Julio Himede: The Man Behind Some Of Pop Culture’s Most Iconic Stages

Julio Himede is a Latin-Australian global force in the set design industry, and founder of Yellow Studio, a New-York based design firm has curated a renowned list of large-scale television sets, live events and concerts. Yellow Studio’s portfolio includes various high-profile and culturally significant events, such as the MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs), the, the BRIT Awards, the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest, the 2024 EE BAFTA Awards, and the esteemed GRAMMY Awards.

In his designs and concepts, Himede seamlessly combines elements of art, technology and architecture to deliver unforgettable experiences for audiences. In an exclusive interview with New Wave Magazine, Himede discussed his beginnings, creative processes, and the meaning behind the renowned GRAMMY Awards stage. 

What initially drew you to the world of set and event design, and how did Yellow Studio come to life?

I studied in Australia at the National Institute of Dramatic Arts (NIDA), specializing in set and costume design. After graduating, I worked in theatre and events but had to expand into other creative fields like event design, television, and exhibition design. This diverse experience gave me a comprehensive understanding of design principles beyond just theater or TV. I moved to New York 10 years ago and started Yellow Studio, now a team of eight, working across various platforms while staying connected to music through design.

I was very fortunate that in the work that I was doing in Australia, I met some American producers who I stay in touch with, and they were able to help me find my ground here in America when I landed, especially in New York. A lot of people, when I moved to New York, say, 'Well, why are you moving to Los Angeles? A lot of the work is in Los Angeles.' And at the time, my partner was working for a firm. We sort of moved to New York for that reason, but there’s been so much work in New York.

 Being able to travel between the West Coast and the East Coast, and also New York, has allowed me to stay in touch with what’s happening in Europe and work in the territories beyond America. I’ve always tried to focus on creating a platform of diversified clients, like what I was doing in Australia. Rather than just being a television designer in America, I’ve been able to cross into other types of work, all in design. Right now, we’re doing the production design for Shakira’s world tour, the BAFTA Awards in the UK, and the Grammy Awards

When working on multiple projects, how do you ensure that your vision can be in multiple places at once? 

It’s a challenge, for sure, but I’ve learned to sort of let go in a positive way and work smarter, not harder. Surrounding myself with very good people who share a similar vision and aesthetic is key. At Yellow Studio, we have a certain style but also pop into different styles. We train staff to multitask, be efficient, and ensure our design statement stays clear throughout the project.

 We’re a small family, and we communicate a lot, both through Teams and in-person meetings. I trust my staff, and we have representatives who can be the face of Yellow Studio. It’s a lot of hard work, but it pays off, allowing me to manage different jobs without being at every rehearsal.

Your work blends the different mediums of technology, architecture and many others, how does each aspect of design influence your creative approach? 

It’s an interesting approach in how we work with so much technology. I come from a theater background, so having a script, a story, something in the form of storytelling is really important for us. We try to apply that mentality from the very beginning of a project across every project. Even when designing the Shakira World Tour, we might not have a script, but we have the meaning of her music, and we use that to help narrate a story through our visual language. The important points that the artists or producers want to communicate become our guide to find a message through a visual narrative. 

Photo by Stephane Feugere

Once we understand the message, we research art and architecture, drawing inspiration from installation artists, painters, textile artists, and architects. After creating the design, we implement technology to enhance the idea and message, helping us connect with the audience in a profound way. We do not use technology to originate the idea but as a medium, not a concept. It’s dangerous to start with technology, as it can result in soulless, meaningless shows. We stick to this method in how we start and apply ideas, and then the technology.

How you map out your ideas and bring them to life ? 

We are influenced by many forms of visual narratives, especially living in New York, where culture surrounds us—through theater, music shows, and exhibitions, from tiny galleries to massive blockbusters. We collect magazines and books, filling our office with them. A huge pinboard wall helps us organize projects, flooding it with references. Inspired by Richard Serra’s verb list, we create our own keywords to shape our work’s message. This method keeps us focused, helps filter ideas, and even guides clients in defining their vision. We've been practicing this approach for the last four or five years

How does the work of your client, the discography of a  musician for example, influence your design process? 

Every artist has a different story to tell, you know, and I think the some of the jobs that we are doing all in music are have a different purpose or message. For Shakira, she released a new album with a lot of messages about resilience and being a woman being strong and kind of celebrating that kind of survival and resilience. And so we sort of tried to focus, you know, some of the ideas behind our concept, about about on those particular keywords. 

The GRAMMYs, for example, is about celebrating the success in music for everybody who has created music that year, who has won, and who has had the recognition of just being nominated. Winning a GRAMMY does give you world recognition that you've made it as a musician. 

So our design approach for the GRAMMYs is about being recognized, putting the artists in front of the big crown of music. Our design for the GRAMMYs is a giant gramophone, a big gold gramophone, or at least a big tunnel that sort of represents a gramophone. And for us, anyone who goes to win an award and stands to say their thank-yous in front of that gramophone—it's almost like we're putting the artist in this big gold crown to say, 'You won. This is an incredible, you know, achievement, and here you are standing in front of this big gold crown of music.'

For award shows that you’ve worked on such Eurovision and The BAFTAS, how do you kind of create a vision that suits each performance, but also still concise and works well together?

A careful process in studying what the show requires for something like Eurovision, where there are, you know, up to 40 performances, 40 different countries performing. We have to make sure that we have a space that or the design that not only has a unique design that says, 'This is Eurovision, this is our kind of stamp on Eurovision,' but also is able to transform itself so that we can have one creative of one country to another in a matter of seconds, right? And so we use technology a lot for that particular sort of approach

It's a very interesting journey, and ensuring our stages have different performance areas is an important aspect. Transformation is also key—being able to shift the stage from one scene to another in seconds, like during a commercial break. That theatrical change is something we've learned to incorporate throughout our journey.

What has been your proudest moment of transformation during a show? Was there a time you doubted it could be done but pulled it off and felt especially proud?

There’s been quite a few along the way. We did a show at the end of 2024, with Celine Dion in Saudi Arabia, and it was just basically the design itself. It had a lot of interesting pieces of technology that helped us to transform through lighting and moving pieces. We were able to really transform the landscape, from having Celine Dion performing to somebody like Jennifer Lopez, who also performed. 

It looked quite incredible in terms of how the artist used this space and how we were able to transform from one landscape to another. Eurovision was another example on how we were able to really give the artists a very playful background and playground for them to act and perform.

We had a lot of automation and LED panels moving in all directions to create a unique environment for each performance. Often, a small element can make a big difference, like lowering a light bulb or a trap door with a shaft of light illuminating the space. It’s not always about big bells and whistles; sometimes, one poetic idea carries more meaning, transforming both the environment and the audience's experience.

What is a lesson that you have learned throughout your career that allows you to still maintain that passion and vision within you?

I think there’s several ways to maintain that passion. First and foremost, 80% of the time, we have clients to respond to, and they have a voice, they have an opinion. So being able to be open to hearing their comments and compromise to a point is very important. One needs to be able to listen and take what they say on board, you don’t necessarily have to agree with it, but you have to absorb the information and then do what you want with it. That’s collaborating and being open to making changes. I think it’s a must.

Staying motivated comes from surrounding yourself with culture, through music, passion, architecture, seeing exhibitions, traveling overseas, and even seeing theater shows. This is where we draw ideas and motivation. Staying connected on social media, though overwhelming, provides a great connection to what’s happening out there, whether it’s a fashion show in Paris or a concert in Tokyo. Staying relevant and connected to the industry gives us motivation.

How do you ensure that your next design or idea remains fresh and exciting, and avoid feeling like you're hitting a creative block?

I think it's part of the design process. Designing takes time, it’s not like being an accountant filling out Excel forms. Sometimes it takes two days to come up with an idea, other times a week or two. Allowing time for an idea to develop and questioning it is key. We often hit brick walls, but they help us refine and polish the design.

I encourage my team to keep questioning the design. If we feel good about it today, we sleep on it and review it again tomorrow to see if we can improve it. Asking these questions helps enhance the design. We also work with producers who help us ask the right questions, and if we can explain our rationale, it strengthens our design.