Harry E. Otto (born 23 June 1955; age 69) is a Set Designer and Art Director for film and television productions. He worked as Senior Set Designer on Star Trek and as Art Director on Star Trek Into Darkness. For his work on both films, Otto earned ADG Excellence in Production Design Award nominations in the category Fantasy Film. More recently, Otto worked as Art Director on Star Trek Beyond.
On Into Darkness, Otto worked on the technical drawings of the USS Vengeance bridge and on the refuse chute, the bridge reconstruction, the circuation lobby and corridor sets and the security area including the prisoners holding cell aboard the USS Enterprise. [1]
Otto received a CSU International Program from the Danish Royal Academy in Copenhagen, Denmark and earned a Bachelor of Architecture from the California State Polytechnic University in Pomona, California. He made his first steps into the entertainment industry by working as set designer on Seinfeld, Caroline in the City, The Single Guy, Ally McBeal, and ER.
Otto was nominated for an Excellence in Production Design Awards from the Art Directors Guild for his work on A.I. Artificial Intelligence and Minority Report. Otto and Star Trek: First Contact and Star Trek Nemesis set designer Martha Johnston were nominated for an Excellence in Production Design Award for their work on the 2003 film The Last Samurai, which was written by Nemesis scribe John Logan. Otto and Johnston then won an Excellence in Production Design Award for their work on The Terminal, starring Tom Hanks, with Jude Ciccolella and Zoë Saldana. He received another ADG Award nomination in 2012 for his work on Cowboys & Aliens, written by Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman, and Damon Lindelof. Otto previously worked under Star Trek's supervising art director, Keith P. Cunningham, on the films Van Helsing and Rent.
In addition, Otto and fellow Star Trek set designers Kevin Cross, Andrea Dopaso, and Anne Porter all worked on the 2007 film Spider-Man 3, which starred James Cromwell and Kirsten Dunst. Otto also worked with Kevin Cross on Rent and with Andrea Dopaso on The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas and Van Helsing. He worked with Star Trek art director Luke Freeborn on Van Helsing, as well; Otto and Freeborn also collaborated on Minority Report and The Terminal. Other Star Trek set designers and art directors Otto has worked with include Curt Beech (on Failure to Launch), Dawn Brown Manser (on A.I. Artificial Intelligence), and Andrew Reeder (on Imposter).
Otto was an art director for the first ten episodes of the 2007 season of 24. Alexander Siddig was a recurring guest star on the series at this time. He also worked on Castle between 2009 and 2010, as assistant art director on the 2008 action comedies Tropic Thunder (featuring Reggie Lee) and Bedtime Stories (featuring Paul Dooley and Keri Russell), and as additional photography art director on the science fiction project John Carter (2012).
Otto later was a set designer on The Hunger Games: Catching Fire(2013) and Jersey Boys (2014), art director on Transcendence (2014) and on American Sniper (2014), assistant art director and set designer on Horrible Bosses 2 (2014, starring Chris Pine), and set designer on Secrets and Lies (2014, along with Tim Earls).
Star Trek awards[]
ADG Excellence in Production Design Awards[]
- 2010 ADG Award nomination in the category Fantasy Film for Star Trek, shared with Scott Chambliss, Dennis Bradford, Curt Beech, Luke Freeborn, Beat Frutiger, Gary Kosko, Aaron Haye, Keith P. Cunningham, Clint Schultz, Ryan Church, James Clyne, Paul Ozzimo, John Eaves, Bruce G. Smith, Karen Manthey, C. Scott Baker, Dawn Brown, Kevin Cross, Andrea Dopaso, Jeff Frost, Scott Herbertson, Joseph Hiura, Billy Hunter, Anne Porter, Andrew Reeder, and Jane Wuu
- 2014 ADG Award nomination in the category Fantasy Film for Star Trek Into Darkness, shared with Scott Chambliss, Ramsey Avery, James Clyne, Lauren Polizzi, Kasra Farahani, Michael E. Goldman, Andrew E.W. Murdock, Jason Baldwin Stewart, Natasha Gerasimova, Steve Christensen, Andrea Dopaso, John Eaves, Nathan Schroeder, Ryan Church, Christopher Ross, Victor Martinez, Steven Messing, Karl Strahlendorf, John Chichester, Tex Kadonaga, Kevin Cross, Andrew Reeder, Anne Porter, Jane Wuu, Richard F. Mays, Allen Coulter, Karl Martin, Scott Schneider, Lorrie Campbell, Easton Smith, Tammy Lee, Tim Croshaw, Clint Schultz, and Karen Manthey