Storyland Studios, the three-dimensional storytelling firm, has welcomed two new team members, renowned international architect Jeff Damron and financial analyst and corporate finance director Tyler Rizzo, as it continues its growth and expansion into new markets.
Damron will take on the role of vice president of master planning and design, while Rizzo will be the firm’s new director of strategy. Both new hires bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to Storyland.
“Both these hires are incredibly exciting for Storyland Studios and reflect the level at which the company is now operating, just three years after we opened our international office in London, UK,” says Ben Thompson, chief strategy officer and partner at Storyland Studios.
Jeff Damron
From planning and building the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in Monarch Beach, California, to working with the Walt Disney Imagineering Architecture team on Disney’s Tokyo DisneySea Hotel MiraCosta Resort in Japan, Damron has created some of the world’s most recognisable landmarks. His international portfolio covers four continents and includes work in the entertainment, hospitality, retail, and other industries.
“Jeff Damron is a long-term and long-awaited replacement for the great Bruce Green, whose retirement we celebrated earlier this year. His experience and project pedigree speak for itself, what is exciting for us is to be able to bring Jeff directly into some of the most dynamic projects around the globe,” Thompson says.
“Whether it be ground-up theme park development in North America, Giga projects in Saudi Arabia, or branded, chainable FEC development, Jeff is going to be a very busy guy!”
Damron was associate vice principal, themed entertainment and leisure at AECOM from 2012 until 2023. In addition to Tokyo DisneySea, he has contributed his architectural skills to rides, attractions, and venues at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, including Disney’s California Adventure.
Other notable projects that he has worked on include Universal Studios Super Nintendo World, (Los Angeles, California), Universal Studios Grand Hotel and NUO Resort Hotel at Universal Beijing Resort (Beijing, China), Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi (Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates), Parque Warner (Madrid, Spain) and Disney Vacation Club (Orlando, Florida)
Damron graduated from Arizona State University with a degree in architecture. In contrast to many architects, Damron has had the rare privilege to see several of his projects through from conception to completion. Damron likes to be actively involved throughout the entire process, from the concept design phase through the official opening.
“I’ve been lucky enough to work on many resorts that allow me to start and finish them,” says Damron. “As an architect, I get to integrate all the rides, attractions, and live shows into the theme park. Not everybody gets to do that.”
Tyler Rizzo
Rizzo joins Storyland from SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment and has an unparalleled history in corporate leadership and revenue management. He has aided SeaWorld and Cedar Fair Entertainment Company theme parks in increasing their revenue through optimisation and innovative strategic approaches to their food and beverage operations.
Alongside Thompson, Rizzo will round out Storyland’s strategic leadership, preparing it for its accelerating future trajectory.
“The arrival of Tyler Rizzo, MBA from SeaWorld (and previously Cedar Fair) marks not only the continued growth of our strategy practice but more importantly, our ambition to keep developing and improving this service for our clients,” says Thompson. “We have always said that we want Storyland to be the go-to partner for brands, developers and operators entering or expanding into the wonderful world of location-based entertainment.
“Our clients tell us that Storyland’s balance of ‘left and right brain’; our ability to develop both the creative vision and the business plan, are unique and highly valued. Tyler’s twenty years of experience as a theme park and hospitality executive focussed on in-park spend and operations is a perfect compliment to my own experience of developing the creative vision, brand and commercial strategy for parks and attractions.”
Rizzo brings a wealth of knowledge to his new position at Storyland with a Bachelor’s degree in Hospitality Administration/Management from the University of Central Florida, an MBA in International Business from Florida Atlantic University, and 20 years of experience in the themed entertainment sector.
Rizzo, who was born and raised in central Florida, spent the majority of his summers at SeaWorld, Universal Studios Orlando, and Walt Disney World. He made a profession out of his love of amusement parks, beginning with ride operations before moving into back-of-house and finance positions, including revenue management.
Ultimately, Rizzo’s career led him to his most recent position at SeaWorld as corporate director, in park revenue. He supported the capital investment for the park’s food and beverage and retail teams, which resulted in a considerable increase in the company’s revenue. In addition to improving food quality, cutting expenses, modernising food and beverage facilities, and increasing operational efficiency, Rizzo’s team reached an annual sales record of over $300 million.
Rizzo believes that improving the guest experience is necessary on every level, and this is especially true for food and beverage. To create food options that would be as memorable as the park visit itself, Rizzo and his team sought to improve the ingredients and recipes across the board.
“The team hired executive chefs to focus on the quality and building our recipes that were sustainable not only from a sourcing standpoint but also in production,” he says. “Focusing on that quality to where guests can pay $17.99 for a cheeseburger and fries and not feel overcharged is super important.
“You’re not just paying for a cheeseburger and fries. You’re getting the best cheeseburger and fries you’re having for the month.”
A bright future
With these two new strategic hires, the future is bright for Storyland Studios, which currently has projects in varying stages of concept, development and production across five continents.
“I look at this opportunity with Storyland as kind of a dream job,” says Rizzo, while Damron says he’s thrilled to have a front-row seat to the firm’s growth:
“We’re actively working on new parks and retrofitting older parts, some of them global brands. They carry a tremendous weight and opportunity, and we’re part of what those brands want to bring to life. The future looks really bright, and I’m glad to be part of it out of the gate.”
Earlier this year, Storyland Studios announced its new role as a global sponsor of IAAPA, the global association for the attractions industry.
