C. McNair Wilson
C. McNair Wilson, born Craig McNair Wilson, is a corporate creativity coach and popular conference speaker with clients from Apple Computer to the Salvation Army. Wilson formerly worked for 10 years for The Walt Disney Company at Walt Disney Imagineering, the subsidiary of the company which designs and constructs the Disney theme parks and resorts across the world. He continued to consult for Disney Co. through the office of Michael Eisner and the Office of Corporate Synergy for 8 more years after leaving Imagineering.
Following a decade of full-time work at Disney, Wilson worked on projects at Universal Studios (USA and Japan), Warner Bros., and Sony Entertainment's Metreon entertainment center in San Francisco.
Personal highlights
Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, to C. Elwood and Donna (Beckman) Wilson. The family lived in Le Sueur, Minnesota, where Elwood Wilson was vice principal of the high school and football coach. Donna was speech therapist and drama teacher. McNair was next-to-the youngest of two brothers. The family moved to Los Angeles in 1957, and Pasadena, CA, in 1962, and then to San Jose California in 1967, where McNair was graduated from Oak Grove High School (San Jose, California). He attended the Minneapolis College of Art and Design on a full scholarship. While there, he became a member of the acting company of the Children's Theatre Company of Minneapolis.
Younger brother, Todd, is married and lives in Iowa, with his wife and two daughters.
Career highlights
In 1970, Wilson entered Minneapolis College of Art and Design on a full scholarship and later San Jose State University in 1971 majoring in Theatre Arts and Graphic Design.
In 1971, Wilson created his First One-man play, THE FIFTH GOSPEL, in which he portrays nearly two dozen characters using only a broom and a chair as his props. Later he created a second play, FROM UP HERE, "the epic comedy of God's greatest hits" using only an eight foot ladder and a scrap of paper as his props. Wilson has performed his two plays a total of more than 1500 times. He continues to present them in Europe and North America.
In 1977, he co-founder SAK Theatre Co. with G. Herbert Hanson, to create audience-participation street theatre to perform at Renaissance Festivals. By 1981 they had a roster of more than 50 "saktors" (SAK + actor) working the circuit in nearly 30 cities from May to October, and from San Diego to Maryland. Disney World Creative Entertainment directors "discovered" SAK at a festival near Tampa and invited them to create a comedia troupe for EPCOT Center's Italy. Two weeks after opening (1 Oct.1982) Disney asked SAK to add a second troupe to EPCOT's United Kingdom (12 shows a day in each area.) SAK's original contract with Disney was for 3 months. By 1985 SAK was producing 45 shows a day in five different areas of EPCOT—plus scores of convention shows throughout Disney World. SAK remained a fixture of EPCOT's live entertainment line up for eight years, presenting more than 42,000 (thousand) street shows. (The current Epcot street shows are not produced by SAK Theatre.)
In 1985, Wilson joined Walt Disney Imagineering as a Senior Concept Designer and was soon promoted to Director of Live Show Productions—developing live elements (actors) as an integral part of large theme park attractions. Among his accomplishments, at WDI, he worked on Pleasure Island (especially as a key member of the team that created the enormously popular Adventurers' Club.) Wilson also headed the design team that created the Hollywood Tower Hotel (a.k.a. Tower of Terror.) McNair is credited as the creator of the Disney's Hollywood Studios "Citizens of Hollywood Blvd." characters for which he coined the now-ubiquitous term Streetmosphere. After leaving Disney in 1991, he continued to consult to all divisions of The Walt Disney Company through 1998.
In 1996 he was hired by Pierre Cossette Productions and AT&T to create entertainment at Centennial Olympic Park during the Summer Games in Atlanta.
From 1996 to 2009 (Jan.) he lived in the San Francisco Bay area, where he spent a season as a member of the acting company of the California Shakespeare Theater performing in 109 performances of Othello,As You Like It, and Richard III.
Current role
After leaving Walt Disney Imagineering in the early 1990s, Wilson started his own firm, Assume Brilliance, Inc., to serve as a creative problem solver for professional teams and personal coaching. One of the leading voices of creativity in the work place, his "Recapturing Your Creative Spirit" key note, indeed all his presentations, employ techniques perfected during his many years in live theatre, storytelling, and the visual arts.
Currently living in Colorado Springs, CO, where he consults with local organizations—including Compassion International. He travels from "the Springs" to speak at professional gatherings, coach corporate creativity from Madrid to Mountain View.
In his ample spare time he continues to work in the professional theatre as actor, guest director, teacher, playwright and continues to coach public speakers and corporate executives.
McNair always has at least two new book projects in some stage of development.
Author
Wilson has contributed scores of humorous articles, film reviews, cartoons, and cover concepts to the now-legendary religious humor magazine, The Wittenburg Door.
He has authored three published books, so far (two more completed and seeking publisher):