Tori willis
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Sports Statue Specialist
Dear Sir or Madame, Our goal within Levi’s® Stadium was to create statues of 26 San Francisco 49ers players inducted into our Eddie J. DeBartolo Sr. Hall of Fame. We didn’t want fans and the media to look at our collection and say, “That looks like Jerry Rice.” We wanted observers to gasp in awe and exclaim, “That IS Jerry Rice.” It was my responsibility to represent ownership and the 49ers organization to evaluate every step in the statue creation process. I flew to Brooklyn once a month for about a year to work on and approve the statues in different areas of completion. In order to ensure precise representations, I evaluated, recommended, and oversaw crucial details from ensuring players’ last names were spelled correctly, to shoe laces being tied accurately, and everything in between. Quality lies in the details; the wrinkle of a jersey or bend of the fingertips is just as important as the pose and the paint. These factors all influence the impact the statues can have on fans, players and coaches, and the honored athlete himself. Rapidly traveling social media posts and media coverage are a highly influencing source of news and opinions for fans, and organizations cannot afford to overlook any details, be they big or small, in the creation of their product. Fans and sports writers have the eye to notice nuances such as left handers vs. right handers and the style of uniform for the specific era, down to patches, seams, and logos. Building a statue isn’t always intuitive. During our research I noted that quarterback Joe Montana wore Mizuno shoes during his playing years, so I set out to eBay to replicate a similar look. While we scored a pair of shoes that were very similar to Montana’s, upon double and triple fact checking our uniforms and equipment, we realized Mizuno no longer creates football shoes and these were actually baseball shoes (designated by a different set of cleat patterns). We corrected it before the shoes went through to the next step for approval. To date, no one has found any factual inaccuracies across the 26 statues. I also serve as a creative consultant. While musing over Gordy Soltau’s kicking posture, I remembered he was the inspiration for the famous Charles Shultz Peanuts cartoon (Lucy removing the football before Charlie Brown could kick it). Wanting to add a small nod to this story, I requested we add a football above Gordy’s kicking foot. With our architect, we figured out a way through the installation and lighting to make the ball appear almost floating in midair- a tribute to the magic of childhood comic strips. As your statue consultant, I can bring experience in creating statues and offering insight from a sports marketing perspective, as I have worked in the industry for over six years across Division I college athletics, MLB, and the NFL. By representing team ownership, I understand and exhibit the level of dedication to perfection required for this role. The additional photographs showcase in greater detail the fabricating process. However, I personally invite you to view our Hall of Fame collection in Levi’s® Stadium for an inspiring inside look at the 49ers’ marvelous statues. Sincerely,
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Tori Willis
Tori willis
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Sports Statue Specialist
[email:] toriwillis52@gmail.com [phone:] 408.645.8937 [site:] linkedin.com/in/toriwillis
Experience San Francisco 49ers……………………………………………………………………………………………………………July 2010 to present Marketing Coordinator Marketing Specialist Youth Marketing Specialist
April 2014 March 2013 to March 2014 August 2011 to February 2013
Youth Outreach Marketing & Events Intern
July 2010 to January 2011
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Recipient of 1 annual Denise DeBartolo York Fellowship
Managed day-to-day project operations on behalf of the 49ers to create 26 full-sized interior sculptures in the 49ers Museum o Initial research: Determined critical details for each statue, including historic uniforms, equipment, player measurements, pose, specific sport and game characteristics per position, potential installation location o Creation: Visited Studio EIS in Brooklyn to personally inspect and approve every detail throughout each stage of design. Worked alongside the clay sculptor for all facial components including facial expression, aging details and hair sculpting o Final touches: Assisted in the decisions involving lighting, accompanying furniture, final installation location, shading and highlighting paint colors and gloss finishes Assist in the development and content creation of exhibits for the 49ers Museum Orchestrate and launch marketing initiatives for Levi’s® Stadium including the 49ers Museum and educational field trips, Levi’s® Stadium Art Collection, public transportation and sustainability marketing Manage all programming, marketing and promotions for the 49ers fan development initiatives including overseeing events, contests, collateral, and communication Develop and contribute to departmental initiatives, promotions, projects and events, sponsorship initiatives, and Levi’s® Stadium events
Los Angeles Dodgers…………………………………………………………………………………………………...March 2011 to July 2011 Hospitality Team Member
Acted as game day ambassador and department liaison for the Premium Sales Department and assisted Suite, Dugout Club, and Baseline clients.
Long Beach State University Athletics Department……………………………………………………….……..July 2009 to June 2010 Marketing Graduate Assistant
Planned and implemented marketing and promotional strategies for two major NCAA Division I sports, supervised game-day operations for fall/spring sports, sold group tickets for several sports and oversaw the student cheering section
Education California State University, Long Beach……………………………………………………………………………Long Beach, CA | August 2011 Master of Arts in Kinesiology, Option: Sport Management The University of Arizona……………………………………………………………………………………………………………Tucson, AZ | May 2009 Bachelor of Science in Physical Education, Cum Laude Certified in the state of Arizona to teach Physical Education in grades K-12, June 2009
toriwillis52@gmail.com
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408.645.8937
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linkedin.com/in/toriwillis
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Tori willis
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Sports Statue Specialist
MY Statue WORK CRE a t i v e
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factual
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Tori willis
toriwillis52@gmail.com
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Sports Statue Specialist
408.645.8937
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linkedin.com/in/toriwillis
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Tori willis
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Sports Statue Specialist
Perfecting the pose
Selected pose for Gordy Soltau.
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Approving each aspect of the pose.
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Final pose on display.
Tori willis
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Sports Statue Specialist
Perfecting the pose
Selected pose photo.
Shaping and approving the pose.
Viewing the pose from all angles.
Developing the costume.
Top coat of paint and shading.
Final installed statue.
toriwillis52@gmail.com
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408.645.8937
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linkedin.com/in/toriwillis
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Tori willis
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Sports Statue Specialist
Portraiture
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Jerry Rice headshot reference.
Jerry Rice portrait in progress.
Joe Montana portrait reference.
Joe Montana portrait in progress.
Bill Walsh portrait reference.
Bill Walsh portrait in progress.
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Tori willis
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Sports Statue Specialist
DEtails + Research
Determining paint, gloss, sheen, shadowing and lighting.
Double checking all facts and historic data in each artifact.
Example of shading and shadowing finishes.
Identical details in each artifact.
toriwillis52@gmail.com
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Determining gloss and finishes.
Small details include wristband addition, flowing towel, checking athlete is left or right handed.
408.645.8937
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Final installation of Steve Young.
linkedin.com/in/toriwillis
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Tori willis
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Sports Statue Specialist
COSTUMING
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Million Dollar Backfield costume and pose.
Developing costume and uniform.
Developing costume and uniform.
Final installation with costume.
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Tori willis
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Sports Statue Specialist
COSTUMING
costuming of Joe Montana and Bill Walsh.
Final costuming of Joe Montana and Bill Walsh.
Adjustments on sweater for George Seifert.
Costume includes helmet, chin strap, correct football and shoulder pads.
toriwillis52@gmail.com
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408.645.8937
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linkedin.com/in/toriwillis
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Tori willis Sports Statue Specialist toriwillis52@gmail.com
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408.645.8937
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linkedin.com/in/toriwillis
Photo contributions from: Terrell Lloyd, Mike Eliason, AP Photo, NFL Photos and Mickey Pfleger. Branding By David Roost Creative