Zeitgeist Presents: The Spirit of the Time Zoomcast with George Scribner

PASSENGER 28: Walt Disney Animation director (“Oliver & Company,” “The Prince & the Pauper”), Walt Disney Imagineer (“Mickey’s PhilharMagic,” “Gran Fiesta Starring the Three Caballeros”), and fine artist (Panama Canal Expansion, Shanghai Disneyland, Disney Cruise Lines”), George Scribner! Renaissance artist George Scribner lives three distinct lives: traditional animator and former Walt Disney Animation director, responsible…

Boomers Parks Become First Family of Family Entertainment Centers to Earn Certified Autism Center™ Designation

Boomers Parks announces today that eight of its Family Entertainment Centers (FEC) and Water Parks have achieved the Certified Autism Center™ (CAC) designation, accredited by the International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards (IBCCES). This milestone sets a new standard, as Boomers Parks becomes the first family of FECs to earn this certification at…

Zeitgeist Presents: The Spirit of the Time with Dale Mason

Please join us Friday August 25th at 12pm PST!  PASSENGER 26: Thirty-three year veteran of Universal Destinations & Experiences who served as creative lead on dozens of groundbreaking parks and attractions, including Universal’s Islands of Adventure, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley, and the upcoming Universal’s Epic Universe, Dale Mason. And…

Video games and Themed Entertainment

The themed entertainment industry has always been about creating immersive experiences that transport guests to a different world, and video games have proven to be a powerful tool in achieving this goal. The ability of video games to transport players into another world has translated well into the creation of theme park attractions, museum exhibits,…

CELEBRIDUCKS CREATES NEW PRODUCTS FOR CEDAR FAIR/KNOTTS BERRY FARM

CelebriDucks, considered the top custom rubber duck manufacture in the industry is creating a series of new creations for Cedar Fair’s theme parks beginning with the upcoming Boysenberry Festival at Knotts Berry Farm.  They will also be creating Woodstock themed floating collectibles for the Halloween and Christamas festivals.   

The company has worked with Cedar Fair in the past creating a floating Woodstock for Knotts and they have also created Pink Flamingos and Manta Rays for SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment.  Craig Wolfe, CelebriDuck’s president said that, “people come to us from all over the world to create the finest and most unique floating collectibles for their companies and theme parks and we just love these projects.”

Apart from being voted one of the top 100 Gifts by Entertainment Weekly, the company has been featured on The Tonight Show, Late Night With Conan, CNN, ABC, NBC,TNT, Who Wants to be a Millionaire, CBS Evening Magazine, The N.Y. Times, Chicago Sun Times, The LA Times, and hundreds and hundreds of other media outlets worldwide.  They sell thousands of their Blues Brothers rubber ducks at all the House of Blues and even developed the first floating Pink Flamingo for Caesars that is one of their top gift products. They also create products for The NBA, MLB, NHL, NASCAR, and the NCAA and won the ESPN poll for the fan’s favorite give-a-way. 

CelebriDucks also just released their new line of celebrity inspired Costume Quackers which celebrate the most popular themes of American pop culture and have quickly become their top selling rubber ducks.  You can learn more at CelebriDucks.com or by writing to info@celebriducks.com or calling 530-446-5231.

RWS/JRA Expand Reach Into Zoo, Aquarium and Museum Markets with Appointment of New Director

JRA – Part of RWS Entertainment Group has tapped zoo and museum industry veteran Robby Gilbert as its new Global Director, Business Development. Gilbert joins the team as JRA and parent company RWS expand their planning, design, implementation and operations capabilities for zoos, aquariums, science centers and botanical gardens worldwide, and as RWS Entertainment Group offers custom leased experiences and merchandise featuring iconic brands, including all-new Hershey’s and Guinness World Records™ attractions.

An illustration of a brain underwater

The Fallacy of Immersion

Immersion has been the buzzword of the themed entertainment industry for a little over a decade or so. We’re in an arms race where every new project attempts to one-up the last by increasing the ‘immersiveness’ by another factor. Bigger, more enveloping, more detailed, and especially: more real. While some of the projects this has…

Generation Z in Themed Entertainment

The themed entertainment industry has made itself more accessible than ever for members of
Generation Z, born approximately 1997-2012. Whether it be through theme park strategy games, vocational courses, workshops, panels, or documentaries, a vast well of knowledge serves to nourish our interests. Continue reading for an overview of how Gen Z’s theme park strengths can benefit the future of storytelling.

Stephen Sondheim in his 40s. Black and White

What Sondheim Can Teach Us About Experience Design

Photo Credit: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/26/theater/stephen-sondheim-dead.html Stephen Sondheim, famed musical theatre composer, lyricist, genius, and a personal idol of mine recently passed away. His death has recently caused me to reexamine a thought I’ve had from time to time: that rides are akin to songs. It might sound a bit strange at first to suggest that rides and…

Universal Creative’s Amazing Spider-Man Ride: 15 Takeaways

IAAPA Legends Panel reveals startling secrets behind the groundbreaking attraction “Just over 20 years ago, “The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man” ride opened at Universal’s Islands of Adventure and changed our world, inspiring both visitors and would-be imitations. Meet four amazing super-star legends of our industry as they explain how they convinced others to let them…

Connected storytelling: extending narrative beyond the boundaries of a themed attraction

As public discourse about the frequently misunderstood, so-called ‘metaverse’ becomes more common, the conversation will naturally extend to the world of themed and immersive entertainment. While large-scale brands and organisations will almost certainly seek to own as much of the consumer’s attention within this new set of spaces as possible, it may be best to look upon its development as an addition to the storytelling toolkit. Along with skills like architecture, landscaping, attraction design, writing and so many more, we now have a means of crafting virtual spaces which can serve guests by extending narrative beyond the boundaries of the physical environment.

How to make a fiberglass statue?

The production method of fiberglass animal sculpture sculpture refers to the use of various plastic materials (such as gypsum, resin, clay, etc.) or hard materials that can be carved or sculpted, such as wood, stone, metal, jade, etc. , agate, aluminum, FRP, sandstone, copper, etc.), to create a certain space visible and tangible art image, to…

The Experience Disconnect: What You Want vs. What Your Guests Want

Designing a guest experience can be a fun and innovative exercise.  Whether you are starting from scratch, revamping an existing attraction, or fine-tuning your operating model, this is the chance to be creative and provide something that you genuinely want your guests to experience.

But here’s the question… do they want to experience what you want them to experience?

Is there an argument for building real-world connections between themed attractions across the globe?

Over the course of the last couple of decades, increasingly easy and inexpensive international travel has made the world feel smaller; making the appeal of such ideas limited, even as recently as five or ten years ago. Why would I want to look at Orlando through a window, when I could just fly there tomorrow? But as we all begin to finally wake up to the evidence climate scientists have been waving in our faces for several generations — perhaps flying to Orlando tomorrow isn’t the best idea — and the separate realisation that something like Covid-19 can ground flights without much warning, the idea of seeing the world without actually travelling very far may become more appealing. The future of themed entertainment may well be a hybrid, combining in-person visits with virtual experiences set in far flung locations.

The test seats for Revenge of the Mummy at Universal Orlando are restrictive and very public

The Big FAT Problem in the Attractions Industry

Featured Photo Credit: https://orlandoinformer.com/blog/rides-at-universal-for-larger-guests/ This essay contains mentions of weight numbers, percentiles, and size-related traumatic experiences and may be triggering to those with such experiences or eating disorders.  You’re 12. You’re excited. You’ve waited all year for the summer to come and school is finally out! You and your friends are headed down on a…

7 Soft Skills You Need to Succeed in Experiential Entertainment

The nature of modern employment, particularly in the  experiential entertainment industry, is incredibly fluid–and becoming more so all the time. Few people can expect to be in one job for life. In many ways, that’s a positive thing. You can look forward to a long and rewarding career.  You just need to embrace a continuous state of learning, upskilling, and reskilling. 

Falcon’s Creative Group Announces ÄEONXP™ Ecosystem, The Future Of Immersive Entertainment Experiences.

The ÄEONXP™ ecosystem redefines traditional brick and mortar entertainment by introducing guests to multifaceted levels of engagement that allow them to personalize their experiences across theme parks, live events, branded destinations, location-based entertainment venues, or individual attractions. A key feature is its ability to be networked across multiple sites and experiences, connecting guests to a larger universe of play and possibility.

Custom made decors

Relive the Medieval time period with these fiberglass items made by Tabreti! Wanna have a Medieval Theme set-up like no other? Then, what are you waiting for? Send us a message now at tabreti03@gmail.com. If you are in need of custom made decors at affordable price please feel free to email us. me. #medievaltheme #fiberglassitems #tabreti

The Future of Themed Entertainment – The Obsessed Show Podcast

I tell my students consistently that if you want to succeed in industry (any industry) you have to have more than the technical ability to work within a specific skillset. You must continually practice and develop dispositional skills such as the ability to community with others, be adaptable to different situations and be willing to learn and grow. In education, we call this having a growth mindset.