Tess Wald
Founder & President

In 1984, after teaching theater as a college professor, Tess Wald began working in the design and production industry.  She started as a set designer and stylist for print photography.  As her reputation grew, she moved into designing and producing sets for local television programs.  Her set designs and management skills then led her to the event world.  Tess Wald Productions (TWP) was incorporated in Maryland in 1989.  Her business expanded quickly to include set designs for live events, managing the construction of her sets, and managing entire productions teams.  Her production teams have ranged in size from 10 to 225 people.  For the past 20 years, her company has continuously grown in skill, dependency, and satisfied clients.

Ziv Gil
Graphic Design

Ziv holds a B.A. in Graphic Design from The Corcoran School of Art and Design, Washington DC. He brings a variety of experience, including 4 years in the army as an officer, two years of world travel and over 10 years of graphic design.

At TWP Ziv serves as lead designer where some of his responsibilities include meeting with clients, developing creative strategies, assisting with graphics for proposals and working closely with TWP team to design the graphics and experience of all projects.

Carolyn Vinup
Logistics & Event Planning

Carolyn has worked for many years in event planning and production, managing large teams of vendors and facility staffs. She is an expert space-planner, helping her clients get maximum use out of their facilities and venues. Her clients include The Star Tribune Company, HealthEast Corporation, GE Capital, Woodwinds Health Campus, Walsh Bishop , Roundy’s, Inc., Ted Deikel and Carl Pohlad.

With TWP, Carolyn has worked on live events, including the 2003 UFCW International Convention and the SEIU 2004 Internationl Convention. She designed and managed the office spaces and managed logistics and operations for the technical production of these events.

Sue Ducat
Production & Management

For more than 20 years Sue Ducat’s Washington-based career has focused on television production, media relations and event management. For eleven years she was a producer of news and public affairs at PBS’s flagship news station. Her major credits include: producer, Washington Week in Review; executive-in-charge, Talking with David Frost; and producer of PBS’s coverage of major Washington-based news events. Ms. Ducat’s work has received several professional awards, including two Emmys and a Peabody. She has subsequently lent her expertise to three non-profit organizations, a public affairs firm, and the U.S. Small Business Administration, helping organizations and clients gain media the media attention they seek and organizing highly successful meetings and conferences for government officials, members of the media and the public.

James LaBarre
Production & Management

James began his career in event productions at EPCOT at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fl. He began working in the area of special effects, pyrotechnics and boat driving with the "Surprise in the Skies" show on the EPCOT lagoon. He then moved on to other areas of special effects, working on the "Illuminations" and "Splashtacular" shows at the theme parks as well as other special events throughout the country and the world. In 1994 James began the second stage of his endeavor into event productions, when he began work as a lighting technician and crew chief for BSL Productions in Baltimore, Md. Moving forward in the lighting field he became one of the top lighting designers and programmers for BSL. While with BSL Productions, he began the move into full production management, dealing with entire event packages including all required drafting and rigging plans, budgets, schedules and all crewing requirements. Since 1995 James has worked with Tess Wald Productions, first as a lighting technician/designer and rigging consultant. He became TWP’s acting production manager in 2003. Managing such events as the SEIU International conventions in 2004 & 2008 and the Change to Win conventions in 2005 & 2006. James continues to work with Tess Wald Productions on a full time basis helping to manage all aspects of events, from "live" special events and concerts to TV studio installations and corporate events. In addition to production management James also provides TWP with all of their drafting/ renderings and labor & budget overviews.