The Prop Captain, Set Decorator serves as a key creative and operational partner responsible for the sourcing, curation, fabrication, and installation of set decoration and prop elements across a wide range of entertainment projects at Universal Studios Hollywood.
Working closely with Production Designers and the Props & Placemaking leadership team, this role ensures that environments are thoughtfully dressed with furniture, hand props, soft goods, and décor elements that support design intent, storytelling, and operational durability within a theme park setting.
The Prop Captain provides day-to-day leadership to the prop artisan team while coordinating sourcing strategies, vendor relationships, fabrication efforts, and on-site installations. This role requires strong aesthetic judgment, organizational skills, and the ability to balance creative intent with practical production realities such as budgets, schedules, and operational needs.
JOB DUTIES
Creative Collaboration:
- Partner with Production Designers, creative teams, and Props & Placemaking leadership to support the
development and execution of prop and set decoration elements for entertainment productions, seasonal events, and placemaking initiatives.
- Participate in design reviews and production planning meetings to ensure décor elements align with creative direction, intellectual property guidelines, operational requirements, and project timelines.
- Interpret scaled drawings, sketches, models, and visual references to translate creative concepts into practical prop and set decoration solutions.
Set Decoration & Sourcing:
- Research, source, and procure furniture, hand props, décor, textiles, and specialty items from prop houses, vendors, rental facilities, antique sources, and custom fabricators.
- Evaluate existing scenic and set decoration inventory within Entertainment warehouse and storage locations to identify opportunities to repurpose, redress, or modify existing assets before sourcing new items.
- Apply strong knowledge of historical and contemporary design styles when selecting and arranging décor elements to support environmental storytelling.
- Oversee the collection, preparation, and arrangement of set decoration items to ensure cohesive and visually compelling environments.
- Recommend sourcing strategies that balance creative intent, durability, budget constraints, and project
timelines.
- Maintain awareness of available warehouse inventory and legacy scenic assets to identify opportunities for reuse across projects.
Vendor & Partner Coordination:
- Develop and maintain productive working relationships with prop houses, rental vendors, specialty fabricators, and suppliers.
- Coordinate quotes, purchases, rentals, and fabrication requests while ensuring alignment with project budgets and schedules.
- Collaborate with internal partners across Entertainment, Production, Technical Services, and other departments to support successful integration of prop and décor elements.
Team Leadership:
- Provide guidance and direction to prop artisans in the sourcing, preparation, fabrication, and installation of props and set decoration elements.
- Mentor team members and support skill development while fostering a collaborative and solution-oriented work environment.
- Help prioritize work assignments and coordinate efforts across multiple projects to ensure deadlines and quality standards are met.
- Serve as a subject matter resource for set decoration practices, materials, and styling approaches.
Fabrication Oversight & Prop Engineering:
- Work with prop artisans to determine appropriate fabrication methods, materials, and construction approaches for custom props and décor elements.
- Provide guidance and creative direction during the fabrication process to ensure elements meet design intent, durability standards, and production timelines.
- Translate conceptual ideas and verbal descriptions into practical prop solutions that can be executed by the fabrication team.
- Assist with fabrication or modification of prop elements when needed to support project deadlines or
specialized requirements.
Installation & On-Site Art Direction:
- Support or lead the installation and dressing of scenic environments on site, ensuring décor elements are placed according to design intent and meet safety and quality standards.
- Coordinate with designers and project leads to make adjustments during installation as needed to maintain visual integrity and storytelling.
- Assist with strike, storage, and redeployment of set decoration elements for future use when applicable.
Operations & Inventory:
- Assist in estimating materials, décor elements, and fabrication resources required for assigned projects.
- Support the organization and documentation of set dressing inventory, including tracking locations, condition, and availability of stock items using inventory management systems such as RT Pro (Rental Tracker) or similar asset tracking platforms.
- Maintain familiarity with warehouse inventory and scenic assets to support efficient reuse and redeployment of décor elements across projects.
- Maintain clean, organized, and safe workspaces in accordance with department safety standards and best practices.
- Participate in quality control efforts to ensure all elements meet design expectations and operational
requirements.
- Perform other duties as assigned to support the goals of the Entertainment Department.
QUALIFICATIONS/REQUIREMENTS
- Minimum of five years of professional experience in theatrical props, set decoration, scenic fabrication, or related production environments such as themed entertainment, live events, theater, television, or film.
- Demonstrated experience sourcing, selecting, and curating furniture, hand props, décor, textiles, and set dressing elements to support environmental storytelling.
- Working knowledge of scenic fabrication techniques and materials, including wood, metal, plastics, textiles, and decorative finishes, with the ability to guide fabrication approaches in collaboration with prop artisans.
- Experience working with prop houses, rental vendors, specialty fabricators, and other suppliers to source décor and prop elements within budget and production timelines.
- Strong ability to read and interpret design drawings, sketches, models, and visual references to translate creative concepts into practical prop and set decoration solutions.
- Demonstrated organizational and project coordination skills, with the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously while adapting to shifting priorities and deadlines.
- Experience leading or guiding small teams within a production environment and collaborating effectively with designers, technicians, and cross-department partners.
- Working knowledge of shop tools and fabrication environments sufficient to support fabrication planning and troubleshooting when needed.
- Proficiency with standard office and production software including Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook,Teams), Adobe Acrobat, and internet research tools.
- Working knowledge of workplace safety standards and best practices within a fabrication or production environment.
- Ability to work flexible schedules including evenings, weekends, and holidays as required by production needs.
DESIRED CHARACTERISTICS
- Bachelor’s degree in Theatre, Scenic Design, Production Design, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience.
- Strong aesthetic judgment and demonstrated understanding of historical and contemporary design styles relevant to themed environments.
- Experience working in themed entertainment, immersive attractions, live entertainment, or theme park
environments.
- Familiarity with warehouse inventory systems and asset management platforms such as RT Pro (Rental Tracker) or similar systems.
- Proven leadership abilities with a focus on mentorship, collaboration, and clear communication.
- Creative problem-solver capable of balancing artistic intent with practical production constraints such as budget, durability, and operational needs.
- Ability to build productive relationships with vendors, creative partners, and cross-functional production teams.
- High level of attention to detail and commitment to delivering high-quality scenic environments that support immersive storytelling.
Pay:
- $28.50 per hour, plus a $3.00 per hour overscale.
Additional Information:
NBCUniversal’s policy is to provide equal employment opportunities to all applicants and employees without regard to race, color, religion, creed, gender, gender identity or expression, age, national origin or ancestry, citizenship, disability, sexual orientation, marital status, pregnancy, veteran status, membership in the uniformed services, genetic information, or any other basis protected by applicable law. NBCUniversal will consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with relevant legal requirements, including the City of Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative For Hiring Ordinance, where applicable.
