by Monica Chamness
Staff Writer
Walking into the warehouse of Mugwump Productions, a Southbank event coordination company, giant dice, alligators, pirates and football mascots are just some of the props that greet unsuspecting visitors.
Creating a unique atmosphere for theme parties or other special events is what the artists at Mugwump do. The name Mugwump is derived from the Algonquian Indian word meaning Great One or chief.
“All the names that immediately pertained to what we do were gone,” said Craig Van Zandt, president of the company, which has been operating for eight-plus years. Its core business revolves around trade shows, parties, conferences, business theater, custom scenery and prop rentals and sales. Corporate customers are the bulk of its clientele. Its long-term goal is to host functions in-house.
“That’s something Jacksonville doesn’t really have right now,” said Van Zandt.
“In the next three to five years, that’s where I’d like to be. I’d like to add staff and expand the business, and of course, grab a little more market share.”
Currently, Mugwump is averaging 10 functions a week over the course of a year. Every aspect that goes into designing a certain mood for a place can be provided by the staff of 10. Backdrops, lighting, centerpieces and linens are available for functions.
Procuring unusual oddities to fit a customer’s specifications can be a daunting task. For Mugwump, that means relying on the staff’s talents to fabricate the items they need.
“Ninety percent of what we rent out, we build,” said Van Zandt. “How we build our inventory is that people will come to us with ideas of what they want. We take a vocabulary of props to create a whole narrative. I think, overall, we’re a little more creative than most. We literally build and create most of what you see. A lot of it is basic theatrical construction and we build it to last. Plus, everything can be broken down to fit on a truck or through a doorway.”
Football fans may recognize the company’s work in the East and West Concourses of Alltel Stadium. The murals and graphics were prepared and executed by the firm.
Just like many small organizations, the employees of Mugwump must wear many hats. The same individuals who paint panels or figures also set up the displays and load the delivery trucks.
“We’re constantly looking for people,” said Van Zandt. “The hours are grueling; the deadlines are fixed; it takes a lot out of you. The set-up time can be very tight. It’s then that I have a screw gun in hand. It’s very difficult to find solid people. My staff is composed of problem-solvers and creative types. Most have some sort of an artistic background.”
The staff’s work experience runs from fashion to engineering to advertising. A couple of his employees actively work on their own art careers in their spare time, too. Van Zandt’s resume includes a bachelor’s degree in fine arts, specifically sculpture, from the Rhode Island School of Design. After a year working as a welder to pay his school debts, he found business partner and started the work he finds most satisfying.
“I am in the process of buying my partner out,” said Van Zandt, a New Jersey native. “This is the business I wanted to be in. It has many elements of creativity. It is not the fine art I was pursuing in 1991, but I find it challenging. It exercises a certain amount of creativity.”
As president, Van Zandt is involved in all facets of the business from sales and administration to design, trouble-shooting and logistics. His hands-on approach has aided him in fabricating exotic sets such as a pirate’s cove, a Las Vegas casino, glamorous Hollywood or a Louisiana swamp. Two thousand square feet of space was recently added at the site for the artistic endeavors.
Generating cool concepts is a team effort.
“A lot of it is collaboration,” said Van Zandt. “Sometimes it’s a reaction to events other companies have done or maybe a reaction to one of our own events. In many instances, the client knocks on our door and says they’re interested in this. Then we start bouncing ideas off each other.”
Van Zandt returned to Florida, where he had lived most of his life, from the Northeast to start his event production company.
“There’s a tremendous amount of work in this town,” he said. “Business has increased every year except last year. This is a great city, a developing market. It’s a good place to be.”