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The Tarrytown man says he is beyond thrilled to have landed a job as the new master model builder at LEGOLAND® Discovery Center Westchester in Yonkers.
In Maddaloni’s previous life, he owned and operated Practically Alive, a special effects, makeup, prosthetics and props company in Queens.
A graduate of Fairleigh Dickinson University, he majored in filmmaking and minored in studio arts. He also spent a year in Ontario, Canada participating in an advanced special effects graduate program.
Maddaloni’s artistic background, and a passion for interlocking plastic bricks, won him the new gig, the LEGO® folks said.
Maddaloni beat out other highly qualified candidates for the job by using his special effects background to build three themed creations. Each challenge was only 30 minutes long.
Maddaloni, who said he had been playing with LEGO® bricks for as long as he could remember, used them to create stories and adventures about pirates and knights in his living room.
When he got older, he brought the mini LEGO® figures to life using stop motion animation with his family’s camcorder.
Art, he said, “should inspire art and LEGO® is a great way to express that fandom.”
Maddaloni said he was excited to have a job where he can share his love of creating with LEGO® fans of all ages.
Chris Mines, general manager of the LEGOLAND® in the Ridge Hill shopping mecca, said Maddaloni “unique creativity” and passion for LEGO®s made him the perfect choice for the job.
The LEGOLAND® attraction is geared towards kids, ages three through 10.
It is located at 39 Fitzgerald St.
For more information, call (866) 243-0770, or visit the its website, www.legolanddiscoverycenter.com/westchester.
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