About Fairgrounds

Liz Dimmitt

CEO / Co-Founder

Liz is a co-founder and the curator at large at Fairgrounds. She oversees the company’s operations and ensures we stay focused on our mission and vision. She has leadership experience in immersive art, cultural strategy and private equity. She holds a BA in Finance from Georgetown University and a MA in Art Business from NYU.  She is an active participant in NYC’s and Tampa Bay’s cultural communities and was born and raised in Dunedin, FL.

Mikhail Mansion

CTO / Co-Founder

Mikhail oversees the art + technology direction at Fairgrounds, A longtime artist and design-engineer, he is responsible for driving interactive media innovations at Fairgrounds, and ensuring we stay true to our mission of being both a technology and immersive arts company. Mikhail holds degrees from Rhode Island School of Design, Brown University, University of Tampa; and is a veteran of the USAF. He is a native of St. Pete, FL.

Tyson Johnson

Director of Operations

Tyson manages and supports all operations, buildout and finances of Fairgrounds. A hands-on leader with experience in design, fabrication and entrepreneurship, he is the boots-on-the-ground, ensuring that we stay on task, and on target. He received his BA in Literature from the University of GA. Recently, Tyson has pursued metal fabrication and design in Athens, GA. 

Olivia Mansion

Director of Communications

Olivia directs and manages marketing, social media and communications with artists and the community. She works on telling the story and mission of Fairgrounds, as well as communicating and articulating our goals to artists. Olivia has a Masters in Entrepreneurship from The University of Tampa and a Masters in Education, English Linguistics, and Cross-Cultural Studies from Brown University. She was born in Venezuela and calls St. Pete home.

James Curran

Creative Technology Lead

James Curran designs, builds and maintains technical hardware, software and AV systems throughout Fairgrounds. He is an active member of the development community and brings 20+ years of experience designing custom hardware and software systems. James is a graduate of Saint Petersburg College with a focus on software engineering and music technology. As an artist he creates and performs experimental electronic music. He is a native of St. Pete, FL.

Chris Nobels

Creative Producer

Chris is an entertainment industry expert with 22 years of experience. With an extensive background in production and operations, he has toured the world managing productions at major venues on 6 continents. Most recently he was the Senior Director of Production and Associate Producer for Feld Entertainment, the largest live family entertainment company in the world, overseeing all new touring productions while working with brands such as NBCUniversal and Disney

John-Michael Hines

Experience Manager

John-Michael enthusiastically joins Fairgrounds as the Experience Manager, ensuring every moment a guest is immersed in the world of Fairgrounds is enjoyable. For over two decades, he has honed in on his strong aptitude for event execution and consumer product delivery, most recently serving as General Manager of Interactive Experiences with Feld Entertainment. John-Michael is originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, and holds a degree in Computer Engineering from the University of the Pacific.

Celeste Davis

Community Relations Liaison

With deep roots in the St. Pete community, Celeste Davis joins Fairgrounds as the Community Relations Liaison. She is well known in the interior design and fine arts  communities working as a designer  for over 18 years. She serves as a curator for the Dr. Carter G. Woodson African American Museum in St. Pete and was selected by the Washington Post as the’ Interior Designer to Watch.’ She holds an MFA from The George Washington University and a Fine Art and Furniture Appraisal Certificate from New York University along with the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP) certification.

Kristin Hemphill

Project Coordinator

Kristin comes to Fairgrounds with 25 years of expertise in design and creative project management. She has worked with some of the world’s leading brands overseeing commercial interior design, brand development and environmental implementation. A certified jeweler, artist and creative entrepreneur, Kristin has always had a passion for mixing materials creating unique environments that are as functional as they are beautiful. As Fairgrounds Project Coordinator she ensures project goals are met and each immersive space comes together in the most efficient, fun, and creative way possible. 

Jonah Free

Project Coordinator

A native of South St. Pete and graduate of Gibbs High School, Jonah joins the Fairgrounds team as a Project Coordinator. With nine years of experience in the entertainment industry, he holds a BFA in Theater Design/Technology from Emerson College and has expertise in technical production and special effects. A member of the United States Institute for Theater Technology, Jonah has spent the past several years touring with musicians and theatrical productions as part of their special effects teams, and hopes to bring to his hometown the same awe and wonder that he showed so many crowds on the road.

Chad Jacobs

Graphic Designer

A graduate of Savannah College of Art and Design, Chad has more than ten years experience as a Graphic Designer and Illustrator. Hailing from St. Pete, he is no stranger to the local arts community; he has worked for American Stage, The Dali and Feld Entertainment, and is a Repertory Ensemble member of the St. Petersburg Shakespeare Festival. Not only is he Fairgrounds’ Graphic Designer, but Chad is also a featured artist in the Floridarama exhibit!

Fenwick Wimbleton

Chief Snack Officer

A true jack of all trades, Fenwick inspects all snacks at Fairgrounds to ensure they are safe to eat. In between snacking and napping, he greets all visitors, asks his colleagues for scritches, and snores during meetings. When not in the office, Fenwick can be found barking at squirrels in his backyard, and chasing seagulls in Fort Desoto.

Sam Doty

Lighting Designer

Samuel comes to Fairgrounds with 25 years experience in creating lighting designs for theatrical productions and live entertainment. He developed an eye for lighting shows in high school and continued enhancing his creative designs at Valparaiso University, where he majored in Theater and TV/Radio Production. He spent 16 years at Feld Entertainment before joining the Fairgrounds team.

Elliot Davoren

Sound Designer

Elliot has always had a passion for sound and music. With over a decade of experience, he honed his skills by crafting immersive audio environments for video games, theatrical performances and live touring entertainment. A native of California he earned a B.S. in Earth System Sciences from the University of California Irvine.

Zoe Andrea Batson

A/V/L Technician

Sarah Carolan-Rodriguez

Scenic Artist

Sarah comes to Fairgrounds with more than a decade of experience in scenic arts. A graduate of Binghamton University with a B.A. in Technical Theater, she has a background in interior design, construction, drawing, and painting. Before joining the Fairgrounds team, she was the Scenic Supervisor for Feld Entertainment for ten years. 

Josh Campbell

Creative Technology Intern

Josh joins Fairgrounds as a Creative Technologist Intern. He is originally from Los Angeles and has always been intrigued by recording interesting sounds. For twenty years, Josh served in the U.S. Marine Corps. He is a graduate of the California Institute of Concert Sound Engineering, Armed Forces School of Music and The University of Tampa holding a BFA in New Media. In addition to his degree, he is a member of the Audio Engineering Society.

Tess Oldfield

Creative Technology Intern

Haris-Adele Peteranecz

Fairgrounds Intern

Haris-Adele supports the team on a part-time basis in communications, events, and operations, all while being mentored by the team and acquiring relevant workforce skills. She is a graduate from Environmental Studies with a focus in Anthropology and Community Building from New College of Florida.