Interviewing The Production Designer & Art Director For ‘The Bear’

Merje Veski & Lisa Korpan: How do you create and build the look for an Emmy award-winning TV show?

How can I be mesmerized by a television masterpiece while being incredibly stressed out by the chaos of the content? The Bear provokes both of those things. But today, we don’t have to worry about those questions because we focus on the show’s stunning production design and art direction!

In this episode, I chat with Production Designer Merje Veski and Art Director Lisa Korpan about how they got into the world of The Bear, what their roles are, and how they work together to create some of the best television I’ve ever seen.

Merje has a massive credit list, including Chicago Fire, Bobby & Iza, and Man of Steel, to name a few. Lisa’s portfolio includes Justified: City Primeval, Shining Girls, Candyman, and one of my personal favorite shows, Sense8—again, these are only a few.

About The Bear

If you haven’t seen The Bear, it is an American psychological comedy-drama television series created by Christopher Storer. Jeremy Allen White stars as Carmy Berzatto, an award-winning chef who returns to his hometown of Chicago to manage the chaotic kitchen at his deceased brother’s sandwich shop. The Bear won 10 Emmy awards in 2023 and has been nominated for a record-breaking 23 Emmy awards, including outstanding production design for 2024.

Learn more about Merje and Lisa

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I hope you enjoy this conversation. Please don’t hesitate to let me know what you think; I love getting feedback. Thanks a zillion to those who supported the show and bought T-shirts. If you want me to go ‘merch crazy,’ what do you think I should add? A Color Timer Beer Cooler or a Color Timer cap? Maybe some Color Timer pajamas!

– Vincent