We Create: Liam Norris' Dream Internship with LEGO

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Liam Norris is a junior at the W.A. Franke Honors College double-majoring in Film and Television and Computer Science. Last spring semester and into the summer, Norris had the opportunity to intern for LEGO in Denmark, an absolute dream of his ever since he began building LEGO as a childhood hobby. Now as a junior at the University of Arizona, Norris is excited to incorporate the creative energy he gained while working at LEGO this summer into his courses and films. While his time as an intern was unforgettable, Norris is grateful for the freedom and flexibility that being a student offers.

When he's not building new creations or attending class, Norris is an active member of the University Filmmakers Organization (UFO), a film club on the University of Arizona campus. Aside from discussing movies and making fun shorts in his film club, Norris is also involved with University of Arizona Bahá’í Club, which is a spiritually inspired club that works to build uplifting community on campus.

How has your interest in building LEGO as a hobby changed into what it is now? 

The first time that I remember being absolutely hooked on LEGO was when my grandmother gave me a LEGO Power Miners set. For a six or seven-year-old boy, there is nothing much better than a mech robot with a saw and a claw. From then on, LEGO sets were all that I wanted for birthdays. Around that time I also started building my own creations with my two brothers. As I got older, other kids I knew grew out of LEGO, but I still loved it as a creative outlet. As a teenager I started participating in the online LEGO community, on YouTube and LEGO IDEAS. Finding other builders out there who viewed LEGO as an art form in addition to a toy was galvanizing. I started a YouTube channel, Brixter, and began sharing my work online.
 

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What was your experience like being featured on the show LEGO Masters? 

When I was 16, I got an Instagram DM from a casting agent for LEGO Masters US Season 1. He had noticed my in-progress pictures of a massive LEGO “Spirit Lion” sculpture I was working on, and invited me to apply to LEGO Masters. I teamed up with my super-creative mom, Emily, and we started the process. We had been invited back for multiple interviews, and then they stopped responding. We didn’t know why, but when Season 1 aired, we noticed that there were no minors on the show. Season 2 came and went, and it was unsure whether the show would be renewed for Season 3. Then, one day, my mom got a text. It was the casting agent. He was like, “I think Liam is 18 now. Do you guys want to apply for Season 3?”

Being on the show was a once-in-a-lifetime type of experience, both very fun and very challenging. Building for TV requires speed, scale and story — every build has to be unique and entertaining. Churning these out one after another is tough creatively, and at the same time exhilarating. It definitely pushed my mom and me to try new things, and become both better builders and better teammates. Plus, it was fun getting to meet Will Arnett and Chris Pratt.
 

How did the opportunity to intern come about? 

Working at LEGO has been a dream of mine since elementary school. Last fall, a friend from LEGO Masters encouraged me to apply to an internship opening at LEGO Design, where LEGO sets are created.Through LEGO Masters I knew a few people who work at LEGO, including the judges, Brickmasters Amy and Jamie. I decided to apply, listing Amy and Jamie as references, and see what would come. When I got the internship I was thrilled, and the whirlwind of preparations began — LEGO is headquartered in Denmark, but thankfully they were very supportive throughout the visa process and international adjustment. I flew out of Tucson on February 27, and began the internship on March 1. It was like a dream come true.
 

What were your biggest takeaways from the experience? 

1. Knock on doors, you never know what’s meant to be.
2. Follow your dreams, but don’t expect everything to be perfect. Even when you’re building LEGO as a job, there are still meetings and corporate events and whatever. It’s still real life… but it’s pretty special waking up Monday morning and feeling excited for the week ahead.
3. It’s thrilling to work in an innovative environment. Being around people who are pushing the bounds of what is possible is some of the best motivation to push yourself.
4. Danish work culture is so different, and so nice. They leave at 3:00 PM on Fridays, and are still the largest toy company in the world, creating some of the most creative products on the market.
5. Bring enthusiasm to whatever you do. Putting in a little extra effort always made for the best days.
    

What did a typical day look like as an intern for LEGO? What kind of projects did you get to work on?

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Interns at LEGO Design are very integrated into the teams, so my cohort of 17 interns was really able to contribute to the design process. I was working in the LEGO Icons team, helping concept products for new 18+ “LEGO Adults” sets. Since the Icons team makes such a wide range of products, from model cars to Lord of the Rings sets, I was able to try out a lot of different things. I also designed a set for LEGO Ninjago, and helped concept a few models for the LEGO Star Wars team. Plus, my mentor, Samuel Lilthorp-Johnson, was super supportive of my film interest and degree. He brought me along to a couple of promotional video shoots, and helped set up interviews with a number of people at LEGO who work in TV.
 

What are your plans for the rest of your summer after completing your internship?

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I had the blessing of traveling for a month in Europe with my family, and now I am going to attend a seminar called the Institute for Studies in Global Prosperity. It is part of a four-year program created by the Bahá’í Faith that investigates the challenges facing the world and ways we, as students preparing to enter the working world, can address them.
 

Do you have a personal favorite creation that you've made?

So hard to choose just one! Apart from the designs I created during the internship, I am very proud of the Spirit Lion build that led to being on LEGO Masters. While on the show, my mom and I built a jackalope that actually rode a mechanical bull, which was super fun too. Finally, my most-viewed video on YouTube features my favorite Star Wars spaceship I have designed, called the Dawn Breakers.