Scenic Install Lead
About the role
The Installation Department is responsible for the deployment of The Escape Game Products through various project types, including but not limited to New Store Installs, Store Expansions, Infills, Reskins, and Renovations. The Scenic Lead is TEG's subject-matter expert for scenic and art finishes across our game portfolio, splitting time between leading scenic work on-site and supporting the scenic program from HQ. Direct Leader: Senior Director of Projects. Direct Reports: Assigned Scenic Artists and Installers while on-site (internal and contracted). Primary Focus Areas: Product Deployment - Scenic Installation & Scenic Program Support (Hybrid Travel / Admin). On the road, this role leads and executes scenic treatments, set dressing, and finish work, trains new internal and external scenic artists, and finds ways to save time on-site. Off the road, this role owns the game-specific Scenic Guides and documentation, supports scenic planning for upcoming projects, and assists leadership and Project Coordinators with travel, logistics, material packouts, and ordering. The Scenic Lead has the integral responsibility of Delivering Epic Interactive Experiences to our guests through the successful execution of our product's look and feel.
Responsibilities
- Scenic Leadership When on-site: Coordinate the efforts of all scenic artists on-site, internal and contracted, working through each game’s Scenic Guide in its efficient order of tasks and completing its Final Checklist; Set daily scenic assignments and sequencing with the Site Supervisor (e.g., smoking before set dressing, floor treatments at end of day to allow dry time, aging fully cured before washes); Coordinate scenic work with carpentry, masonry, flooring, trim, and tech to avoid rework; Perform quality checks on all scenic work under game lighting and lead scenic punch-list completion; Communicate daily scenic progress, issues, material needs, and schedule impacts to the Site Supervisor and Project Leadership; Assist with general installation work as needed (trim, wall panels, finish work, punch-work, etc.).
- Scenic Leadership When off-site: Work with Site Supervisors to get the most out of the scenic skillset scheduled on-site: plan the order of tasks, assign them by each artist’s strengths, and identify gaps before the crew arrives; Provide remote support to scenic crews on-site (technique questions, color matches, photo reviews of completed work).
- Scenic Treatments & Finish Work: HVLP spray work: smoking walls, corners, seams, and wall-to-floor edges at varied fan widths and opacities; Aging and weathering: dry brushing, paint/poly washes, dirt washes, black washes, drips, water damage, scorch marks, and "saucing" hardware; Faux finishes: faux rust (layered Van Dyke / Brandywine mixes), rag rolling, glazing, ice glaze, frost and condensation effects, moss, and dry-brushed stone and root highlights; Custom color matching with Sherwin-Williams paints, flat paint / polyurethane mixes, Mixol pigments, and touch-up lacquers; Sculpting and blending: gap & crack foam, EPS foam, Froth Pak, Free Form, Dryvit, mortar repair caulk, and Bondo to hide seams, hardware, and gaps in rock walls, snow, and themed surfaces; Specialty effects such as epoxy resin icicles, snow piles with hard shells in guest paths, and food/kitchen grime (grease, marinara splatter, dirty sink water); Floor treatments with Tread-Plex (sponge-roller texture, sponging, HVLP edge softening); Murals and hand-painted details using artist acrylics; apply vinyl, stencils, perspective vinyls, and posters straight, level, and per placement guides; Wall and component repair: patching, sanding, priming, caulking seams, and touch-ups using foam rollers/brushes for a mark-free finish; Wood finishing: stain touch-ups (Dark Walnut, Red Mahogany, Golden Oak, etc.), touch-up pens, and putty; Paint doors, frames, and components to spec (e.g., Rustoleum Silver, lacquer kits).
- Set Dressing & Props: Unpack prop totes and place