlds.
In 2006, Chiang teamed up with the Walt Disney Company and Robert Zemeckis to create ImageMovers Digital, a new film studio evolving from IceBlink Studios. Serving as Executive Vice President, he expanded the company to over 500 employees and managed daily operations until 2011. He also worked as Production Designer for Robert Zemeckis on The Polar Express, Beowulf, Disney’s A Christmas Carol, Mars Needs Moms, and The Yellow Submarine.
Chiang returned to Lucasfilm in 2013 to contribute to Star Wars: The Force Awakens and currently holds the position of Vice President and Executive Creative Director at Lucasfilm. With over two decades of Star Wars design experience, he supervises design efforts for all new Star Wars franchise projects, including films, theme parks, games, and new media. Recently, he was co-Production Designer on Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.
