Steve McGowan

For Steve McGowan, vp/creative director, at FRCH Design Worldwide (Cincinnati), life is one giant stage.

“Performance is in my blood,” says the Cincinnati native. Over the years, McGowan has put his theatrical drive to work, getting his first job donning a Captain Caveman costume and entertaining crowds at Kings Island amusement park. And his first job's first lesson?

“I learned you shouldn't wear fur in 95 degree weather,” he says.

McGowan earned his bachelor's degree in interior design with a minor in theater arts at Ohio University (Athens, Ohio), where he also gained experience working as a production designer.

After graduating, McGowan left the stage but still managed to satisfy his creative needs using his design skills and working with such entertainment powerhouses as Fox Broadcasting, Paramount Studios and Hanna-Barbera.

In 1988, he joined FRCH, where his diverse background helps him to “push creative boundaries.” McGowan says he still relies on the principles of scenic production that he learned as a production designer for his environmental, interiors and architecture designs.

I make the world a better place to shop and eat.

I approach everything as if it were a scripted experience. Design to me is about story-telling and the emotional connection that people have with their built environment.

I didn't realize how small the world actually is. Time and things move so quickly, trends move at a break-neck pace. Forecasting trends has never been more important.

Laughter is good for the soul.

Time is a precious thing. Never waste it.

Bloomingdale's Home Store in Chicago. Also, the AMC Movie & Media Installation at Grand Central Station is wildly creative. It is worthy of a visit to the Big Apple.

Bad hair choices – I had a perm, a mullet and a sweep-over, and sometimes all three. It wasn't until I started shaving my head that I became liberated. (Though you have to have a perfect cranium.) I cannot talk about it. The memories still haunt me. No one told me how stupid I looked, but fortunately, I was ahead of the trend and have been shaving my head for 15 years.

The Flintstones.

Treat each day of your life as if it were your last.

It's okay to drink the water in Mexico.

I'm a freaky jukebox – I'm constantly singing. Songs of all genres pop into my head.

Be true to yourself and love others.

Unbuttoning my pants after dinner.

“Mack the Knife.” Brad Pitt or Kevin Spacey. But, if they're not available, Gary Coleman could use the work.