Molly Hughes, a native of Glen Dale, WV, visited West Liberty University to teach students about production design on Jan. 18 Following the presentation, a reception was held with Harry Potter themed food in the Nutting Gallery for guests to enjoy. On Jan.  20, the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra featured a day of magic called the “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone in Concert” at the Capitol theater in Wheeling.

Hughes attended John Marshall High School and once Hughes graduated from high school, she moved to New York City to chase her dreams. Hughes went to NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and got her MFA in Set Design. Following graduation, she began her career of making films and TV shows come to life for the audience.

Hughes explained that set production is made up of all different kinds of jobs in the art department such as engineers, graphic designers, metal workers, and the “Green Department,” workers who bring in small plants and native greens into the filming area in order to make the background realistic.

Once Hughes got her footing in the industry, she designed sets for “The Fault and our Stars,” the Harry Potter franchise, and most recently, “Pain Hustlers.” She even listed some facts about the Harry Potter films, such as that the geography of Hogwarts was constantly changing, and that the chandeliers were made out of rubber to prevent injuries to both workers and actors. Hughes explained that there are always going to be ups and downs on set. She echoed the phrase “keep moving on” when bringing up the difficulties that could occur on set.

Last year, both film and TV crews were on hiatus due to the SAG-AFTRA and Writers Guild of America strikes. Hughes explained that she was unemployed for a whole year during the strikes and very few people were working in the industry at that time. 

When talking about upcoming negotiations taking place during the summer of 2024, Hughes said, “while it’s been difficult, we feel a mutual support from both actors and writers.”