Freddy Martin, MSML (freddy@themedattraction.com) is a writer, storyteller, and independent consultant. He began his theme park voyage as a skipper on the Jungle Cruise at Disneyland. Freddy co-hosts the Themed Attraction Podcast with Mel McGowan of Storyland Studios, is a contributing editor for ThemedAttraction.com, writes for InPark Magazine, and blogs at FreddyMartin.net.
“It will be a complete luxury experience, from the time you walk in to get your tattoo art or body piercing, to the aftercare,” said Matt Ferguson, Chief Innovation Officer at Storyland Studios.
“The sheer talent among creatives in our space is staggering,” said Ben Thompson, Chief Strategy Officer and Head of Global Clients at Storyland Studios. “We were thrilled with the astounding response to the challenge, and excited to present the winner and finalists with their well-deserved awards.”
Immersive, interactive theme park to feature stories from cultures around the world. Storyland Studios, the experience design and production studio with offices in the US and Europe, has been selected to design Storyville Gardens, an interactive, story-driven theme park based in Middle Tennessee. Storyville Gardens’ mission is to inspire a renewed love for reading…
Storyland Studios is proud to welcome veteran Walt Disney Imagineer Jim Clark as their newest Executive Director. Clark’s 27-year tenure with the Walt Disney Company included work at Walt Disney World, Disneyland, and Tokyo Disneyland, with two decades at Walt Disney Imagineering. Most recently, he served as Senior Creative Producer for the Tokyo Disneyland Expansion,…
Lake Elsinore, CA, April 27, 2021 – Storyland Studios has been appointed to design a series of new location-based entertainment concepts for Grupo Cataratas, the largest tourism operator in South America. Grupo Cataratas currently operates six sites in Brazil, with more in development. In 2019 alone, the group welcomed nearly six million guests. The group champions conservation,…
Lake Elsinore, Calif. – Experience design and themed entertainment firm Storyland Studios is excited to announce its inaugural Storyland Design Challenge, an all-new, international concept design competition for freelance designers working in the themed entertainment industry. Freelance designers seeking to make their name in themed entertainment are invited to pitch their design concepts for immersive,…
Experience design and themed entertainment firm Storyland Studios is excited to welcome Jason Surrell to their rapidly expanding team as Executive Creative Director. Surrell, a veteran of both Walt Disney Imagineering and Universal Creative Group, brings a wealth of experience in themed entertainment and storytelling to Storyland. Most recently, Surrell served as Senior Creative Executive…
(Lake Elsinore, CA, September 22, 2020) – Storyland Studios announced today the hiring of three new leaders and promotion of one across multiple disciplines. The announcement comes as Storyland sees continued growth in the experience design business. The four strategic positions will play key roles in supporting the company’s rapidly expanding client portfolio. Storyland…
Storyland Studios, an experience design firm that helps brands connect their stories in three dimensions, congratulates Children’s Hunger Fund (CHF) for receiving the Themed Entertainment Association’s (TEA) Thea Award for Outstanding Achievement on a Limited Budget for Poverty Encounter, a permanent exhibit, at the non-profit’s Los Angeles headquarters. Storyland Studios contributed concept development and design…
Storyland Studios Opens UK Branch, Hires Former Disney Leaders Spatial storytelling design firm Storyland Studios announced Thursday that they are expanding their availability to clients by opening an international branch in London. Disney alumnus Ben Thompson will run the office just outside of London, England as Chief Strategy Officer and Head of International, effective August…
One of the great stories of conservation and animal advocacy in the past century is Jane Goodall’s action to protect chimpanzees and inspire action to preserve the natural world. And that story continues as Becoming Jane: The Evolution of Dr. Jane Goodall, an exhibition for National Geographic Museum has been named an overall winner of…
Themed entertainment industry professionals from all backgrounds gathered May 29th on a public ZOOM call to listen as entrepreneurs, industry veterans and newcomers pitched their new concepts and ideas for potential investment. Organized by Cary Jardin and Lexington Blood, the event’s goal was to offer creatives and innovators an opportunity to present their ideas before…
Miziker Entertainment, the themed entertainment company behind dozens of award winning shows, parades, media-based attractions, and memorable guest experiences, will host a 3-day mentorship and professional development weekend for eight qualified students from SCAD’s (Savannah College of Art & Design) pioneering undergraduate and graduate programs in themed entertainment design and related disciplines. The weekend, known…
Shandong Huaxia Cultural Tourism Group Named for 2 Prestigious Awards The magic and wonder of Chinese traditions are alive and well at Huaxia theme park resorts in China. The Themed Entertainment Association (TEA) and the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA) have both named Shandong Huaxia Cultural Tourism group for two original, live…
Efteling, the famed theme park in the Netherlands, has added the last two track sections for their new dual-tracked, powered roller coaster, Max & Moritz. Using nearly 5,000 bolts and nuts, the 59th and 60th track sections have today been installed. This completes the two different track courses of the new Mack Rides coaster. Located…
A Milestone Year: The 2018 Global Attractions Attendance Report According to the 2018 TEA/AECOM Theme Index and Museum Index released by the Themed Entertainment Association (TEA) and AECOM, theme park attendance has topped half a billion for the first time in history. Additionally, 2018 attendance at the top 10 theme park groups grew 5.4% over…
We asked veteran ride-film producer Don MacBain about the role technology has played in the development of unique guest experiences. The astonishing technological advancements he’s seen over the course of his career have positively impacted the story-teller’s ability to immerse the theme park guest ever more completely into the attraction environment. This is what he…
When reports first started circulating in offices and classrooms that Notre-Dame de Paris was in flames, people around the world seemed to recognize together the sad significance of this calamity. A lot of tragic news passes through the culture these days. Perhaps the overarching tragedy is that the disasters, death, and mayhem that make…
We asked several Walt Disney Imagineering alumni to share their reactions to the tragedy at Notre-Dame. Tom Morris responded with the following which we wish to share with you in its entirety. It was of course shocking to see as the news broke but somehow I felt that “our lady” was going to come…
The Themed Entertainment Association (TEA) Summit is a gathering of theme park and experience design industry professionals, which takes place every year at the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim, California. It’s a three day event which culminates in a gala celebration of those projects honored with a TEA Thea Award, considered the industry’s highest honor. …
One of the themed entertainment industry’s highest honors will be presented to Mark Woodbury, Vice Chairman of Universal Parks & Resorts and President of Universal Creative, at the Themed Entertainment Association‘s (TEA) 25th Annual TEA Thea Awards Gala on April 13. Woodbury will receive the distinguished Buzz Price Thea Award for his Lifetime of Distinguished Achievements…
The history of audio-animatronics cannot be told without Walt Disney’s tribute to America’s sixteenth president, Abraham Lincoln. In the same way, animatronics history also cannot be told without Garner Holt, one of the world’s foremost leaders in the craft. Disney’s historic animatronics show, Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln, debuted at the 1964 World’s Fair and…
Designers and representatives from Wiegand.Maelzer, a water slide creator in Germany, knew they had something special with their water slide/Ferris wheel hybrid, “SlideWheel,” but they never expected the reaction from international theme park community. After the World Waterpark Association (WWA) Tradeshow in Las Vegas and the IAAPA Attractions Expo in Orlando, SlideWheel took home, not…
Dynamic Attractions Duel Power Coaster is the world’s most advanced roller coaster vehicle: If you had a Hot Wheels racing set as a kid, you’ve no doubt let your imagination run with some of the death-defying moves your car can make. But what if you could do all those same moves in a theme park…
Question: How many theme park professionals can you fit into a 30 x 30 convention booth? Answer: Depends. Can we use a Pepper’s Ghost? The Themed Entertainment Association (TEA) announced the recipients of their prestigious TEA Thea Awards at IAAPA’s Attractions Expo today. Clearly one of the most anticipated announcements of the week, the large,…
TEA Thea Award recipients to be announced at IAAPA – 11/13/18 at 2pm The Themed Entertainment Association (TEA) will officially announce the new slate of TEA Thea Awards recipients at a press conference on Tuesday, Nov 13, 2018 at 2:00 pm (local time) during the IAAPA Attractions Expo in Orlando. New TEA International Board President Michael Mercadante…
Stunned. That’s how we felt after a preview visit to Poverty Encounter, the new immersive attraction built by Children’s Hunger Fund (CHF) in Los Angeles. The non-profit is currently prepping their walk-through experience for public opening in December. The attraction is meant to be an eye-opening, educational look at the plight of the extremely poor…
The 2018 TEA Thea Awards, Anaheim, California. April 7, 2018 By Freddy Martin ANAHEIM – When civil rights activist and U.S. Representative, John Lewis, dedicated the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) in Washington, DC, his words echoed the triumph of generations; “See what a dream can do.” The NMAAHC was…