Episodes

News is out that Universal is considering a new theme park and resort in the UK, plus we recap Christmas events.

Taylor Swift is Time Person of the Year, and we discuss the parallels between her career and storytelling (“All great art is the art that sees you”). Philip referenceshttps://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/15/podcasts/the-daily/the-year-of-taylor-swift.html.

Announcements abound as attractions attempt to bolster 2024 sales and temper expectations. We'll discuss a select few: Universal Kids Resort, Disneyland After Dark, and Disneyland 2024 Events.

It seems like EVERYONE is doing something for Christmas. Some are repurposing assets to make Christmas events, while others are simply using their Halloween stuff, and yet others are just opening limited-run shows. We'll discuss a few, including the...

World of Frozen opened Nov 20th, 2023, at Hong Kong Disneyland and the 30rh Annual Thea Recipients from the Themed Entertainment Association were announced - what do these say about the trend of entertainment?

IAAPA Expo is the largest tradeshow in the attractions industry, and this week we break down the top announcements from this year's show. Watch Philip's video here: https://youtu.be/Kwp1QiQLWVk

This week we discuss Disney's latest earnings report, the new Jollywood event, and SeaWorld's drop in attendance.

This week, Cedar Fair and Six Flags are merging. The combined company, using the Six Flags name, will boast 27 amusement parks and 15 water parks, for a combined annual revenue of more than $3.5 billion.

We discuss the article 'What haunts the haunted house industry?' and discuss solutions to staffing concerns in the themed entertainment industry: https://www.marketplace.org/2023/10/27/what-haunts-the-haunted-house-industry/

This week: Philip's segment on NBC and how you can prepare for media; Disney's new reporting system reveals how profitable their parks are; Halloween Nights at Eastern state penitentiary

We discuss takeaways from IAAPA Presents: Universal Studios Japan, held Oct 11, 2023, in Osaka.

Scott and Philip discuss takeaways from events they've worked on the past week, including: Dark at Fort Edmonton, Terror Vault at the San Francisco mint, Terror Roulette in Chicago, and Treasure Hunt: The Ride in Monterey CA.

This week: Spend the night in Shrek’s Swamp, now on Airbnb; Beto Carrero World introduces the world’s first NERF-themed land in a theme park; Cedar Point Esports: New gaming facility to open in Sandusky on October 6; Scott and Philip discuss their...

Scott and Philip are busy installing shows for Halloween, and this week they're sharing takeaways.

The 2023 Golden Award ticket winners, Dark Nights at Hersheypark opens, and Six Flags delays the opening of their new maze.

Halloween Horror Nights has opened in Hollywood, and we share takeaways any attraction can apply to their operations.

Theme parks in the United States are anticipated to make a $1.5 billion investment in new attractions this year despite experiencing a decline in attendance numbers; there's a new Weather-or-Not policy rolling out.

This year’s 50th anniversary of https://www.knotts.com/events/scary-farm includes three new mazes (totaling 10), five scare zones, and four shows. Beginning on September 21 and running through October 31, the event will see 29 terrifying nights of...

While Hurricane Hillary causes SoCal theme parks to close for the first time in a long time, we review the Q2 2023 earnings from Disney and Universal

Mickey's not so scary Halloween party opened August 10 and has already sold out event dates in Aug. Today we'll break down the successful elements of this second gate.

Q2 earnings are our for Universal, and Scott visits GenCon.

Attractions from all over Southern California gathered at Midsummer Scream this weekend to engage with fans and announce their Fall plans; we'll review the takeaways.

After Iger's contract extension, he outlined some strategic plans for the next few years. We'll break down his comments on the Writer's Strike, Streaming, and demand for theme parks.

This week: Halloween Horror Nights in Orlando extends through Nov 4th; Disney extends CEO Bob Iger's contract through 2026; iSwii by Angry Birds: world’s first Angry Birds retail café opening in NY.