Dear TEA Members,
As I step into the role of CEO, I am thrilled to lead the Themed Entertainment Association through an exciting and pivotal time. After serving in a volunteer capacity as the International Board President, I have a deep understanding of our association’s values and the immense potential we hold as a global community. As we approach the end of 2024, I want to outline several key initiatives that will be my focus as we work together to elevate the TEA. These initiatives are centered on four core priorities: 1. Listening to Our Members, Global Partners, and Sponsors One of my top priorities is hearing directly from you—our members, partners, and sponsors. Your insights are invaluable to shaping TEA’s future, and I want to ensure that our association remains a dynamic, responsive, and supportive resource for all. To start those discussions, a member survey will be distributed prior to IAAPA. Your feedback will help us understand what you want from TEA and how we can better meet your needs moving forward. 2. Improving Communication and Member Engagement We are also taking a close look at how we communicate with and engage our members. This includes evaluating our current membership management system to replace it with a more robust solution, as well as enhancing our web presence. Our goal is to streamline how we keep you informed about the benefits, programs, and services offered by TEA, ensuring you have easy access to the tools and information you need to thrive within the industry. 3. Budget Management Through Year-End and 2025 Planning Ensuring the financial health of the TEA is a crucial responsibility, and I will be dedicating significant time to reviewing our budget through the end of the year. Additionally, I’ll be working closely with our financial team to plan and forecast for 2025, ensuring we allocate resources effectively to support our ongoing programs, events, and member services. 4. Maintaining and Offering Stability to Our Staff Behind the scenes, TEA’s dedicated staff plays a vital role in ensuring our association runs smoothly. To strengthen our organizational structure and provide the stability our team needs, we are in the process of onboarding a Professional Employee Organization (PEO). This will streamline how we manage staff operations, enhance benefits, and support our employees, enabling them to focus on delivering exceptional service to you, our members. These priorities represent the first steps toward a more agile, responsive, and member-focused TEA. As I continue to settle into this new role, I look forward to connecting with many of you at upcoming events and listening to your thoughts on how we can make our association stronger and more impactful. Thank you for your ongoing support of the Themed Entertainment Association. Together, we will build on the foundation we’ve created and continue to elevate this incredible global community. It’s never been a better time to be a part of the TEA! Melissa Oviedo CEO, Themed Entertainment Association
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We are pleased to announce the appointment of Melissa Oviedo as TEA’s new Chief Executive Officer, effective October 1, 2024. After an extensive recruitment process, Melissa was selected from a pool of over 30 qualified candidates.
With a robust background in TEA leadership, including recently serving as the International Board President since 2023, Melissa is well-equipped to align the strategic goals of the International Board of Directors with the operational initiatives of the TEA staff to continue to expand TEA's presence around the globe. As TEA continues to expand its membership and presence in adjacent industries as well as serve our over 1,600 current member companies, Melissa's strategic insight and innovative approach are expected to drive transformative changes for the organization. Through year end, Melissa will be working collaboratively with TEA and B Morrow Productions to close out existing client obligations for BMP, in particular as it relates to their holiday programming, and allowing her to immediately fulfill the role of CEO with TEA to address timely priorities for the association. Congratulations, Melissa! To read the full press release, click here. For media inquiries, reach out to Morgan Hoeft, Marketing Manager at [email protected]. With the TEA Wellness Council's official launch earlier this week, we want to hear from you with our Wellness Survey!
Your feedback is vital in shaping our newest wellness initiatives. Please take a moment to fill out our survey in the link in our bio and help us create a healthier community. Your voice matters! 💙 Fill out the survey here. TEA is thrilled to unveil our new Wellness Council, dedicated to enhancing both physical and mental wellbeing within the themed entertainment industry. This innovative Council, drawing from TEA’s global divisions, will provide guidance on wellness-focused content and event planning, fostering a supportive environment for our members year-round.
Following impactful discussions at the 2024 INSPIRE Conference about mental health and workplace wellness, TEA recognized the need for a dedicated effort to address these crucial issues. The Wellness Council will work to destigmatize mental health, promote a thriving community, and design events that energize and inspire. Highlights of what’s to come:
For sponsorship opportunities, reach out to Chloe Hausfeld, Global Director of Strategic Partnerships at [email protected]. For media inquiries, reach out to Morgan Hoeft, Marketing Manager at [email protected]. The TEA Masters of Their Craft program recognizes the achievements of individuals — the artists, writers, producers, engineers and craftspeople with distinguished careers who’ve made significant and enduring contributions to the industry through their expertise, innovation, leadership, and mentorship. The TEA Masters program recognizes a small number of individuals each year, whose skills epitomize the highest standards within their disciplines and who have used those skills to advance their field and the themed entertainment industry. Each TEA Master has built a body of work over decades that demonstrates consistent quality and execution. Often unknown except among their peers and collaborators, TEA Masters help create visceral stories, rides, attractions, events, and places that thrill, delight, and educate guests worldwide. Although the TEA Masters, by definition, are well along in their careers and some have even retired, many Masters are actively creating new marvels around the world. Others are pursuing personal creative and education projects. And all of the Masters remain passionate about sharing their well-honed skills and career lessons with those interested in entering the industry or wanting to learn more about its various aspects. We want to tell those stories. This column contains news of the ongoing activities, achievements and adventures of the TEA Masters around the world. These are the stories of real people who, like all of us, have personal stories to tell: an honor outside of their specialty, an art gallery or technology showcase, enjoying new places and experiences with family and friends or taking a well-deserved retirement trip. This is Keeping up with the Masters! MASTERS WHO BUILT DISNEY MGM STUDIO TOUR ATTEND 35TH ANNIVERSARY03 September 2024 - The 35th anniversary celebration of Disney's MGM Studios, now known as Disney Studios, recently featured a special panel dedicated to the creation of the iconic Indiana Jones Stunt Show. TEA Masters Philip Vaughan, Frank Weigand, and Phil Bloom, who played crucial roles in the development of this thrilling attraction, led the discussion, sharing behind-the-scenes stories and insights into the show's enduring success. Their work remains a key highlight of the park, drawing in audiences year after year.
The 35th anniversary celebration event also paid tribute to the many other TEA Masters (listed below) who had contributed to the overall design and legacy of Disney's MGM Studios. Their collective efforts have helped shape the park into the beloved destination it is today, with contributions spanning everything from lighting and signage to scenic painting and set design. Contributing TEA Masters include: Phil Bloom (2022): Stunt Show Set Design Joe Falzetta (2018): Overall Park Lighting Design Wayne Hunt (2019): Signage and Graphics Ralph Nielsen (2018): Props and Sets Desiree Soto-Vaughan (2022): Figure Finishing and Scenic Painting Nina Vaughn (2018): Attraction Renderings, Billboards Philip Vaughan (2019): Stunt Show Producer Frank Weigand (2021): Stunt Show Engineering MASTER RICH PROCTER TO PUBLISH NOVEL DECEMBER 202419 July 2024 - 2018 Master Rich Proctor, is set to release a transformative novel titled Prosperity, Pennsylvania this December. The book offers an inspiring narrative centered on a downtrodden Rust Belt town that revitalizes itself through a powerful shift in collective storytelling.
Prosperity, Pennsylvania challenges the divisive political landscape of today by advocating for unity and collaboration beyond traditional divides. Rich Procter emphasizes the importance of storytelling in shaping individual and community identity, urging readers to consider the narratives they choose to believe in. "We're all in the storytelling business," Rich asserts. "The most important stories are the ones we tell ourselves. What if we told ourselves a new story based on cooperation, imagination, and community?" His novel proposes a fresh narrative of hope, empowerment, and communal action as the catalysts for positive change. For those eager to delve deeper into the world of Prosperity, Pennsylvania, Rich Procter invites readers to engage with the characters through his Substack platform. Here, discussions unfold on how the fictional town transforms itself, offering real-world insights into fostering cooperation, unleashing imagination, and nurturing community spirit. Prosperity, Pennsylvania promises not just a compelling read, but a call to reimagine our own narratives towards a brighter future. MASTER LISA PASSAMONTE GREEN & HUSBAND, DAVID GREEN, AWARDED THE PETER CHERNACK AWARD AT 2024 THEAS
KEEPING UP WITH TEA MASTER RICK ROTHSCHILD18 June 2024 - Rick Rothschild has had a very busy start to the year! During the 2024 Annual Thea Awards, Rick was honored with an Award for Outstanding Achievement, leading his combined team from Chimelong's design and construction groups and a collection of international talent as the Creative Director for the Bermuda Storm attraction at Chimelong's Spaceship theme park on Hengqin Island China in 2023.
Over the past two years, Rick has been acting as the Creative Director for Flyover Attractions, leading his fifth new attraction, BELIEVE Chicago. The latest flying adventure features Chicago as never seen before, taking guests on an exciting journey winding over and through central parts of the "third coast" city by using specially built, heavy lift FPV drone. This upcoming July, Rick's newest creative led attraction at Flyover Vancouver's Canada Place will feature a stunning visual journey across Canada – from Baffin Island in the far northeast, to Mount Logan in the Yukon, featuring 27 unique locations coast to coast. Never one to pass up unique and new opportunities with colleagues and emerging talent, Rick is excited to see what the future holds and is currently spending his time enjoying his friends, family, and the amazing collection of TEA Masters! Photo 1 provided by TEA@Thea Awards Gala 2024: Presentation of Award to Chimelong Bermuda Storm Photo 2 provided by TEA@Thea Awards Gala 2024: Group photo of TEA Masters. Back left to right: Phillip Vaughan, Nina Rae Vaughn, John Lindsay, Phil Bloom, Rick Rothschild. Front: Adam Bezark, Bonnie Sinclair, Roberta Perry, and Jodi McLaughlin. Photo 3-7 provided by Rick Rothschild: Photo 3: Bermuda Storm, 2024 Thea Award for Outstanding Achievement for Attraction Photo 4: BELIEVE Chicago using FPV Drone Photo 5: Flyover Canada - Virgin Falls Photo 7: Rick Rothschild with his wife, daughter, and son It’s Official - TEA Master, Lanny Smoot, Has Been Inducted to the National Inventors Hall of Fame17 May 2024 - Lanny Smoot has been keeping himself very busy recently. On 8-9 May, he participated in the two-day ceremony for his induction into the National Inventors Hall of Fame, which is sponsored by the US Patent and Trademark office and the National Inventors Hall of Fame itself, and is located in Washington, DC.
On the first day’s “Illumination Ceremony,” he placed his name in the permanent Gallery of Icons™ at the National Inventors Hall of Fame Museum. On the following day, he participated in a black-tie ceremony where Kathy Vidal, Under Secretary of Commerce and the Director of the US Patent and Trademark Office, presented him with his medal. Later, he and this year’s other honorees joined more than two dozen past honorees on stage for a group photo. Lanny has participated in many interviews about his NIHF honor and for one of his newest inventions, the HoloTile™ floor, and he was featured on CBS Saturday Morning on 11 May 11. If you missed his interview, you can see it here. The following week, Lanny flew up to New York to give the Keynote commencement address to Columbia University’s School of Engineering, where in years past he received both his Bachelor and Master of Science in Electrical Engineering degrees. It’s going to be hard to keep up with Lanny! Pictures courtesy of the National Inventors Hall of Fame. TEA MASTERS AT CAL POLY'S KITE CONFERENCE
10 February 2024 - The TEA Masters continue to educate the next generation of Themed Entertainment Professionals. In early February, seven TEA Masters attended the first ever KITE Conference. KITE, an acronym for Knowledge Inspiring Themed Entertainment, is a conference for students and recent grads with ambitions to enter the industry. The conference was hosted at Cal Poly Pomona and organized by board members of their college’s Next Gen Club Chapter, TEA@CPP. It consisted of two days, the first day focusing on soft skills needed to succeed in the industry and the second day focusing on technical skills.
The TEA Masters were invited to conclude the first day with a round of Table Talks. Masters Lanny Smoot, Phil Bloom, Wayne Hunt, Jodi McLaughlin, Joe Falzetta, Frank Weigand, and Nina Vaughn were in attendance along with 50 conference attendees. The Masters broke off into pairs or trios and joined in on round table conversations with smaller groups. Conversations ranged from career advice to stories from the jobsite, and fun light moments of everyone getting to know each other. The masters rotated to each of the small groups, getting to meet everyone in attendance. Overall, both the Masters and KITE Attendees had an incredible time. The Next Generation of Theme Park Professionals is always excited to interact with the TEA Masters and learn from their expertise. Photo provided by TEA@CPP. From left to right: Wayne Hunt, Jodi McLaughlin, Nina Vaughn, Mike Sturman, Lanny Smoot, Phil Bloom, Joe Falzetta KEEPING UP WITH TEA MASTER LANNY SMOOTThe National Inventors Hall of Fame recently announced their Class of 2024 inductees, and among this group was Lanny Smoot. Lanny is the first Disney Imagineer to receive this national honor, and only the second person at The Walt Disney Company – Walt Disney himself posthumously received this honor in 2000 for the invention of the multi-plane camera.
At the announcement ceremony held at Walt Disney Imagineering’s Glendale campus, Lanny took the opportunity to show off one of his newest inventions – the HoloTile™. The HoloTile floor is the world’s first, and only multi-person, omni-directional, modular, expandable, treadmill floor, where any number of people can have a shared virtual reality experience, walk an unlimited distance in any direction, but never collide or walk off its surface. Besides the immediate VR and gaming applications and potential theme park uses, the HoloTile floor can be an insert in a theatrical stage, allowing performers to move and dance in new ways, or stage props and structures could move around or appear to set themselves up. It’s going to be hard keeping up with TEA Master Lanny Smoot. To find out more, here’s a story on CNN. KEEPING UP WITH TEA MASTER FRANK WEIGAND
KEEPING UP WITH TEA MASTER
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