The Spirit of the Time

PASSENGER 50: Legendary Disney Imagineer, Animator, Illustrator, Designer, Author, Speaker, & Cocktail Connoisseur Joe Lanzisero   After graduating from the inaugural 1975 CalArts Character Animation class ("the Class that Roared"), Joe Lanzisero fulfilled his childhood dream of becoming a Disney animator before working his way up to the top of Walt Disney Imagineering. Over 37 years, Joe served a...

Flight 49: Former VP of Creative for Walt Disney Imagineering & Universal Creative, Paul Osterhout Serving as a senior creative executive for the two most successful theme park owner/operators on the planet in the same decade requires a unique set of skills and talents. Paul Osterhout possesses that rare ability to liaise between creative development, production design, architecture, and construct...

PART II: Flight 48: Author and industry veteran, Thea Lifetime Achievement Recipient, and former President of Walt Disney Imagineering, Bob Weis . When Bob Weis joined WED Enterprise in 1980, Disney owned two theme parks. Forty-five years later, Disney operates twelve parks worldwide and Bob Weis played a role in at least half of them, including Epcot, Tokyo Disneyland, Disney's Hollywood Studios,...

Flight 47: Former President & COO, Universal Destinations & Experiences, Tom Mehrmann While the focus of The Spirit of the Time Zoomcast tends to be on the creative minds who have designed some of the world's most beloved theme parks and attractions, equal creedence must be given to those who operate these projects and ensure, day by day, that the design intent is not just maintained, but improved...

Flight 46: Iconic former domestic and international planning and development executive for both Disney and Universal, Frank Stanek . When you view construction photos or videos of Epcot, Tokyo Disneyland, Universal Studios Orlando Resort, Universal Studios Japan and other major themed entertainment projects around the globe, the focus is typically on those crazy creative folks — not the guys in th...

Flight 45: Former VP of Interactive Projects, Show Producer & Interactive Designer at Walt Disney Imagineering, Joe Garlington By 1990, it was believed that Disney park guests were tired of passive attractions and so the company brought back former EPCOT Center "Arcade of the Future" designer and the owner of LA-based Art & Technology Joe Garlington to tap into the latest computer hardware and sof...

Flight 44: If it moves on wheels at Disneyland, it was probably designed by 93-year old Disney Legend and Thea Lifetime Achievement recipient,  Bob   Gurr .   Walt Disney was so impressed with his knowledge and skill, that he invited  Bob   Gurr  to join WED Enterprises to design the very first  Autopia  cars that debuted at Disneyland in 1955. Over the past 74 years,  Bob  has made transportation...

Flight 43 : Forty-five-year industry veteran, Thea Lifetime Achievement Recipient, and former President of Walt Disney Imagineering, Bob Weis . When Bob Weis joined WED Enterprise in 1980, Disney owned two theme parks. Forty-five years later, Disney operates twelve parks worldwide and Bob Weis played a role in at least half of them, including Epcot, Tokyo Disneyland, Disney's Hollywood Studios, Wa...

FLIGHT 42: Veteran media, VFX, and show producer for Walt Disney Imagineering, Universal Creative, Sony, MacGillivray Freeman Films and more, Valerie Johnson-Redrow! Today's immersive attractions feature tremendous amounts of media - often presented on tremendous screens. While owners and operators often take the credit for these groundbreaking E-Ticket experiences, it's the media and show produce...

Flight 41: Writer, creative director, past TEA president, and founding principal and chief creative officer of Thinkwell Group, Craig Hanna From Iwerks to Kevin Biles Design to Jack Morton to Universal Creative to founding Thinkwell Group, Craig Hanna's 30+ year career in the location-based entertainment industry has been a thrill ride unto itself. Plan now to join us as Craig climbs aboard the ti...

Episode 40: Forty-year veteran concept designer and creative leader in the location-based entertainment industry, including both Disney and Universal, Christian Hope.   For four decades, Christian Hope has been instrumental in the creative development of world-class theme parks and attractions around the world. His clever and witty drawings are reflections of his clever and witty brain — passionat...

Flight 39: Forty-one-year veteran of Walt Disney Imagineering who has overseen design, engineering, production, construction and project management of Disney parks and resorts all over the world, Craig   Russell .   Craig   Russell  joined WED Enterprises in 1980 as a project coordinator on Tokyo Disneyland. After a brief stint with Sequoia Creative and the 1984 LA Olympics, he returned to oversee...

Passenger 37:  Disney   Legend , Academy Award and Golden Globe-nominated producer, director, writer, painter — and drummer — who produced two of the world's most popular animated films:  Disney 's "Beauty & the Beast" and "The Lion King,"  Don   Hahn .   Don   Hahn  is a true renaissance man, beginning his career in music, moving into producing some of  Disney 's most beloved animated features, b...

Passenger 36: Former creative director/show producer at Walt Disney Imagineering, Universal Creative, Sony Development, Knott's Berry Farm, and Hildene, who played a primary role on the creation of the Disney-MGM Studios and then oversaw the design, installation, and construction of the original  Tower of Terror  attraction at the park, Laine Dunham White (former Houser and Akiyama)!   Laine Dunha...

Passenger 35: Former technical director and senior show & ride executive for Walt Disney Imagineering, former president of Spectra Entertainment and Auriga Entertainment, and current president of Contour Entertainment, Chris Brown .   Chris Brown is what happens when technical prowess, extreme creativity, and business acumen all collide in a purple explosion of talent and humor! Plan now to witnes...

Passenger 34: Former Disney Imagineer & creative exec at Universal, Sony, SpectraFX & Contour involved in such classic projects as EPCOT Center, Catastrophe Canyon/Disney-MGM Studios, Blizzard Beach, Poseidon's Fury/UIOA, & The Beatles' Yellow Submarine simulator, Richard Vaughn.   Richard Vaughn is an artist, a designer, and an articulate creative leader who has been involved in some of the most...

Passenger 33: Former creative leader at SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, Herschend Family Entertainment, Paramount Parks, Carnival Cruise Lines, and Landmark Entertainment Group, Anthony Esparza! Few have so successfully established and executed the creative vision for so many owner/operators in the immersive entertainment world as Anthony Esparza . One of the industry's few Latinx executives, Anth...

Passenger 32: The long-awaited return of the former Disney Imagineer responsible for leading the design of such beloved parks and attractions as EPCOT Center, Star Tours, Sleeping Beauty Castle and Fantasyland at Disneyland Paris, Hong Kong Disneyland, and Carsland at Disney California Adventure, Tom Morris !   Our very first time machine passenger climbs aboard again to complete the incredible jo...

Passenger 31: Forty-year industry veteran; writer, director, and producer of over 80 themed entertainment projects for both Walt Disney Imagineering and Universal Creative, Mike West. From The ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter, to the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular , The Simpsons Ride to Skull Island: Reign of Kong , Mike West is one of just a handful of creatives who has contributed to the...

PASSENGER 30:  Veteran art director, designer and illustrator of physical and virtual worlds whose projects include Mickey's Toontown, Splash Mountain (WDW), San Francisco's annual Dickens Fair, and theme parks and attractions for Universal, THG, The Jim Henson Company, Herschend Family Entertainment, and Walkabout Mini Golf for Mighty Coconut, Don Carson . Few designers have the talent and skills...

PASSENGER 29: Former senior vice president of concept design at Walt Disney Imagineering, whose projects include Main Street USA at Disneyland Paris, Space Mountain, trackless dark rides, and consulting to Virgin Galactic, Porsche and Aston Martin, Eddie Sotto. The hair; the voice; the sweet seduction of another brilliant idea. Of course we're talking about Eddie Sotto, who got his start at Knott'...

PASSENGER 28: Walt Disney Animation director ("Oliver & Company," "The Prince & the Pauper"), Walt Disney Imagineer ("Mickey's PhilharMagic," "Gran Fiesta Starring the Three Caballeros"), and fine artist (Panama Canal Expansion, Shanghai Disneyland, Disney Cruise Lines"), George Scribner !   Renaissance artist George Scribner lives three distinct lives: traditional animator and former Walt Disney...

PASSENGER 27: Industry icon, Thea Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient, Professor at Columbia University's Graduate School of the Arts,  tutor of 3rd grade reading at an underserved inner-city school, and the founder and namesake of Cincinnati's JRA, part of RWS Global, Dr.  Jack Rouse .   Jack Rouse rides a motorcycle, holds a Ph. D., founded the musical theater program at the University of Cinci...

PASSENGER 26: Thirty-three year veteran of Universal Destinations & Experiences who served as creative lead on dozens of groundbreaking parks and attractions, including Universal's Islands of Adventure, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley, and the upcoming Universal's Epic Universe, Dale Mason .   Dale Mason is often referred to as "the Tony Baxter of Universal." He is a...

Flight 26: How do you time travel to all of the milestone moments in Tony Baxter's nearly five-decade career in one hour? You don't. Join us as we continue our journey with the most famous theme park and attraction designer in the world in a special two-hour adventure full of untold stories and infinite wisdom! Passenger 25: Forty-seven-year Disney Imagineer, Disney Legend, Thea Lifetime Achieveme...