As Sally Dark Rides‘ chief creative officer, Rich Hill leads the creation of major attractions, from origination through to opening day. His creative vision, passion for storytelling, technical knowledge and department leadership make Hill a valuable member of Sally’s management team. Over the years, he has overseen the design of myriad award-winning attractions. He has worked with the likes of Disney, Universal Studios, Cedar Fair, Six Flags and Warner Bros.
Hill started working at Sally back in 1999. Hill’s attraction designs have been recognised by IAAPA and the Themed Entertainment Association. He is regularly asked to speak to attractions industry groups and schools. These include the American Coaster Enthusiasts, The Art Institute of Jacksonville and Savannah College of Art and Design.
Hill’s projects include Street Mission, a Sesame Street dark ride at PortAventura World, Justice League: Battle for Metropolis at Six Flags, Justice League: Alien Invasion 3D at Warner Bros. Movie World, Ripley’s Scream in the Dark!, and Legoland’s Lost Kingdom Adventure. His favourite project, he says, was designing the Justice League ride for Six Flags.
“There have been many favorites over the years, but designing the Justice League dark ride was an amazing experience,” said Hill. “Pitching the concept to Six Flags, Warner Bros. and DC Comics is a highlight of my career. Taking the ride from blue-sky concept to opening day is something I’ll never forget!”
He spoke to blooloop in 2015 about the painstaking process of creating this groundbreaking ride, and why it took a top team of industry specialists to pull it off. “I surrounded myself with comics and resource materials and researched extensively. Because of my background developing dark rides, I was able to take those stories and gear them towards a dark ride attraction,” said Hill.
“We put this much enthusiasm into every one of our dark rides. Why not? We have the coolest jobs in the world. It’s great. I get to entertain people with my ideas, and to work with all these great artists.”