For Super Bowl LII, I served as Design Director for CBS and WCCO Minneapolis to create The Minnecentric Experience, a fully immersive charity event that transformed a standard conference room and rooftop into the hottest ticket in town. Embracing the brutal -14°F Minnesota winter, the concept centered on bringing the authentic "Bold North" to life for visiting VIPs and celebrities. Instead of shying away from the extreme cold, we leaned into it, hosting a high-altitude ice-fishing charity event right on the downtown rooftop.

Executing this vision required massive logistical coordination and a hyper-local design approach. To create a stark contrast between the freezing outdoors and a deeply cozy indoor hospitality space, I focused on rich Minnesota textures and textiles, personally thrifting set pieces and even scoring a lived-in vintage couch off Craigslist. Outside, we used a crane to hoist a full-sized warming hut and an ATV onto the roof, completely converting a basic grill area into an authentic ice-fishing shanty complete with bunk beds. To ensure the event was unmissable, I commissioned custom 25-foot inflatables of Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox to loom over the festivities.

Every detail was designed to pull guests into the experience, supported by comprehensive environmental wraps that overhauled the entire interior and exterior footprint. Because attendees would be stepping into sub-zero temperatures to watch the celebrity ice fishing, I designed custom winter apparel for them to slip on, turning a functional necessity into a cohesive brand touchpoint. Combined with strategically integrated photo booths, the event was a highly tactile, multi-sensory environment that perfectly captured the spirit of the host city and delivered an unforgettable Super Bowl experience.