We had the good fortune of connecting with Ann Denner and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ann, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
When I was a kid, my Grandmother would take me to NYC for my birthday to see a Broadway show. I loved everything about those experiences: the train into the city, the smells, the costumes, the music. I imagine it is how a lot of kids feel when they go to an amusement park. The theatre district of New York was my Disney World. I knew from a young age that I wanted to do something creative.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
The path to where I am now happened so organically that I sometimes have no clue how I got here.

Theatre was my whole life as a kid. It only seemed natural to turn it into a career. The coolest thing about having aspirations in the creative world is that there isn’t one path, one job title, one lifestyle. My ability to sew has presented so many jobs and opportunities over the years: from theatre to dance to high fashion to weddings to motocross wear to dog clothes. I have been afforded opportunities to speak at conferences, run a high school theatre costume program, join forces with many others to make hundreds of masks last year, and so much more.

Each experience helped me hone in on what I like most and has helped constantly redefine the vision for my company, Denner Design & Solutions. Denner Design was established in 2007. I offer small batch production, manufacturing consultation, and 3PL services (store, pack, ship). My specialty is dance wear and athletic wear.

I think the biggest lesson I have learned is not to be disappointed when things don’t turn out the way we planned. I am definitely not living in New York City and working on Broadway like my 12 year old self had envisioned. But my current company is perfect for me. It has introduced me to incredible people. It feeds my artistic soul. It allows me to be home with my kids (even homeschool this past year), help my husband with his business and still be creative everyday.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Red Rocks Amphitheatre for sure. It is one of my favorite places on the planet.

The Fox Theatre in Boulder and Denver Center for the Performing Arts are both great venues. If it is Winter, then the Dillon Ice Castles and the Polar Express at the Colorado Railroad Museum are a must. In summer, I suggest camping and boating at Horsetooth Reservoir, visiting the exhibits at NCAR and University of Colorado Museum of Natural History, and hiking at Chautauqua Park.

As far as eating, I would say: Boulder Farmer’s Market food trucks, Lucky Pie and Sweet Cow in Louisville, 24 Carrot in Erie, and Blue Agave in LoDo are at the top of my list.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There are so many people that have played a role in determining the path that led me here today. Four of those people were Sharon Pearson, Pam Knourek, Carolyn Fay and Jennie Yu. Sharon was my high school costume instructor who had so much patience for me while I fumbled my way through my first years of sewing. She really helped me fall in love with it. Pam Knourek, the co-director of Costume Design and Costume Technology programs at UNCSA, pushed me to do way more than I ever thought I was capable of doing. Carolyn Fay, former Director of the UNCSA Dance Costume Department, introduced me to the world of dancewear and there is still nothing I love more. And Jennie Yu, an incredible pattern maker in Boulder, took a chance on me when I moved to Colorado 5 years ago. Not only did I do sample making for her, but she referred many clients to me for small production runs. Her referrals are what allowed my company to become established in Colorado.

Website: http://dennerdesign.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dennerdesign/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ann-denner-37348b64/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DennerSolutions

Other: https://makersrow.com/denner-design https://www.etsy.com/shop/DennerDesigns

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