Liverpool's Eurovision set designer has credits across multiple massive MTV stages.
The BBC recently announced their senior Eurovision production team and amongst the illustrious line-up of television names was Julio Himede. Taking up the role of Set Designer for the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest he has designed sets for major entertainment events around the world.
Julio's credits include the 64th Annual Grammy Awards, the 2018-2021 MTV Video Music Awards, the 2016-2021 MTV EMAs and the American Song Contest.
READ MORE: Full list of the nine Eurovision 2023 shows you can get tickets for in Liverpool
The Eurovision stage is an annual point of contention with it being a distinct hit or miss with fans. Some of the most beloved stages belong to Copenhagens' 2014 "Diamond" stage and Lisbon's 2018 stage inspired by the hull of a ship.
Where simplicity is key in giving the acts a solid platform, Julio may just be the perfect choice for Eurovision 2023. His penchant for modern, sophisticated staging with intense lighting is reminiscent of some of the contest's most celebrated sets which in no small way led the shows to go down in history.
His designs for the MTV VMAs incorporated a futuristic feel with robotic panels to welcome presenters and acts. Eurovision is slowly but surely moving away from the physical set designs to a more LED, projection-based backdrop which allows Julio's talents to be easily transferable.
Liverpool's M&S Arena has an 11,000 capacity allowing the scale of things to be kicked up a notch. In several of Julio's EMA sets, he incorporated vast runways and giant structures that made the most of empty space without the area feeling desolate.
Again running with simplicity, the use of exaggerated panels and geometric shapes were small yet effective editions that invoked an almost Tron-like feeling to the ceremony.
There is no set-in-stone date for when the Liverpool stage will be revealed, it can be expected around April, just before the live shows kick-off in May.
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