For any kid who spent hours piecing together those colorful plastic bits, it’s a dream job: Getting to play with LEGOs all day. That’s the new career of Lawrenceville’s Joshua Bohn, a 24-year-old business major at Georgia Gwinnett College.
On Feb. 1, Bohn took on the title of Master Model Builder at the new LEGOLAND Discovery Center, a 30,000-square-foot attraction opening Mar. 17 in Phipps Plaza. The full-time, salaried position comes with a job description that includes hanging out with store visitors, talking to kids about LEGO projects, hosting workshops and coming up with his own creations to put on display.
“Yes, I get paid to play with toys,” admits Bohn with enormous enthusiasm. “But it is more than just building for eight hours a day; I’ll also teach educational classes; learn about the latest products; and talk to kids about what they want to build with LEGOs.”
Competition for the Master Model Builder was fierce. An open-call for applications in early January drew more than 100 people ready to show their future employer their LEGO-building skills. The crowd was given 30 minutes to come up with an imaginative LEGO creation involving animals, and Bohn designed a feeding koi fish that made the first cut.
The remaining 30 contestants then had 45 minutes to replicate an iconic Atlanta landmark, and Bohn pulled off another winner with a design of the Fox Theatre.
“I had never even been to the Fox, but I always heard amazing things about it,” he admitted. “So I called up pictures of it on an iPhone to get the details.”
Bohn was among the 12 finalists given one hour to design a model that represented themselves. His imagination went into overdrive.
“I’ve been a pretty artistic kid and wanted to do an homage to art,” he said. “I made a main stage with a pencil, eraser and pad being drawn on. On top of that was Romeo on one knee giving a bouquet to Juliet. I also had the faces of comedy and drama and a box with a gentleman jumping out of it to represent thinking outside the box.”
The judges were wowed, and Bohn got the job -- one he hadn’t realized he’d been training for most of his life.
“I’ve had a lifelong love of LEGOs,” he said. “The earliest photos of me are at 18 months, playing with DUPLOs (LEGOs for preschoolers). I’ve always had LEGO kits, pieces and parts and have been making things out of my head. And I worked for five years at the LEGO retail store in Discovery Mills mall, so I’ve had the advantage of playing a lot with the product.”
Bohn’s childhood creations included airplanes, tanks, spaceships and lots of characters with moveable parts.
“I’ve found a niche doing things that move or have digits and appendages that move,” he said. “They’re like action figures with thousands of pieces.”
As much as he loves playing with LEGOs, Bohn is getting a kick out of telling people about his new job.
“When I tell them what I do for a living, they think it’s amazing,” he said with a laugh. “I’m having a lot of fun advertising the fact.”
When it opens Mar. 17, LEGOLAND will feature an exhibit of Atlanta landmark buildings made from LEGOs. The space will include hands-on play areas, a 4D cinema, LEGO rides and party rooms. Information about the store is online at http://atlanta.legolanddiscoverycenter.com; 404-848-9252. /cq/
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Every other Wednesday, H.M. Cauley brings you positive stories from our community. To suggest a story idea, e-mail hm_cauley@yahoo.com.
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