Julie Swanston

Julie Swanston is executive creative director for Merlin Entertainments. As a member of the company’s in-house creative team, Merlin Magic Making, she has spearheaded the creation of engaging attractions for the resort theme park and gateway divisions.

Key projects have included Thorpe Park’s Hyperia roller coaster; the tallest and fastest in the UK, as well as Alton Towers’ Wicker Man ride, considered to be the world’s most immersive coaster.

Swanston was previously VP of commissioning at BBC Studios, where she led original programming across the BBC’s global channels.

“Storytelling is probably the most important thing in any attraction that we conceive and develop,” Swanston told blooloop. “It's at the heart of every roller coaster. Every figure that we put into Madame Tussauds. And is considered in the guest experience of the London Eye.

“It's something that we obsess about.”

One nomination says Swanston is “a pioneering force in the immersive entertainment industry, with a career rooted in the art of storytelling”.

It adds: “Today, as executive creative director at Merlin Entertainments, she brings that expertise to life in some of the world’s most iconic themed attractions. Her creative leadership fuses commercial insight with fearless imagination, allowing her to shape immersive experiences that resonate with target audiences.”