The Founders of Combustion Studios
Combustion Studios is the brainchild of partners D.J. Marini and TyRuben Ellingson who share an exceptional track record of innovative and successful projects as well as an intense interest in challenging and redefining the parameter of contemporary "Entertainment Projects".
D.J. Marini
Throughout his career, Marini has consistently and successfully directed the creative course of a broad spectrum of innovative work.Marini began his career in the entertainment business in 1980 at Lucasfilm Ltd. where he was selected at the age of 18 to work as an assistant to George Lucas, making D.J. the youngest person to hold such a position. Working closely with Mr. Lucas, D.J. honed his entertainment and production skills which led to a series of promotions and ultimately to the position of General Manager.
During his years at Lucasfilm, Marini developed and refined a personal vision of how to conceive, produce and deliver a creative entertainment project. This vision motivated him to leave LFL to form his own enterprise, MSB Entertainment, a company devoted to the design and development of entertainment projects worldwide. With Marini's guidance and expertise, MSB quickly became a multi-million dollar corporation whose clients included: ITT, Disney Entertainment Corp., MCA Universal, and Sony Corporation.In 1997, MSB conceived, designed, produced and opened a highly innovative $22 million music, light, video and special effects entertainment experience for Crown Entertainment Complex in Melbourne, Australia, a project since hailed as a groundbreaking triumph and a "must see" for visitors to the continent. The "Seasons of Fortune" attraction brims with technological innovations including the world's largest fiber optic installation, along with the world's most powerful automated show control computer system.
In the fall of 1998, D.J. partnered with TyRuben Ellingson to form a second company: Combustion Studios. This new entity's mission is the development of original film and television projects and interactive entertainment properties. The Combustion team (as featured in Wired Magazine) has been responsible for the scripting, and pre-production for several film based attractions within Lotte Corporation's K-Project theme park in Tokyo Japan. Recent projects also include the development of several video and film based attractions for Toyota's showcase pavilion at the World's Fair in Aichi, Japan.
TyRuben Ellingson
Ellingson joined Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) as Visual Effects Art Director in 1989. His vast array of talent and creativity has contributed significantly to the success of a wide range of projects including feature films, commercials and theme park attractions, most notably "Space Race" for the Showscan Corporation.
In early 1994, Ellingson was recruited by Academy Award winning Effects Supervisor Dennis Muren to join the core team on the ground breaking "Jurassic Park". Subsequently, Ellingson became one of the most sought after creative talents at Industrial Light & Magic contributing to such films as "The Flinstones", "Disclosure", "Casper", "Twister" and "Star Wars: The Special Editions".
In the fall of 1996, film director Guillermo Del Toro invited Ellingson to create the signature creature for the contemporary gothic horror film, "MIMIC" , which opened to rave reviews during the summer of 1997.More recently, Ellingson has acted as a visual consultant for the movie "Signs" and has been a key conceptual designer for the films "Hellboy" and "Blade: Trinity".
Ellingson now brings his experience and abilities to Combustion Studios in the capacity of chief designer and director.
| Company Overview | Company Founders | Articles | Home |