We are a global team of strategists, architects, industrial and graphic designers, electronics and software engineers, writers and filmmakers.
DESIGNERS BY NATURE
Tellart was founded in 2000 by RISD graduates. We are a small team with a deep network of partners who are world class in their particular craft. Together we keep pushing the boundaries of our practice to create multi-sensory experiences that are first of their kind.
Matt Cottam
Founder and Chief Design Officer
As Chief Design Officer, Matt shapes Tellart's strategic direction and creative practice. He is an internationally recognised speaker and professor of design. He is a member of the Core Faculty at Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design (CIID, Denmark) and was previously an Adjunct Professor at Umeå Institute of Design (UID, Sweden), and a member of the Rhode Island School of Design faculty for ten years (RISD, USA).
Paul Skinner
Managing Director
As Managing Director, Paul works closely with clients, partners, and Tellart’s own design and engineering teams. From concept development through to delivery, he ensures projects develop creatively through each stage of the design process. Paul brings to bear many years of experience, and a passion for creativity in technology; his ability to deeply understand business, brand and project strategies informs his work developing creative concepts, and getting knee-deep in code and electronics.
Maia Garau
Strategy Director
As Strategy Director, Maia helps to define what each project needs to communicate, and why. Her core focus is on finding the heart of the story and working closely with the team to interpret this into meaningful form and experience. She has a background in user research and information design, and is passionate about turning complex data into clear insights that spark our collective imagination for the future.
Selena McKenzie
Creative Director
As Creative Director, Selena works holistically on strategic planning and concept development. She is obsessed with disruptive technology, storytelling and emergent behaviors in service of making positive change in the world. She has now turned her attention to Experience Design after generating iconic and category-changing campaigns for some of the world’s biggest brands at the best Ad agencies in the world. She works nomadically between Abu Dhabi, Amsterdam and Melbourne.
Ries Straver
Executive Producer
As Executive Producer at Tellart, Ries combines his deep knowledge of the design and media production pipeline with his unstoppable drive to bring ideas to life. Having managed some of Tellart's largest and most ambitious projects to date, he is a motivational powerhouse. In addition, over the last 20 years Ries has written, produced and directed dozens of independent and commissioned films. This passion and affinity for filmmaking lends itself naturally to Tellart's multi-sensory projects, where audiovisual production and storytelling are critical.
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