The blooloop 50 Theme Park Influencer List 2022

Karen Irwin took over as president and CEO of Universal Orlando Resort in January 2022 when former president Bill Davis retired after 15 years. In this role, she leads planning and operations for the resort, including its three theme parks and seven hotels, as well as the CityWalk entertainment, shopping and dining complex. Prior to this, she served as president of Universal Studios Hollywood for five years, after rising through the ranks at the resort since she first began as an area manager in 1990. In total, Irwin has worked for the company for over 30 years.

In 2020, she also took on the additional role of EVP Universal Parks and Resorts, leading the NBC Universal Brand Development team, and taking on responsibility for global licensing and consumer products businesses for NBC Universal's Film and Television groups.

At Universal Studios Hollywood, Irwin led the development and opening of The Secret Life of Pets: Off the Leash, based on Illumination’s 2016 film and its sequel. This immersive experience sees guests taking on the roles of stray puppies as they join the film's popular leading characters — Max, Snowball, Gidget, Chloe and Duke — on a search for their forever homes. It brings together live, dimensional and animated characters with hyper-realistic media and ride vehicles that travel through a recreation of the streets of New York City.

When the ride was announced, Irwin said: “We are thrilled to be able to bring another exciting Illumination movie-based ride to our guests. The Secret Life of Pets: Off the Leash! will capture the essence of the popular film and invite our guests to live vicariously through some of their favourite characters as they embark on a one-of-a-kind experience only available at Universal Studios Hollywood.”

Epic Universe, the fourth theme park at Universal Orlando Resort in Florida, is expected to open by the summer of 2025.

Beth Clapperton is art director at Walt Disney Imagineering in Paris, a role she has held since 2010. Prior to this, she was a production designer for WDI in Paris from 1995 to 2007, and a show set designer from 1989 to 1993. She also spent a year in the museum world as a creative manager at Auckland Museum, from 2008 to 2009.

One of the most recent projects she has worked on at Disneyland Paris is the new Avengers Campus, Europe’s first Marvel-themed universe and the most ambitious expansion of the resort’s Walt Disney Studios Park to date. This opened in July 2022 as part of Disneyland Paris' 30th-anniversary celebrations, and features live-action stunts, heroic encounters, action-packed attractions and themed retail and F&B. Guests can sling webs like Spider-Man and fly into space with Iron Man and Captain Marvel on two new rides – Spider-Man W.E.B. Adventure and Avengers Assemble: Flight Force.

Ahead of the opening, Clapperton featured in a teaser video alongside Marvel stars Tom Holland and Brie Larson, where she said:

"It really is a unique place like you've never seen before. You'll be able to live your own story amongst Iron Man, Captain Marvel, Black Panther and others. There is a surprise at every corner. You'll never know who you might bump into. First stop is the Worldwide Engineering Brigade, also known as WEB. Team up with Spidey and shoot your own webs to help capture the out-of-control Spider Bots before they wreak havoc on the campus.

"Next, answer the call of the Flight Force at the brand-new Avengers headquarters for a thrilling and high-speed chase across the galaxy and help us save our planet with none other than Iron Man and Captain Marvel."

She also appeared as part of a panel at New York Comic-Con in 2022, sharing some insights into the creative process.

Kartika Rodriguez is vice president of EPCOT at the Walt Disney World Company. She was promoted to this role after five years as general manager of EPCOT operations, and the move made her the first Black, female VP to lead a Walt Disney World theme park.

She first started working for Disney 22 years ago, beginning in the industrial engineering department and then moving through roles such as integrated facilities manager; Magic Kingdom Park’s operations manager and general manager of Epcot Park arrival experience, which included food & beverage, merchandise, guest relations, outdoor vending, and merchandise’s Heart of the House lines of business. Rodriguez has also worked on several opening team experiences with the Disney operations command centre, efficiency team and New Fantasyland at Magic Kingdom Park.

In her current position, Rodriguez oversees the day-to-day operation of the park, as well as the current EPCOT transformation project, which will see the biggest growth in the history of the park.

Reflecting on her Disney career on the Disney Parks blog during Women's History Month in 2021, she said she was inspired by the women in leadership roles that came before her: “I remember thinking ‘I too, could have the opportunity to one day be a senior leader in this organization.'" She also talked about the power of mentoring: “Sharing knowledge can feel empowering, and as you coach someone, you will likely collect knowledge as well.”

At IAAPA Expo 2022, Rodriquez joins a panel of other leading Disney figures for the annual Legends panel, in celebration of EPCOT. “Legends 2022: Epcot, 40 Years in a State of Becoming” also features Walt Disney Imagineering global ambassador Bob Weis, Walt Disney Imagineering executive portfolio producer Jodi McLaughlin and Rick Rothschild, founder and chief creative officer of FAR Out! Creative Direction, alongside host Bob Rogers, founder and chairman of BRC Imagination Arts.

Chuck Fawcett, chairman and co-founder of Medici XD, has worked in the attractions industry for more than three decades. His passion for the business started at an early age. As a 12 year old, he created a workshop in his basement and began to learn all about puppet design after seeing The Muppet Movie. Fawcett is now an award-winning designer, creative executive, real estate investor and entrepreneur. 

His biggest venture to date was the founding, growth and sale of Animax Designs. The company has provided 3D characters for some of the biggest names in the global attractions industry. These include Disney, Universal Studios, Warner Bros., Sesame Workshop, SeaWorld and Jim Henson Productions. Under his leadership, Animax Designs has delivered more than 500 projects for its global clientele.

Fawcett’s newly launched Medici XD focuses on the creation of breakthrough experiences and integrated technology. “We have assembled a world-class team of industry talent including decades of experience working with creative partners within the location-based entertainment industry to develop and deliver their entertainment concepts,” he said. In April 2022, Medici XD announced plans to open its first international office in Montréal, Canada.

In his spare time, he serves as the international board president for the Themed Entertainment Association. He joined the TEA’s Eastern board of directors in 2016, before being invited into a vice president role. Additionally, he has chaired a Communications Task Force, been involved in the Education Committee and TEA Digital, and helped to restart the TEA Foundation.

“The work I’ve been doing for the TEA has been transformational, for me and the organisation,” Fawcett told blooloop. “By improving the relationship of the organisation with its members, by getting to work on upgrading many of the systems and setting up a new legal entity in China, I remembered the excitement of building something.”

Luc Mayrand, VP senior creative executive, has worked at Walt Disney Imagineering (WDI) for over 23 years. He started out as a senior concept designer in 1999 before becoming a creative director and senior show producer in 2005. After this, he served as executive creative director for WDI, and was named as VP and portfolio creative executive for Hong Kong Disneyland and Shanghai Disney Resort in 2016.

One person who nominated Mayrand said: “Luc Mayrand is such a force at Walt Disney Imagineering in driving creativity and leading the team through difficult times. He became a fundamental pillar for our industry in the last decade.”

Located on Lantau Island, Hong Kong Disneyland is a 310-acre theme park offering seven themed lands and three hotels. It opened in 2005 and is owned and managed by Hong Kong International Theme Parks. In 2019, pre-pandemic, it welcomed 5,695,000 guests. Despite being Disney’s smallest, Hong Kong Disneyland is one of the world’s top theme parks. The park’s new Frozen-themed land is opening in the second half of 2023.

Operated by Disney Parks, Experiences and Products and Shanghai Shendi Group, Shanghai Disneyland opened to the public in June 2016. The park is located in Pudong and is part of Shanghai Disney Resort. Additional offerings at the resort include the Shanghai Disneyland Hotel and Toy Story Hotel, as well as the Disneytown shopping and dining district. Shanghai Disneyland is expanding with its eighth themed land, an immersive Zootopia zone.

Mayrand drives creativity at Disney Imagineering and has become a leader in the attractions industry over the past decade. He served as chair of the judging committee for the 2021 Thea Awards. He encouraged entries “for different scales of projects, large or small” and promised to give them all equal chances.

He is an associate professor in the School of Industrial Design at Universite de Montreal. Maynard has previously taught at ArtCenter College of Design in California and University of Southern California. Before joining Disney, he worked with renowned organisations such as Paramount Parks, sony imageworks (where he was Concept Designer for the Starship Troopers feature), and The Jim Henson Company.

Andrew Bolstein, senior vice president of operations at Shanghai Disney Resort, has been with Disney since 1995. He started out as an industrial engineering manager at Walt Disney World Resort, moving on to leadership roles in finance and operations at Hong Kong Disneyland and Shanghai Disney Resort. He led the creation of operational protocols during the construction of Hong Kong Disneyland and saw the project through to opening day. 

As SVP of operations at Shanghai Disney Resort, he oversees thousands of employees. Operated by Disney Parks, Experiences and Products and Shanghai Shendi Group, the resort opened to the public in June 2016. Additional offerings at the attraction in Pudong include the Shanghai Disneyland Hotel and Toy Story Hotel, as well as the Disneytown shopping and dining district. 

Shanghai Disneyland is expanding with its eighth themed land, an immersive zone inspired by Zootopia. The new land will be located adjacent to Fantasyland. It will be a diverse and vibrant city inhabited by characters from Walt Disney Animation Studios’ 2016 film. 

Shanghai Disney Resort has also opened an immersive virtual reality (VR) experience in Disneytown. SoReal VR SuperSpace is based on Journey to the West, a Chinese novel published in the 16th century. The walkthrough attraction brings to life the Monkey King, a mythical figure in Journey to the West.

Bolstein will serve as IAAPA’s Asia Pacific Regional Advisory Committee chair director (2023-2025). He has served on the IAAPA APAC Regional Advisory Committee for four years and helped to develop the association’s Covid-19 Reopening Guidelines.

Eugene Naughton, the Dollywood Company’s third president, is an industry veteran. He joined Dollywood as the vice president of park operations in 2019. He became president a year later, leveraging three decades of experience in roles at Paramount and Six Flags. “I’ve got a long history in the theme park business, but thankfully have only worked for two companies prior to my experience here at the Dollywood Company,” he told blooloop.

Dollywood, a 160-acre theme park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, is jointly owned by Dolly Parton and Herschend Family Entertainment. Opened in 1986, the attraction offers more than 40 world-class rides and attractions, alongside award-winning shoes and dining. It boasts ‘the friendliest park atmosphere in the world’.

“There is a misconception that the park itself is all about Dolly. Dollywood is not a 170-acre Graceland,” said Naughton. “It really is about the Smoky Mountains. It’s about the beauty of the area, the people, the culture. We leverage all of those things as pillars of our brand.”

Dollywood is opening its longest coaster to date, the $25 million Big Bear Mountain, in spring 2023. Riders will see the Smokies while searching for ‘Big Bear’ in SUV-style ride vehicles. “The Smokies are all about adventure and going exploring,” said Parton.

Currently under construction, the HeartSong Lodge & Resort is the first project in a $500m investment plan over the next decade. It is scheduled for completion in 2023. “I’m always dreaming and coming up with new ideas and things I want our guests to experience,” Naughton added.

“I’m so proud of this place that we’ve been able to build here in the Smokies. I always dreamed of accomplishing two things with Dollywood. I wanted to give jobs to the folks who live here, and I wanted to give visitors another reason to come and experience the beauty of the Smoky Mountains.”

Barbara Bouza is president of Walt Disney Imagineering (WDI). There, she leads the global creative, design and development teams behind Disney’s theme parks, attractions, resort hotels, cruise ships, and retail, dining and entertainment venues. She also oversees a team tasked with expanding Disney’s global portfolio of experiences. 

Bouza replaced Bob Weis as Imagineering’s president in 2021. “Barbara has taken on increasing responsibility during her tenure, and I am continually impressed with her talent, her leadership and the relationships she’s already built across our company,” Weis wrote in an email to Imagineering staff. 

During the Themed Entertainment Association’s Summit and Gala 2022, Bouza spoke about theme park technology. “One size doesn’t fit all,” she said. “Tech should be used when appropriate for these amazing immersive experiences. But you’ll still have guests who say ‘I just want an ice cream don’t make me use the app!’”

Bouza previously served as the co-managing director and principal of Gensler Los Angeles. In her leadership role there, she provided strategic design management for clients such as Netflix, Amgen, JPL/NASA, Debbie Allen, and City of Hope. She is a fellow of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and served as the 2019 AIA Los Angeles president. She also served on the board of the Southern California chapter of the International Interior Design Association.

She was recognised by the Los Angeles Business Journal as Executive of the Year: Women Making a Difference, which honours women who lead by example. She has also been named by Real Estate Forum magazine as a Woman of Influence: California. Bouza is on the board of directors of Imagine LA, a leading non-profit dedicated to rallying the community to end the cycle of family homelessness and poverty.

Additionally, she is a member of the National Organization of Minority Architects and the Women Presidents’ Organization. Bouza also works with non-profit organisations including Girls Inc. and Dress for Success.

As chairman of Disney Parks, Experiences and Products, Josh D’Amaro oversees Disney’s global theme parks and cruise line, as well as its global consumer products operations. This includes the world’s leading licensing business across toys, apparel, homeware, digital games and apps, the world’s largest children’s print publisher, Disney stores across the world, and the shopDisney online platform.

D’Amaro previously served as president of Walt Disney World Resort. He was responsible for leading all areas of business for the resort’s four theme parks, two water parks, 28 resort hotels, four golf courses, two spas, transportation system, Disney’s Wedding Pavilion, ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, and the Disney Springs entertainment, shopping and dining complex.

He led a cast of more than 75,000, the largest single-site workforce in the US. He also oversaw the beginning of the attraction’s biggest expansion in the last 20 years. This included the launch of the Disney Skyliner aerial transportation system, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway, and Disney’s Riviera Resort. Additionally, D’Amaro started the development of plans for Disney World’s 50th anniversary in 2021.

“There’s no limits to where we are going,” D’Amaro said at D23 Expo 2022. “When I look back over our first 100 years, what jumps out at me is how we are just constantly reinventing ourselves, telling new stories for brand-new generations. You all know this: we need those stories more than ever. And that’s a lesson we take straight from Walt. He believed in the power of storytelling.”

Before becoming president of Disney World, D’Amaro served as president of Disneyland Resort. He also launched Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge there, and began the development of Avengers Campus. He started his career at Disney in 1998 with a number of leadership roles. He was senior VP of commercial strategy for Disney World and worked as VP of Disney’s Animal Kingdom as it underwent the largest expansion in its history.

Choni Fernandez Vecianais the director of central services and sustainability at PortAventura, thefirst carbon neutral theme parkin the world. She joined the company in 2007 and holds a Diploma in Business Sciences and a degree in economics from the Faculty of Economics of the University of Oviedo. Fernandez Veciana is a key player in PortAventura’s efforts to minimise its environmental footprint.

In 2020, PortAventura World became the first carbon-neutral theme park. The attraction will now offset 100 percent of the direct emissions generated. Its programmes include a large solar energy plant, plastic elimination targets and the first carbon-neutral hotel, Colorado Creek.

“The carbon-neutral resort project is integrated into the global corporate responsibility strategy that guides the company’s decision-making to continue being a benchmark in sustainable tourism,” Fernandez Veciana said. “Our strategic approach also demands that we integrate compliance with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), defined in the 2030 Agenda, into our management in order to continue generating value.”

She is not content just to rest at carbon neutral, however. Speaking atgreenloop 2022, Fernandez Veciana outlined the next steps in decarbonisation for one of the most sustainable theme parks & resorts in the world and explained how and why PortAventura is adopting Science Based Targets.

“We are preparing a process where, first, you need to commit. You need to work on the reduction targets of your emissions. You need to submit your targets to SBTi, and outline how you are going to meet them. They then need to approve your process for this reduction, and at that point you can announce your target, reporting on how your strategy is going over the following years.

"For Scope 1 and Scope 2, our goal is to be below 1.5 degrees. Our Science Based Targets are aligned with this pathway. That means that we need an average annual reduction of 4.2% in emissions. In the case of scope three, we have to choose a softer way to decrease our emissions, because of the difficulty in moving our supply chain. Here, our target is to go below two degrees. That means that we need an average annual reduction of 2.5%.”