The Themed Entertainment Association (TEA) - the international membership association for the creators of compelling places and experiences - announced the slate of TEA Masters honorees for 2019. The TEA Masters program honors masters of their craft in the global visitor attractions industry. 

Adam Bezark

The TEA Masters program helps boost awareness of the many creative specialties and disciplines that collaborate to produce excellence and breakthrough guest experiences in themed entertainment. By engaging more fully with leading practitioners in these areas, we benefit the TEA membership and the industry as a whole: we foster greater appreciation and understanding of the disciplines themselves and their role and impact within a project team. 

"Each of the 2019 TEA Masters represents a different discipline and a significant number of years practicing their craft. Most have been significantly involved with the TEA at some point in their careers and will be fantastic ambassadors for the association, the next generation and inspirational to other professionals within Themed Entertainment," says TEA Masters Committee Chair Monty Lunde of Technifex, who is also TEA Founder and a TEA Past President. 

Zsolt Hormay

The 2019 TEA Masters will be officially honored Sept 26 at the TEA SATE - Seattle conference on Experience Design, where they will also be presenters on an educational panel. #TEAmasters #TEAsate   

TICKETS/MORE INFO, TEA SATE - SEATTLE

Press inquiries

2019 TEA Masters, associated disciplines and number of years practicing:

ADAM BEZARK - Writer/Creative Director - 33 years

ZSOLT HORMAY - Rockwork/Sculptor/Painter - 30 years

WAYNE HUNT - Graphic Designer - 37 years

LISA PASSAMONTE GREEN - Lighting Designer - 29 years

PHILIP VAUGHAN - Artist/Creative Designer - 41 years

Wayne Hunt

How TEA Masters are nominated and selected

TEA sends an official call for nominations to its worldwide membership and to the themed entertainment industry at large. The TEA Masters Committee reviews the submissions and recommends the slate of honorees for final approval from the TEA International Board of Directors.

Lisa Passamonte
Green

To qualify for TEA Masters consideration, nominees must have a substantial number of years as a professional in a discipline associated with the themed entertainment industry; have made significant contributions in that regard; and be currently practicing. Nominees must not be currently serving on the TEA International Board, or the TEA Masters Committee.

Additional details will be shared and announced in coming months when the TEA Masters re-opens for 2020 nominations. 

Philip Vaughan

#TEAsate #TEAmasters #ExperienceDesign

The 2019 TEA Masters will be officially honored at TEA SATE - Seattle on Sept 26 and will be participants in an educational panel there, moderated by John Lindsay (a 2018 TEA Master). The TEA SATE conferences are the definitive, global dialog on Experience Design, organized and presented by the Themed Entertainment Association. TEA SATE - Seattle takes place 26-27 Sept 2019. TICKETS/MORE INFO

Meet the 2019 TEA Masters

Philip Vaughan

Artist/Creative Designer

Philip was brought up in Le Havre, France and went to English boarding school at the age of nine. He met Gordon Taylor, his first mentor, at Brighton College. Taylor started him on a lifelong love of architecture and painting and sculpture. Philip went to Cambridge University to study architecture and then transferred to art school, graduating from Chelsea School of Art. After completing his two years as graduate research assistant at Northumberland Polytechnic art school, Philip built his first large, public sculpture in London - the 45-ft tall Hayward Gallery Neon Tower - in 1972.

He worked as sculptor in England and as a fine art lecturer in a number of British art schools, including two years teaching at the London Metropolitan University, while he experimented with inflatables and kinetics and built an ocean-going sailing boat in Rotherhithe, in east London. In 1979 he sailed that boat across the Atlantic with his wife, Alice.

Shortly after landing in Florida, Philip started working for WED Enterprises (later Walt Disney Imagineering) designing and fabricating dinosaurs, rides and sets for theme parks.

He worked as field art director in Japan for Tokyo Disneyland and then went on to work as creative director at Universal Studios and as design director for Supertek on the Korean worlds fair, Taejon Expo 93. In 1988 he set up his own design company, Vertex Productions, to work on museums, cultural projects and theme parks and he has been running Vertex since that time to the present. The firm designs works principally for the Asia, Middle East, and Far East markets, specializing in technical design solutions including ambitious public art projects. Philip currently consults on entertainment projects and continues his fine art work from his studio in Pasadena.

Zsolt Hormay

Rockwork/Sculptor/Painter

Zsolt Hormay is a highly-skilled, world-renowned expert in the design, creation and construction of themed environments for theme parks, resorts and other settings. As creative portfolio executive with Walt Disney Imagineering, Zsolt has played an integral role in major projects located in China, France, Japan and the United States, and has had the opportunity to work with notable clients designing and building one-of-a-kind themed projects. He currently oversees a number of projects in the U.S., Japan, Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland.  

During his 15-year career with Walt Disney Imagineering, Zsolt has worked on a wide variety of projects in four major theme parks on three continents. Several of his projects serve as focal points in the parks, including the Tree of Life at Disney's Animal Kingdom and Mysterious Island at Tokyo DisneySea. He was also the field art director responsible for creating the Cadillac Mountain Range at Cars Land at Disney California Adventure and Pandora – The World of Avatar at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Additionally, Zsolt is the creative executive for the Themed Finishes Art Studio at Walt Disney Imagineering, encompassing four major disciplines in placemaking: rockwork, character paint, character façade and hardscape. 

His unique skills include the development of innovative, realistic and highly-durable finishes and materials that are utilized in the design and installation of artificial and natural rock formations, water features, artificial foliage and various themed environments. Zsolt is a great thought partner to the organization and strongly influences the design phase of projects.  

Zsolt also has been involved in Walt Disney Imagineering academic outreach programs, namely teaching placemaking at Florida State University and actively conducting a class at the Institute of American Indian Arts to nurture the next generation of talent.

Zsolt’s creativity extends to a special interest in nature, photography and the art of origami, as well as to playing Native American and Hungarian flutes, classical and acoustical guitar and the Hungarian lute. He speaks English, French, Hungarian and Japanese and played hockey for two years on the Hungarian National Hockey team, representing Hungary at the 1981 European Championships. 

Lisa Passamonte Green,
themed entertainment
lighting designer, selecting color gels. 
Photo courtesy Visual Terrain.

Lisa Passamonte Green

Lighting Designer

Recognized as a leading international lighting designer, Lisa Passamonte Green has worked on over 1,000 projects on six continents.

Lisa’s history includes lighting design for world expos, theme parks and individual attractions, 3D, 4D and 5D attractions, museums, traveling exhibits, casinos, municipalities, public art, zoos and other animal environments, and retail and restaurants. She has overseen the development and management of parkwide lighting and control systems and standards for six theme parks in the Middle East, China and the United States.

Born and raised in San Diego, California, Lisa attended San Diego State University, where she received a Bachelor of Arts in Drama with an emphasis in design for television and film.

Lisa Passamonte Green shows the Visual Terrain booth
at the 2001 IAAPA Orlando expo

In 1990, Lisa launched her career creating lighting for themed environments at Walt Disney Imagineering. Lisa founded Passamonte Lighting Design, Inc. in 1995, and incorporated in 1997.

In 2001, Lisa merged her company with Moody Ravitz Hollingsworth Lighting Design, Inc. and Visual Terrain was born. In 2010, she became co-owner, CEO and Principal in Charge of Visual Terrain, alongside her husband, David Green, who serves as COO and President. 

Visual Terrain is preparing to celebrate its 25th year of lighting design for architecture, attractions and the arts.

Lisa Passamonte Green with the Disney SQS team. Lisa explained,
"SQS stands for Show Quality Standards and when I was an Imagineer,
I was assigned to the Disneyland SQS team - the team that worked to
ensure everything within the park berm was up to Disney’s high
standards for the guest experience and the designs that were
so painstakingly createdwere maintained properly. This
team, a mix of Disneyland Staff and WDI SQS project team
members, was called the Disneyland Design Services team
at the time. It was truly amazing to work with this most
talented group of artisans, producers and designers
and also to learn what happened to the attractions and areas
once the designs were completed by WDI and turned over
to the park. This group also led the design enhancement
and upgrade efforts for the existing areas and attractions
within the park. We handled everything from rehabs to new
designs and best of all we got to see the guest experience
up close every day as our offices were within park boundaries."

She has worked on 12 projects that received TEA Thea Awards for Outstanding Achievement. Additional honors include 20 Lumen West Awards of Merit, nine Lumen West Awards of Excellence, a Light for Living Award, and two IIDA Awards of Excellence. Visual Terrain was the 2006 Lumen West Firm of the Year.

In addition to telling the story of every project with light, Lisa’s mission in life is to restructure the way lighting designers work with their clients and lighting suppliers.

The processes Lisa has developed with Visual Terrain’s strategic partners have saved clients millions of dollars in equipment costs, without a significant increase in design fees and time.

Lisa is a longstanding member of the TEA and has served on the TEA International Board of Directors and the Thea Awards Nominating Committee. She is also a member of IAAPA, IALD, IES, and AIA.

Wayne Hunt

Graphic Designer

Graphic designer Wayne Hunt has brought wayfinding and thematic graphics to theme parks and entertainment for 40+ years. He was one of the first to organize directional signage into strategic wayfinding programs for large park sites.

Starting with signage for Universal Studios and the first hotels at EPCOT in the 1970s, Wayne has been a design consultant to more than 50 theme parks and entertainment destinations, spanning 11 countries. 

“In addition to providing functional information for guests, creative signage can set the scene, advance story lines and enhance the guest experience. Good signage delivers disproportionate value for money spent.” Wayne says. 

In 1977 he established Hunt Design, specializing in identity, signage and environmental graphics programs for entertainment, theme parks, public spaces, cities and hospitality. The firm grew to be a top design resource for the themed entertainment industry.

The relationship between Hunt Design and WDI started in 1979 with Space Mountain and has continued through Shanghai Disneyland. The firm designed signage and branding for Disney’s Pleasure Island, in 1988 - gone now but considered by many to be the original destination RD&E (Retail-Dining-Entertainment), now standard at most major theme parks.

With Universal Studios, Hunt Design has contributed to projects starting with Universal CityWalk in 1989 and most recently in Beijing and Orlando. The client list also includes Busch Gardens, Knott’s, Warner Bros., Six Flags, Sanrio, Lotte World, Fox, Paramount Parks and others.

Wayne has authored three books on environmental graphics and is on the faculty of Art Center College of Design. He is past president of Ryman Arts and both the Art Directors Club of Los Angeles and the Society for Environmental Graphic Design (SEGD). In 2004 he was named a Fellow of SEGD and 2016 a Fellow of the American Institute of Graphic Arts Los Angeles chapter.

He has been a guest critic at the USC Schools of Architecture, Design and Film and lectured at multiple universities including UCLA, University of Illinois and Harvard Graduate School of Design. Three posters designed by Hunt are in the permanent decorative arts collection at Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

In 2015 Hunt began to share his ongoing personal mixed media art with friends and associates and in 2017 had a successful one-person show debut at Andlab gallery in downtown Los Angeles. He mounted a second Andlab show in 2019 and will be featured in a show at Collum Gallery in Sacramento in 2020. His work is in many private collections.

Adam J Bezark at Shanghai Disneyland, Pirates of the Caribbean

Adam Bezark

Writer/Creative Director

Adam J. Bezark is an award-winning writer, creative director and business owner who combines a wide variety of media and technologies in pioneering forms. His experience ranges from theme park rides and attractions, to film and video, to major museum exhibits, to live entertainment and special events. Adam’s firm, The Bezark Company, Inc., creates and produces immersive entertainment experiences around the world.

From his early days with Epcot’s IllumiNations...to Universal’s T2:3D...the Hong Kong handover Spectacular...and the more recent Shanghai Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle for the Sunken Treasure, among so many more, Adam’s work has entranced millions of visitors to theme parks, attractions and special events.

Well before themed entertainment began to emerge as a recognized field and degree program, Adam designed his own interdisciplinary curriculum at USC, focusing on theme park design. 

Internships at Disneyland Park gave him exposure to the design and production process; other early roles included Universal Studios Tour Guide and puppeteer training with Sid and Marty Krofft. He gained further experience at Landmark Entertainment Group and Walt Disney Imagineering.

Adam’s first major project was the Epcot nighttime spectacular, "Illuminations." In partnership with composer Don Dorsey, they pioneered a successful formula for large-scale nighttime entertainment that helped to define the category. 

Working on T2:3D

In 2011, after years of success as an independent creative director and project leader, Adam began to build up The Bezark Company into a full-blown creative studio serving theme parks, museums, visitor centers, and immersive brand experiences. Based in L.A.’s Atwater Village, some 20 writers, producers, creative directors and technical specialists currently make up the Bezark team, with a slate of projects in production from the US to Asia.

Having been mentored by some of the industry’s greatest legends, today Adam tries to return the favor by finding time to meet with, encourage, and guide students, recent graduates and career-changing professionals who aspire to careers in themed entertainment. He has taught and lectured at CalArts, Art Center and his alma mater USC.

He has long supported and served in many capacities within the TEA and is also a highly-regarded industry "spokesvoice." Adam continues to lead and inspire, as he embraces new and emerging arts and technologies, always keeping in mind the emotional chords and surprises that delight, and entertain visitors, guests, and audience members.