Title: Founder and Owner
Company: Spectacular Dimensions
Location: West Hollywood, California, United States
Michael Baroto, Founder and Owner at Spectacular Dimensions, has been recognized by Marquis Who’s Who Top Artists for dedication, achievements, and leadership in costume and puppet design.
A prolific designer and creator of special costume effects and puppets for such media companies as NBC, CBS, Paramount, Universal, The Walt Disney Company and Mattel, Mr. Baroto has excelled as the founder and owner of Spectacular Dimensions in West Hollywood, California since 1995. During this time, he has been additionally active as a wardrobe workroom and universal workroom supervisor for NBCUniversal Media between 2007 and 2008. Previously working as a puppet designer for the Sid & Marty Krofft Company in 1984, he began his career with the Bil Baird Marionette Theater, advancing from an apprentice to a shop foreman between 1973 and 1975. To support his professional ambitions, Mr. Baroto obtained a certificate in theatre arts at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey in 1971 before completing coursework in accounting and business management at the United College of Business, coursework in marionette design and shop supervision at the Bil Baird Marionette Theater and coursework in script writing for animation at the University of California Los Angeles Extension.
An accomplished artist with credits that include the Macy’s Day Parade and “Pee-Wee’s Playhouse,” Mr. Baroto has been commissioned to construct marionettes of various celebrities over the years, including W.C. Fields, Liza Minnelli, Liberace, Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley and Marilyn Monroe, to name a few. His work has also been notably exhibited at the Newark Museum in 1968, the Molly Barnes Gallery in 1984, the William Grant Still Arts Center in 1985, the New York City Toy Fair in 1997, and the Burbank Library in 2014, among others. Esteemed as the creator of the animated film “The First Little Girl on the Moon” in 1986, his work has been further featured in The Hollywood Reporter, The Collector Magazine, The Puppetry Journal, Dollreader Magazine and “100 Years of Oz: A Century of Classic Images.” Moreover, Mr. Baroto has found success with his written works, including his stage plays “Gross Misconduct,” “The Waiting Room,” “Parlour Games,” and “Stream of Consciousness” as well as his poem, “The Voice,” which was published in New Jersey Bard’s Poetry Review in 2022.
In light of his exceptional undertakings, Mr. Baroto has been presented with a UNICEF Poster Award in 1968, the Rosamond Hooper Award for Outstanding Achievement in Art in 1972 and a Certificate of Appreciation from the City of Los Angeles in 1985. As a testament to his extraordinary work in crafting 86 costumes for a cruise line production company over the course of three months, he was honored with an Ovation Award for Outstanding Customer Service from NBCUniversal Media LLC in 2008, which he cites as the highlight of his career. Likewise, his work on “The Three Bears” was recognized as Best in Show by the New Jersey Artist League in 1994 and “The First LIttle Girl on the Moon” was selected as a quarterfinalst by ScreenCraft. Mr. Baroto has attributed his success to his perseverance, the support of his parents and his grade school teachers, his ability to seize the opportunities presented to him and being the product of the public school system.
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