Brickman: Alumni Feature

Earlier in 2019, past student Ryan McNaught AKA ‘Brickman’ featured as the judge on Channel Nine’s reality television show LEGO Masters. Ryan is one of only fourteen LEGO certified professionals in the world. He was a huge LEGO fan as a child and as an adult he returned to his passion to combine his professional skills with his creative instinct. When he was asked to be a part of the new show, Ryan jumped at the chance. He described it as “an amazing experience to be a part of”.

Ryan attended Catholic College Bendigo from 1990 to 1992 and went on to enjoy a high-flying corporate career as a chief information office. However, he never lost his passion for creativity and reconnected with LEGO after starting his own family. Reflecting on his time at CCB he said “I’m really glad that I ‘sort of’ paid attention to Mr Dogra in Maths classes up in Coolock House. I remember him very clearly saying that one day I’d use linear equations in the real world, of which I was incredibly dubious. Needless to say, he was of course right!”

Since becoming licensed to use the name LEGO in his own business, Ryan and his team have built some of the world’s most detailed and large LEGO brick models, and have even built models for LEGO offices around the globe.

Ryan has produced global touring exhibitions and hundreds of models for museums, galleries and shopping locations around the world. He doesn’t think there is really anything that they cannot make out of LEGO.

Over the years Ryan and his team have won many awards for their works and they maintain a unique style which makes their creations some of the best and most recognisable in the world.

Since the end of 2018, Ryan has been working with Hamish Blake and Channel Nine on LEGO Masters which aired in May. The show consisted of eight teams who competed in a series of difficult and creative challenges to see who would win $100,000. The format is brought the magic of LEGO to life even more and looks set to make Ryan McNaught a household name.