Jones-ing for an EPIC Gathering in Creativity

The EPIC International Summit, an intimate three-day creativity and innovation conference featuring themed panels, spotlight interviews, and experiential workshops led by international leaders and experts, has its annual gathering April 27-29 at the Music Academy; just the second in-person event since launching in 2019. Aimed at sparking insights for creative leadership and development and formulating actionable tools and methodologies to unlock increased ingenuity, the summit features speakers from a wide swath of fields including the arts, industry, education, nonprofits, entrepreneurs, and more. 

Among the speakers are choreographer Bradley Rapier, producer Ben Everard, Disney creative’s Amy Jupiter, and Doug Jones, the malleable actor famed for portraying non-human creatures in film and TV shows via massive make-up, costumes, and visual effects. Jones’ most notable roles include collaborations with filmmaker Guillermo del Toro in several movies including Shape of Water, Pan’s Labyrinth,and Hell Boy,as well as on Star Trek Discovery, the latest venture in the Trekkie empire. 

“I’m quite honored even to be asked to join this event given who is coming,” said Jones, who will be interviewed on stage at the closing night awards event at Hahn Hall. Admission to the closing night awards event is free to the general public, and will also feature a special presentation to EPIC honoree and fashion icon Kenneth Cole’s nonprofit Mental Health Coalition. “Film is the most collaborative of all the arts and as an actor I’m just one cog in the wheel. But I’m happy to share my creative process.” 

For Jones, that’s all about transcending the complex prosthetics, makeup, and uncomfortable challenges to embody the humanity of the character, such as the Amphibian Man in The Shape of Water, which won the Best Picture Oscar in 2018.

“It’s about making the character come alive as an organic being and not just a guy in an alien suit.” 

Visit www.epicimpactsociety.org for details on the summit, or www.eventbrite.com/e/2023-epic-innovation-awards-tickets-611767241287 for tickets to the awards show.