Creating Scala
Premiere night at the 3TAP Lounge above the Salt Shed.
We secured just over 200 tickets for the premiere, but by the time the night unfolded, nearly 240 people filled the room.
Friends, family, artists, collaborators, and members of Chicago’s creative community came together to celebrate the story behind Scala.
A night that reminded me why films matter.
Creating Scala premiered at the 3TAP Lounge above the Salt Shed in Chicago, and it became far more than a film screening. It turned into a celebration of public art, collaboration, craftsmanship, and the people who dedicate years of their lives to creating something meaningful.
The room was packed with energy. Artists Edra Soto and Dan Sullivan were surrounded by family, friends, and supporters from the art world. Collaborators from Builder Growth IO, Doc6 Collective, Bob McGurder, and so many others who helped shape this project were all in attendance.
My good friend and partner, Steve Larosiliere, who played a huge role in helping bring this project to life, was there as well. Having close friends like Alex, Brenton, Dan, Jeremy, and Greg in the room meant a lot to me personally.
If a building can be made,
a large art piece can be made also.
The film became bigger than the screening.
What made the night so powerful was that the audience wasn’t just watching a film. They were witnessing the journey behind an enormous public artwork that took years of planning, engineering, craftsmanship, and trust to bring into existence.
Scala is massive. The scale of it is almost difficult to comprehend until you stand beneath it. Over 17,000 pounds of carved wood, suspended in space, built through countless hours of labor, problem solving, collaboration, and belief in an idea.
Being able to document that process, from early concept conversations to the final installation, was truly tremendous.
Premiere Gallery
A look inside the night, the crowd, the conversations, and the celebration around Creating Scala.
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After the film, the room opened up.
After the screening, Edra Soto and Dan Sullivan took part in a live discussion and audience Q&A surrounding the deeper meaning behind Scala, the construction process, the cultural influence woven throughout the piece, and the sheer complexity of bringing something this ambitious into the world.
The discussion and moderation following the film was led by Lorelei Stewart, Director and Chief Curator of UIC’s Gallery 400. Her conversation with Edra and Dan helped further unpack the scale, vision, and emotional weight behind the sculpture, while giving the audience an even deeper understanding of the years of work that went into bringing Scala to life.
Listening to them speak about the work in front of a packed room made the entire experience feel even larger than the film itself. Words can barely describe how impressive this piece is, or how much dedication it took to bring Scala from an idea into a finished public artwork.
That is what documentary filmmaking can do. It gives people a way to see the process, the pressure, the craft, the relationships, and the belief behind something they may only experience as a finished piece.
Preserving the human energy behind the work.
As a filmmaker, this project changed me. Creating Scala was an opportunity to document a real piece of history as it was unfolding.
To capture the people behind the work, the obsession with detail, the setbacks, the victories, and the belief that public art still matters. It reminded me that documentaries are not just about recording events. They are about preserving the human energy behind them.
The premiere night was emotional, overwhelming, inspiring, and honestly one of the proudest moments of my career.
To everyone who came out, supported the film, participated in interviews, helped produce the project, collaborated behind the scenes, or simply believed in the vision from the beginning, thank you.
Creating Scala was never just about a sculpture. It was about the people willing to build something impossible.
Let's Build The Next One
Tell me what you're building. Whether it's a documentary, brand film, commercial, event, founder story, or something still taking shape, this helps me understand the project fast.