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Top 50 Event Designers 2019: Billy Butchkavitz

The Los Angeles-based Butchkavitz on creating a magical Emmys party.

Michele Laufik
June 18, 2019
HBO’s 2018 Emmy party “put a smile on my face, and the guests were blown away. The color palette, the carpet, the textiles, the tabletop decor, the large-scale decor elements all blended to create a magical Garden of Eden for this one evening.”
HBO’s 2018 Emmy party “put a smile on my face, and the guests were blown away. The color palette, the carpet, the textiles, the tabletop decor, the large-scale decor elements all blended to create a magical Garden of Eden for this one evening.”
Photo: Gabor Ekecs

Image1 (3)Photo: Gabor EkecsButchkavitz began designing events in Honolulu in 1986, and it was here where HBO approached him to work on one of the network’s upcoming events, spawning the start of a long-term collaboration. The Los Angeles-based event designer is now synonymous with HBO’s bold, colorful premieres and red-carpet events, including its annual Golden Globes and Emmys parties and multiple Game of Thrones premiere parties.



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'I am obsessed with grand temples, churches, mosques, castles, and ancient ruins,' says Butchkavitz, pictured here at the Taj Mahal in India. 'Walking through a grand cathedral and seeing how the sunlight illuminates an ornate dome, or crawling inside a pyramid and being blown away by such an architectural wonder, really motivates me to step it up and think outside the box when it comes to my design work.'
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