Nick Pugh, Concept Design
www.NickPugh.com

Nick Pugh is an independent concept designer, engineer and fabricator whose mission is to do advanced design and research in transportation, entertainment and architecture. Born in Paris, France; he attended schools in England, Rio de Janeiro, and Berkeley, California and spent long summers on the family farm in New Hampshire collecting snakes, building forts and swimming. With a fascination of nature, art and science fiction he began designing and building his ideas at a young age with an obsession that continues to today. After a receiving a high school diploma in partying, Nick went on to Art Center where he received a B.S. in Transportation Design. Upon his completion of Art Center he decided that his love for car design outweighed his discomfort with the corporate culture that controlled it, and he began what has become a lifelong quest to realize the ultimate possibility of “a unique car design for every individual customer.”

Nick is a co-founder of NGV-USA, and has created a patented fuel storage chassis that significantly increases the range of natural gas and hydrogen-powered vehicles. This ARPA-sponsored project culmi-nated in the first unsupported drive across the U.S.A. in a dedi-cated NGV and is currently being further developed by Chrysler.

His work in the entertainment field includes projects for Warner Brothers, Universal and Hearst Entertainment. He currently is contracted as a concept artist at Rhythm and Hues Studios on projects ranging from TV commercials and feature films to motion rides. He was instrumental in the design of Scooby in the new “Scooby Doo” movie. His latest credits include “Men In Black II,” “Daredevil,” “X-Men 2,” and “The Cat In The Hat.”

Nick's work has been published in Wired, Omni, Metropolis, Los Angeles Times and other publications, and he was a featured guest on the recent TV show “The Ride Of Your Life.” He is a central figure in the new book Build the Perfect Beast by Mark Christensen, which chronicles the building of Pugh's first personal concept car—the XENO III—that was unveiled in January ’02 to over 600 guests and media at Art Center. Nick's work bridges the gap between the world of exotic artistic design and that of the hands-on production engineer. Nick Pugh is married and lives in Long Beach, California.