Tucson Standard

Brick by brick, Liam Mohajeri Norris, a first-year University of Arizona student, has been building a following with his Lego creations. After years of sharing his work on social media, he has earned the opportunity to build for his largest audience to date – as a contestant on season three of the FOX competition series "LEGO Masters."

Mohajeri Norris, a student in the School of Theatre, Film and Television, says the show was an incredible experience that forced him to leave his Lego comfort zone.

"Not only are you building under a timer, but you also have to build these really large, beautiful models that will look good on TV," he said. "That's very different than what I and most Lego builders usually build."

Mohajeri Norris is also making history on the show. He and his mother, Emily Mohajeri Norris, are the first mother-son team to appear in the competition.

"As his mother, I was the natural provider of Lego sets and his sounding board," she said. "I am his 'ooh and ahh' team."

The next level of building

"LEGO Masters" features 12 two-person teams taking on ambitious brick-building challenges, with the winning team receiving the ultimate LEGO trophy, a cash prize of $100,000 and the grand title of LEGO MASTERS. Challenges from previous seasons have called on teams to create anything from sea creatures to theme park rides.

Emily Mohajeri Norris said the "LEGO Masters" studio in Atlanta is a builder's dream come true, from giant lights shaped like Lego bricks to a wall display of 4,000 Lego minifigures.

"It's such a joy," she said. "There's this amazing brick pit with over 5 million pieces and 3,300 different kinds of bricks. It's amazing to have this gorgeous display of Legos at your fingertips."

Most Lego builds are only seen by the builder and maybe a small group of family and friends. On "LEGO Masters," Liam Mohajeri Norris said, he and his mother had to scale up their ideas to wow a national audience and impress the judges.

"On TV, our builds need to be big and recognizable from across the room," he said. "There is a balcony that the judges stand on. They need to be able to know what your build is while seeing it from the balcony. You have to be able to convey the story through an instantly recognizable build."

Original source can be found here.