Born, raised and educated in New York, Flannery’s career began as a director of photography and a lighting designer in the theatre, opera and dance. He achieved award-winning status as a director of photography and is credited with introducing theatrical lighting to major motion pictures and numerous television series for which he has received four Primetime Emmy nominations and the LDI “Lighting Designer of the Year”.
Flannery's work evolved to include producing and directing in diverse forms of entertainment and new media. In 1980 he founded a Los Angeles based production company supporting clients such as Disney Imagineering, Universal Creative, ABC Television Network and international performing arts centers, world expos and world events. His concepts, designs and productions set industry standards. His designs and attraction, Adventure Slots, for the Hollywood casino earned a THEA Award. His direction of the artistic segment of the closing ceremonies in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics will forever be remembered because of the spaceship.
As a creator and producer of original intellectual properties and content, Flannery draws upon his experiences and visionary talent to translate words and music into compelling, iconic visual images through immersive and emotional experiences. He is a dreamer recognized for being a visionary and pioneer of emerging entertainment experiences and technology.
HIGHLIGHTS
Co-Director of the closing ceremonies of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.
Symphantasy®, Co-creator with Maestro Erich Kunzel, of a television special and a live concert spectacle featuring George Clooney, Kelsey Grammer and the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra.
Majid and the Secret of Life, Exec. Producer, Director; an animated 3-D stereoscopic dome film which is a permanent attraction and presented daily in the Doha Qatar Awareness Centre, museum.
Illusions, Exec. Producer, Director; a stage spectacle, with an international cast, featuring 3-D stereoscopic animation sequences, presented nightly for one year in Shanghai China.
Elements, Producer, Director, Designer; a theatrical production, with an international cast, integrating video projection. The show was presented nightly and ran for five years in Shenzhen China.
Water Fantasium, Creator, Director; voted by critics as the No. 1 attraction at the Osaka World Expo, featuring water, animatronics, fire and special effects.
Fantastic Odyssey, Creator, Director; one of the top three attractions at the Taejon World Expo, featuring water, fire, illusions and automated scenography.
Cosmic Symphony, Creator, Director, Designer; presented nightly for over a decade this attraction was presented nightly at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo Japan.
Voyage 350, Creator, Director, Designer; a purpose-built theatre resembling a tall ship, set sail nightly in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. A cast serving as the ships’ crew shared the story of the founding of Maryland with Illusions and film projected on three grand sails.
ABC TV Roseanne, Director of Photography for All episodes seasons 1 thru 8.
Theatrical Lighting Design for Death Becomes Her, Forrest Gump and Noises Off.
Creative contributions to Disney's EPCOT including American Adventure and Kitchen Kabaret.
Creative contributions as conceptualist, scenographer and lighting designer to Universal Studios Hollywood and Orlando and Islands of Adventure, including the attractions ET, King Kong, Back to the Future and Jurassic Park. The master architectural and site-scape lighting design for both Orlando parks.
AWARDS
Flannery has received numerous awards including four prime-time Emmy Award Nominations, A THEA Award, the first LDI Lighting Designer of the Year and Night Beautiful Award for his Universal Studios Orlando designs.
AFFILIATIONS
Flannery maintains active membership in numerous guilds, unions and trade organizations, including the ATAS (Academy of Television Arts & Sciences), PGA (Producers Guild), IATSE (International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees), SMPTE (Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers), ICG (International Cinematographers Guild) and USITT (United States Institute of Theatre Technology).
PHILANTHROPY
Served as president of the Manhattan Chapter of Muscular Dystrophy for four years. Supports Teen Cancer America with his Symphantasy program. Supports various Vets programs.
EDUCATION
Flannery is dedicated to teaching and mentoring. He has lectured and taught at many institutions including S.U.N.Y., U.C.L.A., U.C.S.B., Art Center College of Design, and the extension program at U.S.C.
Flannery was educated in the art of scenography and lighting design for the stage at the prestigious New York Studio & Forum of Stage Design. He studied filmmaking at Columbia University School of the Arts in N.Y.C. And he studied directing with Uta Hagen and Herbert Berghof at HB Studio.
