Mason Jensen
Mason Jensen:
Hailing from Southern Idaho, Mason is a collector of weird literature, dangerous chemicals, and a reasonable amount of string. He works full time in the family fireworks business, Acme Fireworks. When he isn’t involved with fireworks Mason spends his time relaxing with his small family, cooking large BBQ, and playing miniature golf.
Dominykas Juknelevičius
Lynden King
Lynden King was first introduced to fireworks displays by John Sullivan of the old California Fireworks Company (Red Devil) when he was 16 years old. John helped Lynden get his license a month after he turned 21 in 1973 and Lynden did his first show a few weeks after that. He has been putting together firework shows for over 50 years and is involved in about 20 firework displays a year, all of which are partially or completely electrically fired. Lynden has been a member of the WPA since 1997 and several years with PGI.
Eric Krug
Eric Krug graduated in 1985 from Kansas State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering Technology. He then moved to Loveland Colorado and specializes in electrical and mechanical product design. He owns his own development company that includes a full machine shop. Eric also teaches advanced CNC machining at the local community college. Eric has been very active as a licensed professional pyrotechnician since 1981. He has had the opportunity to compete in the Montreal International Fireworks Competition twice and is the lead pyrotechnician for many large pyro productions. Eric is very active in the PGI and other groups. As a part of his product development company, Eric also produces a wide variety of tools for the pyro industry.
Eric is also an accomplished musician and plays a variety of instruments.
Joseph Madziarczyk
is an accomplished fireworks maker concentrating on the Italian style of shell building. He is an award-winning photographer of fireworks; he has served as a national judge for PGI fireworks competitions and as the San Diego Area VP for WPA. During his career in fireworks, he had been both a consumer dealer of fireworks and a display operator. But most of all, he loves teaching pyrotechnic basics to beginners.
Steve Majdali
Steve Majdali:
is a charter member of the WPA, a member of the PGI since 1984, and is an executive member of the Reaction Research Society (the oldest amateur rocketry organization in the USA). He has been published in several pyrotechnic newsletters as well as Pyrotechnica and American Fireworks News. Always willing to share, Steve has given seminars or demonstrations at every PGI convention attended so far (20 to date) and many more at Winter Blast. A licensed pyrotechnic operator for over twenty years in CA, Steve is a fabricator of pyrotechnic tooling, an amateur chemist, and a pyrotechnic consultant and educator. An electrical mechanic by trade and an inventor/tinkerer by nature, He is mostly self-taught in chemistry, fluid power systems, and writing. He has been a fireworks enthusiast since his youth and learned machining to further his research in pyrotechnics and rocketry.
Kevin Mather
Kevin Mather
(aka “Moonbeam”) has been mixing chemicals and playing with fire since he was given a chemistry set at age 8. When asked about how he got started in pyro, he quickly answers that his mother is primarily to blame. Growing up in Colorado, fireworks were a common part of family celebrations and were actively encouraged by his mother. Kevin has been quoted saying, “Birthdays, Christmas, Chanukah, the summer solstice, and most days of the week were all celebrated with fireworks in my family.” Kevin is fascinated by Italian shell construction and attributes this to his love of “cut and paste” in kindergarten.
Aaron Mayfield
Aaron Mayfield is owner and primary shell designer for AM Pyrotechnics, a large-scale manufacturing company in the United States that originated in the late 1990’s. AM Pyro produces more than 20,000 aerial shells, mines, & comets yearly and have done so since 2008. Prior to 2008, Mr. Mayfield worked with factories in Italy, Spain, & China regarding all types of shell designs & innovative creations. At home in his spare time Aaron is also a fabulous cook and an accomplished donkey trainer.
Kurt Medlin
Kurt Medlin first began trying to make fireworks around age 10 (with the patient tolerance of his mother and the encouragement of his father!). An avid collector of fireworks books and publications, Kurt acquired copies of the classic texts by Weingart, Davis, and Lancaster by his late teens. Kurt joined the PGI in 1982 at age 22, attended his first PGI convention in 1983 and gave his first seminar at the 1986 PGI convention. Kurt worked his first public fireworks display in 1984. Kurt is a life member of both the PGI & WPA and a former board member of both organizations.
Kurt has given seminars at previous PGI conventions and WPA Winter Blast conventions on black powder rockets, tourbillions, girandolas, large bore candles, fountain and wheel construction, and traditional Italian shell building. In addition to hands-on firework making, Kurt is interested in fireworks history and collecting antiquarian fireworks literature.
