People

President, Jack Morton Worldwide, New York, 42
Launch pad: Back has more than a decade’s experience at the industry giant, in leadership positions on two continents. In 2008, she was named executive vice president and managing director of New York and spearheaded a dramatic renewal of the office. As president, she is in charge of Jack Morton’s New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago operations.
Big innovation: “Restructuring Jack Morton around creative ideas.”
Career highlights: Producing the opening and closing ceremonies for the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne and the 2010 Samsung 3-D LED TV launch, the biggest product launch in Samsung history and the largest event held in Times Square, outside of New Year’s Eve.
Style signature: “Black, with a reveal or edge of some kind.”

President and creative director, David Stark Design and Production, New York, 42
Claim to fame: Clients such as Target, the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum, and the New York City Opera request his colorful, larger-than-life installations, which combine an artistic sensibility with strong brand marketing. Stark has built a reputation for using recycled materials and items that can be repurposed. “I want things to become icons, to have a life beyond the short-term nature of events.”
Career highlight: Creating large sculptures made of $1 million of donated office supplies, clothing, and food for the 2008 Robin Hood Foundation benefit.
Design philosophy: “We are all about invention. I don’t want people saying, ‘There’s David Stark doing that thing again.’ We bow to clients who are collaborators and can embrace a little wackiness and risk-taking.”
Favorite place to get inspired: The hardware store.

Partner and creative director, Mother New York, 48
Claim to fame: Webster and his partners have run cutting-edge projects for the award-winning creative agency’s experiential division. He has put big-name chefs in food trucks and orchestrated a public stunt in Times Square to promote video game Dance Central with 600 dancers, live performances by Lady Sovereign and Ne-Yo, and video on six LED screens. Mother also produced Virgin Mobile’s activations during Lady Gaga’s recent tours.
Style signature: “Deep, strategic thinking.”
Career highlight: Illuminating the entire southern exterior of the Standard Hotel with a rainbow of LED lights for Target’s “Kaleidoscopic Fashion Spectacular,” a public fashion show involving a performance by 66 dancers to an original score.
Hidden talent: “I’m pretty badass with a yo-yo.”

C.E.O., Backal Hospitality Group, New York, 49
Claim to fame: Owner of event management company State of the Art Enterprises and Backal Hospitality Group, industry veteran Backal has managed more than 20 venues, including the Plaza and the Waldorf-Astoria.
Big innovation: His latest venture, Apella, is a high-tech, high-style meeting space that dispels the idea of a bland, corporate conference center. Backal played an important role in developing many aspects of the venue, including its state-of-the-art technology, branding, amenities, and smaller details like staffing uniforms.
What’s next: Backal plans to keep the event planning and production side of his business going strong while opening more meeting and event spaces in and around New York.
Twitter: @ArthurBackal

Founder and president, MKG, New York, 36
Claim to fame: Goyal’s experiential agency has stepped up its game over the past year with a new SoHo office and a wide range of events that incorporate social media and cutting-edge technology, such as the architecturally mapped video projections for Ralph Lauren, and Delta’s fan zone in Madison Square Park, which doubled the airline’s Facebook followers in one day.
Launch pad: “I finished grad school, moved to New York, and was working at a great nonprofit. But I had this sinking feeling that if I didn’t change something, I would have a job as opposed to a lifestyle for the rest of my life. I did some soul-searching to figure out what makes me tick and all the things that go into events--logistics, planning, creativity, drama, putting out fires--define me.”
What’s next: “Deepening our West Coast presence, including further penetration of the entertainment industry.”
Twitter: @thisismkg

Founding partner, Production Glue, New York, 41
Launch pad: “I was too shy to dance as a kid in middle school, so I set up the speakers and one thing led to another.”
Claim to fame: Brands turn to Bussey and his team when they need to bring complicated ideas and designs to life, as well as for set design and execution, technical direction, and other services. Projects include the Virgin Galactic launch in the Mojave Desert, a holiday pop-up installation for Bank of America, and the opening party for the Hearst Tower.
Career highlight: “Time and again we hear, ‘We’re so happy Production Glue is part of this project,’ from production partners, venues, and crew. Client praise is important, but hearing that from other integral people involved makes me incredibly proud.”
Best place to get inspired: “It’s that very first brainstorm/pitch meeting, where limitations aren’t part of the conversation and conceptive creativity reigns. Navigating uncharted territory keeps me coming back for more.”
Childhood dream job: Astronaut. “I almost came full circle working on the Virgin Galactic SpaceShip Two launch.”
Twitter: @gluetom

Chief creative officer, co-founder, Obscura Digital, San Francisco, 38
Claim to fame: Obscura specializes in impactful and immersive branded environments created with the latest technologies, from architectural and video mapping, to interactive displays and 3-D cameras. Recent projects include projecting video onto the Guggenheim Museum and Sydney Opera House for YouTube, and creating a holographic touch screen for Heineken.
Launch pad: “I started doing projection installations as a teenager and got more and more obsessed with it. My first professional job was really an art installation for an award party, and that just kicked it off.”
Not-so-hidden talent: Threlkel is a former guitarist for neo-psychedelic band the Brian Jonestown Massacre.
Design philosophy: “I should be impressed by the project, or something’s wrong.”