Michael Aiello is the Senior Director of Entertainment Creative Development at Universal Orlando Resort. With over 28 years of experience, Michael has been a driving force within Universal’s entertainment division, championing a collaborative team approach.
Aiello has overseen creative development for all live shows and nighttime spectacles within The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Collaborating with Warner Bros., he led teams in the creation of many dynamic show elements, including latest castle show, “Hogwarts Always”, an incredible new projection show that will take guests on a journey through iconic moments of a school year at Hogwarts – all set against the majestic backdrop of Hogwarts castle.
Aiello has led the creative teams for several nighttime lagoon spectaculars, including the latest “CineSational: A Symphonic Spectacular.” This exhilarating new show celebrates the emotional power of music by leveraging the iconic scores and scenes from blockbuster films that have inspired Universal Orlando’s past, present, and future attractions. The next-level lagoon show will feature fountains, incredible 4K projection mapping, an original composition featuring newly arranged scores meticulously crafted to each scene, and more than 600 drones.
Aiello also led creative and design teams for the newest daytime offering, “Universal Mega Movie Parade”, a spectacular celebration of iconic movies E.T., Back to the Future, Jaws, Ghostbusters, Jurassic World, Illumination’s Minions and Sing, and DreamWorks Animation’s Trolls and Kung Fu Panda.
Since 2003, Aiello has played a significant creative role many haunted houses, scarezones, and live shows within Universal Orlando’s annual event, Halloween Horror Nights. From original characters, storylines, and content to IP-branded horror attractions, Aiello’s horror fandom has provided HHN with world-class content. Aiello has successfully partnered with New Line Cinema to co-create content based on “A Nightmare on Elm Street,” “Friday the 13th,” and “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, as well as Lionsgate to create haunted houses based on the SAW franchise. He has partnered and led creative with Warner Bros. on haunted houses based on “The Exorcist” and “Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining.” Aiello has collaborated with Netflix and creators The Duffer Brothers on haunted house adaptations of the “Stranger Things” series, with Jason Blum on several Blumhouse attractions and with Neil Druckman in adapting “The Last of Us” into a terrifying haunt experience.
Aiello contributed his expertise to Universal’s newest theme park, “Universal Epic Universe,” where he spent nearly two years developing groundbreaking entertainment concepts with Universal Creative.
Aiello has fostered a culture of creativity and collaboration throughout his tenure, working alongside and inspiring a growing team of talented individuals within the Universal Orlando Resorts Entertainment Division. His dedication to teamwork and storytelling remains unwavering as he continues on future live entertainment initiatives for Universal Destinations and Experiences.
