Amidst the chaos of half decorated tables, sounds of heavy machinery, and lighting equipment galore, stands a young man carefully orchestrating the complexities of the scene with the precision of a prima ballerina and the timing of a first violinist. The young man is San Francisco’s hottest new event designer, Robert Fountain, who has cut his teeth on creating fantasy-like worlds for the opening of the San Francisco Ballet and Opera. NCH&D talks flowers, chandeliers, smoke and mirrors with Fountain.
He grew up in Thomaston, Georgia, which is, according to Fountain, “a cotton-picker’s town.” His grandmother was a gardener, which no doubt influenced his appreciation for everything floral. He started in floral design 15 years ago when he fibbed about his experience in order to work for a flower shop in Atlanta. At age 20, the young Fountain felt his life was better suited to indulging his artistic side decorating for weddings and parties “than working in some stuffy office.” He always knew he had creative talent. With school boy aspirations of becoming an architect or an interior designer, Fountain recalls, “I loved to sketch and draw. A house was designed based on my drawings when I was 16 years old.” Fountain put his sketch pad away and poured his heart into floral design. A 1995 visit to San Francisco found Fountain so romanced by the city that his vacation spot became his new home town.
With no time to waste, Robert hooked up with the venerable San Francisco firm of Podesta Baldocchi, an event planning and design production company that has been furnishing the city’s tony set with magnificent blossoms and blooms for generations. Hard work and undeniable talent took Fountain from floral designer to general manager. Today, Fountain has branched out on his own.
This year he’s taken on the San Francisco Ballet’s 1999 opening of Giselle which featured a gala party for 850 in a tented pavilion on Franklin Street, and the grand opening gala for San Francisco Opera’s presentation of Wagner’s The Ring. While with Podesta Baldocchi, Fountain created the lighting design for the 1998 Opera Ball and the world premiere party for Andre Previn’s A Streetcar Named Desire, which included four simultaneous New Orleans-themed parties for about 4,000 people. When he’s not designing openings, Fountain is busy creating and managing weddings, birthdays, and corporate parties throughout the state. “In this business, if you’re not flexible, or not able to anticipate change, you’re not going to make it,” says Fountain. “It’s about change. It’s about making things happen with what you’re presented.”
And problems? Oh, sure! Robert has run into a few obstacles in the course of his work. For a ballet dinner, Fountain’s calla lilies, which were key to the décor, arrived on the day of the event – two feet shorter than they were supposed to be. “I can do a lot of things, says Fountain, “but I can’t make calla lilies grow two feet in four hours.” With some quick thinking, however, Fountain rearranged his design around the existing flowers. Fountain cups his mouth as he admits with a snicker the importance of a needle and thread and how many last minute imperfections duct tape can hide. “I’m a yes-man. There’s always a solution, even if you have to run electrical wires through neighbors’ houses – which I have done. They were coming to the party, thank God!”
With a growing number of high-profile events under his belt, Fountain’s success is far-reaching, and his clients love him. Patricia Sprincin, president of the San Francisco Opera Guild who worked closely with Fountain for the Turandot opening party says, “We have such a great confidence level in Robert. He’s a delight to work with. If we ever run into a glitch, he’s always able to solve it. Simply put, we don’t worry when Robert’s in charge.”
Despite his mellow manner, Fountain admits he gets nervous, but he believes it is for the best. He recalls, “I was once told by a caterer, ‘When you ain’t nervous anymore, you ain’t good.’ I live by that now. You’ve got to put yourself out there for hundreds of people to judge you. If designers weren’t insecure to a certain degree, they probably wouldn’t create what they create.”
Fountain’s expanding business has put him on the map – and he’s here to stay. He recently moved into a larger office. “You can reach me here for the next five years. That’s how long the lease is,” he says with a nervous chuckle. Despite his apparent apprehension, Fountain is confident that if he continues to be himself and produce high quality work, he’ll be needing more office space by then.