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There’s no shortage of big ideas when you’re with our guest today, Creative Executive Jason McManus. Jason’s journey has taken him around the world from Disney’s magic factory to the themed entertainment frontier of the Middle East bringing the seeds of ideas to fruition in some of the most innovative projects we can think of.…
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Join us as we delve into the intricacies of the project management realm. Our guest today is Jeff Burton, a former WED Enterprises Imagineer who has played a pivotal role in some of the most renowned attractions worldwide, such as Epcot, Disney MGM Studios, Euro Disney, and Sea World. Jeff, a second-generation Imagineer, is celebrated…
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Our guest is show control engineer, Linda Alcorn. Linda is a groundbreaking Theme Park show control engineer with over 40 years of experience bringing some of our favorite experiences to life. Linda, the first female electronic engineer at WED, played a pivotal role in shaping iconic projects like EPCOT and pavilions in Canada, France, and…
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Our guest is Christian Hope, Vice President of Paramount Studios Theme Parks & Resorts. Christian has contributed concept designs in development of world-class attractions here in the US and around the world. His concepts have resulted in some of the most visited location-based entertainment sites around including Disneyland Paris, Universal’s Islands of Adventure, and The…
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Our guest is Tony Bruno, former VP of the Disneyland Resort Hotels & the Downtown Disney District. Under his guidance, over 4000 cast members operated The 4 Diamond Grand Californian Hotel & Disneyland Hotel – as well as the 49 unique brands that comprise Downtown Disney. Today he leads Hospitality Development at Storyland Studios helping…
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Our guest is Walt Disney Imagineering designer and art producer, Doris Hardoon. Doris joined the company for the Epcot project in 1979 helping to develop the China Pavilion. She lent her unique cultural perspective to international projects with Tokyo Disneyland and Disneyland Paris. Her crowning glory is found at Shanghai Disneyland, where she developed the…
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Jason Surrell is the Executive Creative Director at Storyland Studios. He was previously the Senior Creative Director on Universal’s newest theme park projects, Universal Studios Beijing and Epic Universe, as well as a creative director at Walt Disney Imagineering. Jason is an amazing storyteller, whether it be in the shows, attractions, or books he’s written.…
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Joe Lanzisero is a 30-year Disney veteran who began his career in Disney animation and made the switch to Imagineering where he eventually became known as the theme park land expansion guy—think Critter Country & ToonTown in Anaheim, and Toy StoryLand, Grizzly Gulch and Mystic Point in Tokyo. Today, Joe is Executive Vice President at Zeitgeist…
Dimensionalizing Brand design by Theron Skees. Theron is the Chief Creative Officer of Designer’s Creative Studio. He also currently oversees Disney Cruise Lines as the Vice President, Creative Portfolio Executive with Walt Disney Imagineering. “Story” as Branding Experience Telling a story is at the heart of every one of our projects. We understand this as…
Offering exclusive insight, education and rarely-found, direct accessibility to a senior level creative leader. Florida July 30, 2020: The founder of The Designer’s Creative Studio, Theron Skees, announced today the addition of learning content to the company’s recently launched website and gave a sneak peek of the many offerings in development. These expanded features will…
My First Introduction to Walk Through Attractions My family took a summer vacation to Disneyland in the Summer of 1995. I was just returning home from my first semester of art school. All the joys of visiting “the happiest place on earth”, Disneyland, for the first time were exactly as I expected. But it was…
Everyone has a different journey to becoming a Disney Imagineer. This story is mine. I remember the day when I saw Walt Disney introducing his team of Imagineers on “Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color” television show in 1968. I was five at the time. I was a creative kid who loved to make movies,…
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Mike West is Senior Director and Executive Producer for Universal Parks and resorts around the world. With the first 25 years of his career spent at WDI, and a second half underway at Universal, Mike is one of those guys you can’t help but geek out over. All the while he hasn’t lost his joy…
Marty Sklar dishes on the secret to creating great theme park attractions. Here are WDI’s “Mickey’s 10 Commandments” Every theme park designer should know great formulas for creating fantastic guest experiences. Benchmarks and precedents are extremely important. With that in mind, you should learn the ten guidelines to theme park design developed by Walt Disney…
This is one of our 1999 interviews with Disney Imagineering’s theme park guru Eddie Sotto. Eddie Sotto has played a large role in the design of some of the most successful themed attractions in history. With Walt Disney Imagineering, he was most recently Senior Vice President of Concept Design. Here’s part two of our interview…