Boise Design Week: PROCESS

Program Details

WHEN: Aug 6, 2026

TIME: 5:00 pm - 10:30 pm

BOISE DESIGN WEEK: PROCESS 2026

THURSDAY AUGUST 6TH | 5-10:30 PM | PIONEER ROOM | FREE

Boise Design Week is proud to present our second annual Lecture Series—PROCESS 2026, and this year we're going even bigger!

As the theme suggests, this year is all about Process. The process of putting this show together, the process of producing our own videos, and of course, the process behind their success of 3 incredible Industry Leaders— Kris Komori, Lars C. Larsen, and Rob Dennler.

SCHEDULE:

5:00 PM: DOORS OPEN | Check in at the registration table to receive your package, meet the exhibitors, grab a drink or two, get some food, mingle with other attendees while you wait for the show to start.

Vendors:

5:40 - 6:00 PM: OPENING REMARKS

Get to know Boise Design Week from the Founder himself as he remarks on his journey of putting together PROCESS 2026, and what he has planned for BDW moving forward.

  • Alex Caves | Executive Producer / Founder of Boise Design Week / Designer / Design Engineer / Founder of Caves Creative

    • Bio: Alex is a relentless optimizer, a world traveler, creative problem solver, a collector of skills, a do-it-all designer, and a student of leadership. He is what they call specialized generalist, or in Laymen’s terms, a jack of all trades - which allow him to conceptualize unique solution to complex problems and utilize whatever skills necessary to execute the vision at hand.

      His love of creating things and experiences that's never existed before has led him from his first love of metal fabrication and welding, to studying industrial design at the University of Oregon, to moving to Boise to work for a design and build shop, to starting his own design business, and to now, starting Boise Design Week.

6:00 - 7:30 PM: GUEST SPEAKERS

Hear from local experts in their industries

  • Kris Komori | James Beard Award Winning Chef / Co-Founder of KIN | 6:00 - 6:25 PM

    • Hear the story behind his craft and his process of running a fine dining establishment in the heart of Boise.

    • Bio: After more than a decade at Boise's beloved State & Lemp, Kris Komori and partners opened KIN in 2020 with a tighter, more personal vision—a five-course prix fixe served nightly to a single seating.

      In 2023 Komori became the first Idaho chef ever to win a James Beard Award, cementing the room's status as the Treasure Valley's most ambitious table. Komori calls his food 'connective cuisine,' a phrase he uses to explain why the menu shifts weekly with what small Idaho farms bring to the back door.

      The point is not virtuosity but kinship—guests, growers, and cooks sharing one arc of a meal.
      (bistrospotlight.com)

  • Lars C. Larsen | Stop Motion Professional | 6:30 - 6:55 PM

    • Discover the process of bringing characters to life frame by frame from the man who worked on "Coraline," "Kubo and the Two Strings," "Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio,"and more.

    • Bio: Lars C Larsen has built a diverse career in the world of film, with experience spanning live action, animation, theatre and experimental filmmaking. He earned a BA in Theater and Film Production from Cal Poly Humboldt University, where he studied experimental film, animation, and theater arts.

      Lars served as stop motion Rigging Supervisor on Guillermo Del Toro’s Oscar-winning film, Pinocchio. His Stop Motion credits also include Coraline, The Boxtrolls, Kubo and the Two Strings, Missing Link, Shivering Truth, Buddy the Elf, Mike Judge and Zack Wood’s In the Know, The Tiny Chef Show, and has most recently been working on Wildwood, Laika’s upcoming feature. He has also worked on live-action productions such as Portlandia, Leverage, and The Hunted

      His experimental films have been showcased in numerous film festivals, including the Chicago Underground Film Festival, Filmed by Bike, the Humboldt International Film Festival, Bend Film Festival, The Bacchanal Film Society and the Northwest Animation Festival.

      Lars shares his passion for film through educational workshops and film screenings. He has hosted animation workshops at The Portland Art Museum, Bend Film Festival, LED Boise, UpWard Bound:BSU, The Coeur D’ Alene Tribal Summer Internship Program, and One Stone (The online Animation and Math Workshop) in Boise.

      In theater, Lars excelled as Technical Director at The Musical Theater Co. and as Multi Media artist at Oregon Ballet Theatre and Imago Theater. He was also a founding member of The Know Micro Theater, and is currently Animation Dude and Handyman at the Idaho Film Society in Boise Idaho,  where he shares his love of cinema with its thriving arts community, through on going workshops, production and exhibition.

  • Rob Dennler | Executive Creative Producer / Owner of Sneak Attack Music / Mastering Engineer / Owner of Secret Weapon Mastering | 7:00 - 7:25 PM

    • Experience the intersection of music, sound, and storytelling helping artists, filmmakers, brands, and agencies bring their ideas to life through sound.

    • Bio: With 25+ years in the music industry, I’ve worn just about every hat—musician, recording and mix engineer, producer, mastering engineer, music supervisor, label owner, and creative director.

      I started in San Diego, cut my teeth in LA studios alongside Grammy-winning producers and artists, and later moved to Portland, where I shifted my focus to creative direction in the music-for-picture space. There, I led an award-winning production team while also continuing my work in artist development, including launching an artist residency program.

      ​Now based in Boise, I run Secret Weapon Mastering and music supervision agency, Sneak Attack Music. Whether I’m in the studio with artists, shaping the sound of a record, or curating music and audio for film, TV, and branded campaigns, I bring passion, craft, and perspective to every project.

      ​For me, the joy is collaboration—finding the right sound, the perfect song, and helping bring a project to life. If you’re looking for a partner in sound, let’s make something unforgettable together.

7:30 - 8:00 PM: BREAK, NETWORK, & COLLECT QUESTIONS

A quick break before we sit down with the speakers for a Panel Q/A session.

8:00 - 9:00 PM: SPEAKER PANEL

We'll sit down with all the speakers to ask questions and hear more of their unique journey in their fields of design.

  • Featuring Alex Caves, Kris Komori, Lars C. Larsen, and Rob Dennler

9:00 - 10:30 PM: AFTER PARTY