The blooloop 50 Theme Park Influencer List 2020

Jenefer Brown is executive vice president and head of global live, interactive and location-based entertainment at Lionsgate.

After the launch of Lionsgate Entertainment World in 2019 in China, Brown and her team opened more themed entertainment experiences featuring the studio’s intellectual property. There are plans to roll out the Lionsgate Entertainment World format to other territories around the world.

What sets Lionsgate apart from other IP providers in the attractions industry is its focus on largely adult-led licensed properties. One of its key film franchises is The Hunger Games, as featured within the Lionsgate-themed land at Motiongate movie park in Dubai. Meanwhile, at Thorpe Park near London and in Las Vegas, horror fans can enjoy The Walking Dead and SAW-themed rides and experiences. In 2021, a new Blair Witch-themed escape room opened in Las Vegas.

Before joining Lionsgate, Brown worked for themed experience designer Thinkwell, after a previous career as an attorney. “Her leadership, expertise, and tireless problem-solving skills instil confidence and trust that the project vision and goals will be achieved,” said former Thinkwell colleague Kelly Ryner.

Thierry Coup, senior VP and chief creative officer at Universal Creative, boasts an exceptional pedigree when it comes to the creation of themed entertainment experiences. For the past 30 years, he has worked in a variety of creative roles with both Universal and Disney.

“It’s been an incredible ride for me,” he told the website of Universal’s parent company, Comcast. “Doing what I do, you feel lucky if you worked on one big attraction like The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man or The Simpsons Ride. But I’ve worked on a half of a dozen or so, and it keeps getting better and better.”

Comcast has revealed that Epic Universe, the fourth theme park at Universal Orlando Resort in Florida, is expected to open by summer 2025. Previously, the company opened Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios Japan and Universal Beijing Resort. The Beijing destination includes the fourth global iteration of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, one of Coup’s crowning achievements.

Since the publication of this list, Coup left Universal for a position as chief experiential futurist at JOCOUP Creative.

As a key part of the team that built Merlin Entertainments up into the world’s second-largest attraction operator, Mark 'Fish' Fisher is its chief development officer. “I don’t think there’s one bit of Merlin I haven’t been MD of at some stage,” he says of the company.

Fisher started his career in the industry at the age of 16, performing as a costumed character at Alton Towers. Later, in the marketing department at Alton, he would meet Merlin founder Nick Varney. Over the past decade, they have helped the company consolidate its market position through a continued focus on the development of branded experiences.

In addition to rolling out new ‘Midway’ attractions under the Madame Tussauds, Sea Life, Little Big City and Dungeons brands, Merlin has expanded the global footprint of Legoland by opening new theme parks in the USA and Asia. In 2021, Merlin started construction on the world’s largest Legoland Resort, a $1bn attraction in Shenzhen, China.

Fisher retired from Merlin in 2022

One of the most ambitious projects in Europe, the London Resort won’t just be a world-class leisure destination. "It will also be one of the most sustainable theme parks on the planet," says CEO PY Gerbeau.

The London Resort aims to be the world's first operationally carbon neutral theme park. It will deliver a net biodiversity gain and will create a green network of amenity areas and parkland.The London Resortannounced the first businesses chosen to help create the attractionin October 2021.Independent analysis estimates that 6.5 million guests will visitthe London Resortin 2025, increasing to 12.5 million visitors by 2038. This means the destination would rank as the biggest theme park in Europe, ahead of Disneyland Paris.

The former vice president of operations at Disneyland Paris, Gerbeau made his name in the UK when he transformed the fortunes of the Millennium Dome back in 2000. He went on to found the indoor ski slope operator X-Leisure.

Since the publication of this list in 2019, Gerbeau has stood down from his role at the London Resort, in 2022

Gateway Ticketing responded to the pandemic by launching a series of webinars. The online sessions hosted by Randy Josselyn and Matthew Hoenstine quickly became a valued resource for attractions industry professionals.

Josselyn worked with Gateway’s wildlife and conservation clients, previously worked for consultancy Team Trajectory and has direct operations experience from his time with Walt Disney Parks and Resorts and Wild Rivers Waterpark in Irvine, California. In 2022, he moved from Gateway Ticketing to a new role at ICON Experiences, as vice president of experiences

Hoenstine, meanwhile, arrived at Gateway after nearly 24 years at Universal Orlando.

Tom Mehrmann previously served as the president and general manager of Universal Resort Beijing. One of the most high-profile theme park projects in the world, Universal Beijing opened to tens of thousands of visitors in September 2021.

Universal Beijing’s launch came after 20 years of planning and construction. The attraction merges popular Universal experiences with Chinese culture across seven themed lands. These include Universal’s first Kung Fu Panda land, the world’s largest Minion Land, the world’s first Transformers-themed land, and Universal’s first WaterWorld land. Additional lands are inspired by Hollywood, Jurassic World and Harry Potter.

Mehrmann began his career in the theme park industry as a groundskeeper at Knott’s Berry Farm near Los Angeles. Progressing into park management, he went on to run Six Flag Discovery Kingdom, Warner Bros Movie World (now Parque Warner) in Madrid and Ocean Park, Hong Kong.

Mehrmann had a hugely successful tenure at Ocean Park and wrote a book about his experiences, Taming the Mouse: How a Small Hong Kong Theme Park Came to Dominate Disney.

In the desert outside Riyadh, Michael Reininger was part of the team working to create the world’s largest entertainment city. Along with Neom, the Red Sea Project and Amaala, Qiddiya is one of many attractions and giga-projects as part of Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030.

A multibillion-dollar entertainment destination and bigger than Walt Disney World, Qiddiya will be home to theme parks, sporting venues, cultural attractions and events. These will include a Six Flags theme park, speed park and Saudi's first water park.

Built to a masterplan by the Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), Qiddiya will be surrounded by a 231 square kilometres of natural, undeveloped area. The project's first phase is due to open in 2023.

What's remarkable is not only the scope of what's proposed, but also that Saudi Arabia is building this and the other giga-projects almost from a standstill. Until last year, out-of-home entertainment options in the kingdom were restricted. "This is a business proposition that is based on the purest supply and demand imbalance," Reininger told Arabian Business.

In 2021, he left his position at Qiddiya to take on the role of Chief Executive Officer at Brightline Trains

Carmen Smith, senior vice president of creative development at Walt Disney Imagineering, is responsible for developing a diverse pipeline of themed experiences at Disney’s parks and resorts worldwide. One of her latest projects is reimagining an all-time classic: Splash Mountain.

Her route into the attractions industry came via a previous role as vice president of talent development at Disney ABC Television Group. Part of the Imagineering team for the past decade, Smith remains committed to talent, identifying and recruiting cast members for a broad range of theme park assignments. In addition, she is responsible for creative product and services development, editorial participation in the creative process, and external partnerships.

Smith, who has also served as vice president of global strategies for diversity and inclusion at Walt Disney parks and resorts, discussed the Tiana-themed attraction that will replace Splash Mountain. The flume ride featured at both the Magic Kingdom and Disneyland is set to have its original Song of the South storyline replaced with a Princess and the Frog theme, featuring Disney’s first Black princess. “It is important that our guests be able to see themselves in the experiences we create,” said the Imagineer.

Nicolas de Villiers, president of the French theme park Puy du Fou, launched a second park in Spain in 2021.

Founded by his father Philippe de Villiers in 1976, Puy du Fou offers a unique form of live entertainment. Its shows tell historical tales on a massive scale. Large casts of people and animals perform alongside imposing sets and special effects. Each year over 2 million people visit the park’s relatively remote Vendée department location.

"Puy du Fou is a very special kind of leisure park," de Villiers told blooloop. "We are a show park, we have no rides. We are surrounded by nature and the natural environment. It’s a model that doesn’t exist anywhere else in the world as far as I know, but it’s been a huge success in France."

Recognised as a visionary CEO at the CEO Middle East Awards, Mohamed Abdalla Al Zaabi manages Miral’s growing portfolio of leisure and entertainment assets on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi. They include Ferrari World, Yas Waterworld, Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi and the CLYMB indoor adventure sports hub.

These attractions and their infrastructure are a key part of the Emirate’s mission to create a sustainable, diversified and globally integrated economy. That means delivering world-class experiences that attract visitors far beyond the UAE’s borders. SeaWorld Abu Dhabi opened in May 2023. The new park features attractions never seen at a SeaWorld site and the world’s largest aquarium.

Al Zaabi describes the attraction as offering “engaging and immersive family-friendly experiences, featuring up-close animal encounters, state-of-the-art aquariums, dynamic animal habitats, thrill rides, interactive educational experiences, inspiring entertainment as well as dining and shopping experiences.”

Mohamed Abdalla Al Zaabi, Miral CEO since 2015, has over a decade of experience in project management and leadership roles, previously with real estate developer Aldar Properties. He also holds board positions at Farah Experiences (operator of Yas Island’s attractions) and Experience Hub, Yas’s trade and promotion arm.

The world’s first Warner Bros. hotel opened on Yas Island in 2021. The WB Abu Dhabi, adjacent to Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi, features a huge collection of Warner Bros. archives, including more than 400 images and props from Warner Bros. films and TV shows.

Meanwhile, Ferrari World Abu Dhabi launched its first-ever drone show in the summer of 2022, offering an “infinite amount of adrenaline and excitement”, as it said in a news release. Guests watched as turbocharged drones create colourful images under the iconic red roof. The park also added live cooking demonstrations, shows, craft areas, and an oversized board game over the summer.

Blooloop has named Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, Yas Waterworld, and Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi among the top 15 theme parks and water parks in the Middle East.