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Sept. 21, 2026

Scott's UAE Rebuttal, Then Winged Monkeys and Zombies

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Middle East

Key Takeaways

  • Coaster relocations like ArieForce One may look like major cost-saving measures on the surface, but theme park professionals must always account for hidden costs, modifications, and reassembly challenges.
  • Based on firsthand professional experience living and working in the UAE, hosts Philip Hernandez and Scott Swenson address and nuance common criticisms surrounding labor conditions and LGBTQ+ traveler safety in the region.
  • Major international entertainment brands operating in the Middle East often act as crucial industry watchdogs, helping to establish safer working protocols and elevate regional attraction standards.
  • Venues like the Sphere are successfully maximizing existing assets by layering in fresh 4D effects, animatronic winged monkeys, and practical show elements to make returning experiences like The Wizard of Oz uniquely unrecreatable at home.
  • Dollywood dominated the recent Golden Ticket Awards by taking home four wins, highlighting how industry recognition for excellence ultimately benefits the entire themed entertainment community.

We kick off the show by apologizing for mispronouncing ArieForce One last week and addressing some of the comments about the UAE. On the UAE, listeners raised labor conditions, LGBTQ safety, and J.K. Rowling, and we address each one based on firsthand experience living and working in the region.

Then, the news. Legoland Dubai, Real Madrid World, and Motiongate reopen on October 7, which means a lot of people in the region are going back to work.

Sphere is bringing The Wizard of Oz back on September 25 with new effects, including animatronic winged monkeys flying overhead, scents, glitter, and what the release calls pyrotechnics. The building and the screen were the expensive part, so each new layer is relatively cheap, and each one makes the show something you can't recreate at home.
In Pigeon Forge, Rocky Top Mountain Coaster is running a nighttime overlay called Zombie Invasion, with live actors, fog, and military props along a track that already had half a million dollars of lighting. The coaster is already paid for, and fog rising off a hillside on the Parkway is better marketing than any billboard.

Finally, the Golden Ticket Awards. Dollywood won four, the most of any park. Six Flags Fiesta Texas won for Monster Mash Bash a year after winning for Voodoo Dolls, and Europa-Park was named best park. Nobody agrees with every winner, but the awards recognize excellence, and the whole industry benefits when they do.

Listen to weekly BONUS episodes on our Patreon.

Frequently Asked Questions

What did Scott Swenson say about labor conditions in the UAE theme park industry?

Scott Swenson explained based on his firsthand work experience that while laborers from impoverished countries are underpaid compared to Western standards, they are paid, and international companies enforce strict training protocols and watchdogs to catch and stop inappropriate labor behaviors.

Are LGBTQ+ individuals safe when traveling or working in the UAE?

Drawing from personal experience living openly as gay men in the region, the hosts noted that while the local Emirati population may not officially embrace the community, expatriates experience a high degree of tolerance and non-discrimination in practice.

What new updates are being added to The Wizard of Oz show at the Sphere?

The Sphere is bringing back The Wizard of Oz with new effects, including animatronic winged monkeys soaring overhead, specialized scent effects, glitter, and pyrotechnics to create an experience guests cannot recreate at home.

Which theme parks in Dubai were announced to reopen on October 7th?

Legoland Dubai, Real Madrid World, and Motiongate were all announced to reopen on October 7th, bringing local industry professionals and performers back to work.

WEBVTT

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Okay, from our studios this week in Indianapolis and Los Angeles,

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this is Green Tagged Theme Park in 30. I'm Philip

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from Gantam Lighting Controls, and I'm joined as always by

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my co-host, Scott Swenson of Scott Swenson Creative Development, who

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is on the job today, but still calling in because

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that's how important you all are to Scott. And because

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of course, every week we look at the top news

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each week and we pick the stories we think matter

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most to industry professionals. And this week, We are going

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to start with a little bit of a response to

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some of the messages that came out from our video

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last week. But then we're going to move on to

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news about the Middle East as well, plus some news

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about how attractions are reutilizing their assets in fun ways.

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So first.

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Yeah, first, I think we need to, we would both

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like to apologize for mispronouncing the moving coaster. And specifically

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to the Aerie family, Aerie Force One, we mispronounced it

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as Air Force One, which as, you know, forgive us.

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It was a mistake. And we recognize that. And our

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apology goes out especially to the Aerie family and those

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who pointed it out. Some very kindly, some not so kindly,

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but those who pointed it out to us, whether it

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was kind or not, we do appreciate the fact that

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you're keeping us honest and you're keeping us on point.

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We would also like to respond to someone who pointed

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out that moving the coaster, of course, was going to

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be cheaper. Duh. Well, the point of that is this

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is someone who clearly is not in the industry. Because

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if you've been in the industry, you recognize that on

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the surface, this looks like a phenomenal idea to buy

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a coaster, lift it up, and place it in a

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new location. Anybody in the industry knows that that is

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not the way it really works. The challenge is, and

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of course, the parks will present it as, look how

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much money we're saving. What they don't tell you is

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all of the stuff that either could or usually does

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go wrong. And that's assuming that there's not going to

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be a single bit of modification. There's not going to

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be a new queue house built. There's not going to

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be a new exit. They're not going to change the

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end of the ride, as one of our other commenters

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threw in there, that the end of the Airy Force

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One was stupid intense and is only impactful for those

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who are the biggest thrill seekers, which is great. But

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it's based on the trend that's happening now with coasters.

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They want a broader audience. They don't just want those

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who can survive G-forces that only astronauts should be required

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to endure. So chances are good that there are going

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to be some modifications. We don't know that for sure,

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but those are additional costs as well. If they're able

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to lift it from one location that has exactly the

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same ground plan as a second location, you are 100% correct.

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It is a great cost savings. chances are good it

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will still be a cost savings to a certain extent,

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but you have to take into consideration the reality of

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the situation and the fact that when you reassemble it,

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if it's off by even an inch, then there's some

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significant problems and it will require some significant money to

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fix it. So for those of you who did not

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recognize this, I just wanted to clarify that that is

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the reality. Yes, it could be a huge savings, but

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it's hard to say that. Nothing is ever concrete and

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is ever 100% certain. You have to look at it,

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you have to interpret it, and you have to recognize

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there's some hidden costs there. So just keep that in mind.

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That's all we ask. The other thing that I personally

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would like to comment on is, once again, anytime we

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bring up the industry in the Middle East, and specifically

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the UAE, we get a lot of pushback. And I

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am not going to tell you that you can't believe

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and follow what you want to believe. All I can

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share on this show is what I have experienced firsthand

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personally having worked there. There was a lot of comments

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that came up, or several comments, not a lot, but

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several comments that came up regarding the slave labor in

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the UAE. First off, that slave labor is a misnomer.

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The laborers are paid. They are paid a significantly lower

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amount than I was paid. I know that. But I

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will also say that the industry, being its own best police, really,

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to help stop this, we had to take, we were

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required before we were allowed on site to take classes

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in how to spot some of the things that really

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are not right at all when it comes to the

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quote unquote modern day slave labor. Let me point out

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just a couple of things that are reality. Yes, there

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are underpaid laborers there. but they come from countries that

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are incredibly poor, not the UAE. The vast majority of

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them on the projects that I've worked on came from India.

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And they are coming from total squalor to an agreed

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upon rate. Is it a fair rate? No, I admit

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that it's not. There are concerns and have been concerns

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in the past about holding these laborers' passports and holding

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their pay or providing them only pay in the form

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of a, in essence, a gift card. Um, and we

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were trained that if we saw any of this, we

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were to report it immediately and it would be stopped.

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So has it gone on in the past? Clearly it has. Um,

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but are there being, are there efforts being made to

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reduce it? Uh, there are. And so, you know, is

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it going to change overnight? Probably not, but there are

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efforts being made to, to improve the work situation and

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You know, there are underpaid laborers in every country in

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this world. And so I just think it's important that

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we do need to continue to fight the right fight.

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But what you're going to do is if you say,

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I'm going to not do this and we hope that

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everything in the Middle East shuts down, then these people

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who are making their living from squalor to what's two

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steps above squalor, I don't know, who are trying to

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improve their lives will have significantly less opportunities to send

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money home to their family. So the long-term is that

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you're actually hurting the people that you're trying to help.

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Is there a ways to go? Yes, absolutely. Absolutely. So

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before you send the negative comment saying, Scott is just

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saying that we should support slavery, I am not at all.

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I am saying that we should continue on the road

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that we are on so that these people can continue

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to improve their way of life and can continue to

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take the crafts that they have learned and earn money

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for them and their families. And like I said, every organization,

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I've worked with three different organizations in the Middle East,

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not just in the UAE. And all three of them

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made it very clear to us that if there was

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ever any evidence of this kind of inappropriate work behavior,

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and I say that 100%, it is inappropriate work behavior.

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If there was any example of it, we were to

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bring it to light. And the companies would, would stop it. Finally,

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when it comes to traveling to the UAE or the

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middle East in general, we had several comments about the

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way the UAE treats the LGBTQ plus community. It is not,

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it is not open and loving and embracing the LGBTQ

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plus community. I live in Florida. the government of Florida

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is also not embracing the LGBTQ plus community. As a

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member of the LGBTQ plus community, both Philip and I,

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we recognize that this is an issue. Once again, what

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I'm reporting here based on specifically that is not based

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on what I read on the internet. It's what I

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experienced in person while living there. My very first night

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Because I was told the same thing and I was

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concerned as hell about going. But my very first night

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I was told there's no alcohol and there's no LGBTQ

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plus recognition and it is punished and you can be arrested.

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So whether that is going on in some of the

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smaller Emirates, I don't know. But from my own personal experience,

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my very first night I walked into the bar, which yes,

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was serving alcohol. And on the couch were two men

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making out with a hookah. I mean, they were making

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out with each other, and they had a hookah. They

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weren't making out with a hookah. That's even stranger than

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two guys making out in the UAE. And I turned

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to the person I was there, and he had lived

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there for quite some time, and he said, if you're

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not Emirati, which is about 75% of the population in

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the UAE, if you're not Emirati, they don't embrace it,

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but they do.

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They are tolerant of it. And I said, okay. So

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I lived as an openly gay man in the UAE

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for five months and never once had a single moment

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of discrimination.

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Never once.

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So if that's going on other places and I simply

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did not see it, that's possible.

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I admit that.

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But I just want you to recognize that we are

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not turning a blind eye to it. It is something

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that if it is happening and I mean, if it

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is truly happening, and if it's truly happening in specific places,

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it needs to be dealt with. And then, of course...

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We had a couple people go after JK Rowling and

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I am the first to admit I love her work

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and I hate her beliefs on Specifically in regards to

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trans people. I have a ton of trans friends and

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you know, unfortunately Um, I became a fan of her

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work before I became aware of her, um, her stance against,

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against Tran, the trans community. And if you are opposed

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to that, absolutely do not go, do not visit any

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of her experiences. Do not buy her books. Do not

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read the, do not see the movies. Do not watch

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the series on HBO. But I will also tell you,

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do not go to any universal park because universal When

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Universal Studios opened Wizarding World, they made so much additional money.

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It basically made it so that they could compete with Disney.

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And that came from the Rowling brand. So you can

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go to Universal and not go to that specific area

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and think that you're shunning J.K. Rowling. You're not.

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You're not.

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You know, it's what I call wish cycling. It's like

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when you put everything into a mixed recycling bin and

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you think, oh, I'm doing the right thing. And you

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just see it all go into the trash. It's because

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you're really not. But I am a full supporter. I

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am a 100% supporter of if your beliefs are different

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from those people who are profiting from your money, vote

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with your money. Speak with your money. I support you 100%.

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But I just want to make sure that you recognize

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and how far reaching that is. Um, and so there's

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some responses. Um, I, it sounds like I'm being defensive

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in some of these terms. I'm not, I'm just sharing

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you with you. Here's why I said the things I

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said in the show. Here is why we position things

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the way we did. And it is based on our

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personal observations, not something that we read on the internet.

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So continue to act and follow your heart. Do what

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you think is right. And that's the thing I want

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you to remember about this entire rant. Do what you

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feel is right. And I will support that.

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Yep.

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Yes.

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Uh, thank you, Scott.

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I don't have, uh, yes, I let Scott take the

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lead on that because Scott has spent significantly more time

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in the region than I have. Although I visited multiple

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times and I worked also on projects in the region, uh,

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and I did not face any discrimination either. And I

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have talked with a lot of people, a significant amount

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of people that work in the region that are Americans

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that are there working. We have a lot of, I

219
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have a lot of friends also that still live there

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and work there and are part of the community. And it's,

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it's everything that Scott is saying is what I keep

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hearing over and over that, especially the Americans are actively

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on the lookout for anything that, that is unsafe, that is,

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you know, illegal.

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And, and they, you know, will, you know, it's.

226
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It's like, you know, they're, they're looking for it. I

227
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think that, yeah. So I'm just, I'm going to just

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echo everything Scott said. Including about JK Rowling, you know,

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I don't approve of the JK Rowling, everything that she's

230
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doing either. I think I'm just, in my brain, I'm

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just trying to separate between, you know, work for the

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industry and work for a region that makes a region better,

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you know, versus these other items. And I'm thinking of

234
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it in that lens, of course, as a manufacturer. I

235
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think of it tend to be in that lens as well.

236
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And I think the one thing to take into consideration

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too is if we pull out all of the American

238
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and European companies from that area, if it is truly

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the government that is trying to enslave people from other

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countries or get dirt cheap labor, then there will be

241
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no watchdog.

242
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Right.

243
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There will be no watchdog and Disney has very, even

244
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though the new Disney park is owned by morale, it

245
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is required to operate under Disney. Uh, protocol in order

246
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to use the name, the sea world park is the

247
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same way. The Warner brothers park is the same way. Uh,

248
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I don't know about Ferrari, but I, I can speak

249
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specifically about those three and those companies are very, uh,

250
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they have very specific guidelines.

251
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Yeah, I think that's the other nuance that maybe if

252
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you're not working in the industry or you have not,

253
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even if you've been working in the industry but not

254
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been in that region, to talk to the local professionals,

255
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that nuance is.

256
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Pretty key to the area's development.

257
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Think of it a little bit like a soft power, basically,

258
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where major European and American companies are there and they're,

259
00:14:57.990 --> 00:15:03.179
from a professional standpoint, they're influencing the regulations and everything

260
00:15:03.220 --> 00:15:07.539
there because there's a lot of, you know, I think

261
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that those regions are trying to learn how to run attractions.

262
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And so they're bringing in folks that are established professionals

263
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from other regions. And of course, all of us have

264
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a way of working professionally. And so we're, they're, they're

265
00:15:22.750 --> 00:15:24.570
doing their job to learn from us and to make progress.

266
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That's what I've seen. That's what I've witnessed firsthand in

267
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the conversations I've had. I'm sure there's, there's always more

268
00:15:30.370 --> 00:15:33.980
going on. But like Scott emphasized again and again, we're

269
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talking about things that we have lived, that we've experienced.

270
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We're talking about firsthand experiences in these regions when we're

271
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sharing our perspective. So I'm sure there's always more to it,

272
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but that's our perspective. So I think the news, we

273
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wanted to pair these responses also with a news story

274
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to get to the news. Halfway through the show, we're

275
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going to get to news finally. But there is news

276
00:16:00.970 --> 00:16:03.830
in in that region that I think was maybe some

277
00:16:03.850 --> 00:16:05.490
of the biggest news that came out this past week,

278
00:16:05.509 --> 00:16:08.970
which was that the Legoland real Madrid world and motion

279
00:16:08.990 --> 00:16:12.289
gate are reopening. They're reopening on October 7th.

280
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That's it. That's the news.

281
00:16:14.669 --> 00:16:20.110
But I do, I do, I did like motion gate.

282
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I did get the chance to visit motion gate, uh,

283
00:16:22.909 --> 00:16:27.480
and real Madrid world as well. And, uh, motion gate,

284
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like we said, it's, The problem there, of course, is

285
00:16:32.330 --> 00:16:36.370
it's exposed. Portions of the Motion Gate area are exposed

286
00:16:36.389 --> 00:16:41.500
to the weather, so it's not always the most hospitable

287
00:16:42.159 --> 00:16:43.379
experience as a guest.

288
00:16:43.759 --> 00:16:46.899
But again, I liked it. I thought it was very,

289
00:16:47.299 --> 00:16:47.740
very cute.

290
00:16:47.779 --> 00:16:50.639
I thought that especially the live entertainment portions, I really

291
00:16:50.779 --> 00:16:54.610
enjoyed at Motion Gate Park. And again, I'm always happy

292
00:16:54.649 --> 00:16:57.529
when things are reopening as an industry professional and as

293
00:16:57.590 --> 00:16:59.470
a fan of the industry, a supporter of the industry.

294
00:16:59.809 --> 00:17:02.149
You want people to go back to work, you know, and,

295
00:17:02.230 --> 00:17:04.730
and to, and to have their jobs back. And I

296
00:17:04.750 --> 00:17:06.349
think that's a good positive thing.

297
00:17:08.910 --> 00:17:11.019
Yeah, I, I, I agree. And I think motion gate,

298
00:17:11.150 --> 00:17:15.440
the interesting thing about motion gate is motion gate. Well, it's,

299
00:17:15.460 --> 00:17:17.900
let me put it this way. It's more obvious that

300
00:17:18.000 --> 00:17:23.220
motion gate is multiple movie studios. Um, you know, at

301
00:17:23.279 --> 00:17:25.960
universal it's, it all seems to be under the universal brand.

302
00:17:26.980 --> 00:17:29.240
except for the fact that many of their products are

303
00:17:29.279 --> 00:17:31.180
from other studios. They just licensed them and put them

304
00:17:31.200 --> 00:17:36.509
under universal. Um, but, uh, but motion get calls it out. And, um,

305
00:17:37.069 --> 00:17:38.690
it's a fun, it's a very, it was a very

306
00:17:38.750 --> 00:17:43.250
fun park as Philip said, very hot. Um, but, and

307
00:17:43.289 --> 00:17:48.269
I've not been to, um, well, Madrid world. I have not,

308
00:17:48.410 --> 00:17:52.750
I've not experienced that. Um, nor have I been to the,

309
00:17:53.029 --> 00:17:56.009
the Legoland Dubai resort. But again, all of these are

310
00:17:56.029 --> 00:17:59.369
brands that are coming from other places, either the United

311
00:17:59.390 --> 00:18:06.819
States or Europe, and coming into the area to help,

312
00:18:08.900 --> 00:18:11.019
I don't want to say normalize, that's not right, to

313
00:18:11.059 --> 00:18:14.549
help improve the working conditions and to make money. I mean,

314
00:18:14.569 --> 00:18:16.450
there's no, this is a business, so I'm not going

315
00:18:16.470 --> 00:18:18.589
to sit here and go, it's all altruistic. It's not.

316
00:18:18.670 --> 00:18:22.410
It's companies trying to make money and trying to expand their, uh,

317
00:18:22.839 --> 00:18:25.559
their businesses, which is what people in the industry are

318
00:18:26.400 --> 00:18:29.480
trying to do, hopefully in a very ethical way. Yep.

319
00:18:31.420 --> 00:18:36.359
Okay. Let's move. We're going to move away from.

320
00:18:36.460 --> 00:18:39.160
While back in the United States. Yeah.

321
00:18:39.339 --> 00:18:41.519
Meanwhile, back in the United States, we have two stories

322
00:18:41.559 --> 00:18:45.269
that are a little bit about re-utilizing your assets. And

323
00:18:45.680 --> 00:18:48.849
the first is at the sphere and this is pretty old.

324
00:18:48.910 --> 00:18:51.420
We just never got to it on the show. but

325
00:18:51.769 --> 00:18:56.349
this was back in early September, but it's opening next weekend,

326
00:18:56.369 --> 00:18:58.650
so it's a good thing we covered it before it opened.

327
00:18:59.130 --> 00:19:02.750
So basically, the Sphere is adding additional effects to the

328
00:19:02.789 --> 00:19:05.230
Wizard of Oz show, which they are bringing back to

329
00:19:05.250 --> 00:19:08.049
the Sphere. So they first did Wizard of Oz last year,

330
00:19:08.170 --> 00:19:10.490
and we talked about it when they did it last year,

331
00:19:11.170 --> 00:19:14.210
and it, I think it had like a tiny bit

332
00:19:14.250 --> 00:19:16.730
of a rocky start, but it sold very well, you know,

333
00:19:16.809 --> 00:19:18.910
once it kind of got going and kind of made

334
00:19:19.799 --> 00:19:22.819
headlines because some of the uh, resale tickets and some

335
00:19:22.839 --> 00:19:25.440
of the ticket costs kind of went pretty high. So

336
00:19:25.460 --> 00:19:29.400
people were commenting on that. So it, it did really well.

337
00:19:29.460 --> 00:19:32.299
It also sold really well and they're bringing it back,

338
00:19:32.359 --> 00:19:34.619
but this year they're adding more to it. So beginning

339
00:19:34.680 --> 00:19:38.200
on September 25th, they're going to add new effects to

340
00:19:38.240 --> 00:19:42.829
this re you know, re remounted version of the show.

341
00:19:43.769 --> 00:19:47.269
And the things that caught me were just, they're not

342
00:19:47.289 --> 00:19:50.180
all just basic 4D theater stuff mainly that they're adding

343
00:19:50.240 --> 00:19:53.440
animatronic winged monkeys so this year says the monkeys will

344
00:19:53.500 --> 00:19:56.160
soar above you so like animatronic like winged monkeys that

345
00:19:56.180 --> 00:19:58.920
are soaring above you it is not said how they're

346
00:19:58.960 --> 00:20:01.809
actually planning to stage that or do it but it's

347
00:20:01.849 --> 00:20:04.490
probably going to be a crane or a pulley system

348
00:20:04.529 --> 00:20:06.569
or similar to how we've seen it in theme parks

349
00:20:06.589 --> 00:20:09.809
probably is something that brings them over but Um, there's

350
00:20:09.829 --> 00:20:12.029
also going to be theme sense. There's going to be glitter.

351
00:20:12.049 --> 00:20:14.309
They're going to put out for the Glinda glitter. They're

352
00:20:14.329 --> 00:20:17.490
going to do, they're going to add pyrotechnic fireworks. They

353
00:20:17.529 --> 00:20:20.950
said pyrotechnic fireworks. Like that's what the release says. I

354
00:20:20.990 --> 00:20:25.279
was unsure if it's like, is it like digital pirate?

355
00:20:25.319 --> 00:20:27.160
Is it like, you know, they're calling it pyrotechnics, but

356
00:20:27.180 --> 00:20:29.500
it's actually just digital effects or is it real pyrotechnics?

357
00:20:29.740 --> 00:20:36.019
I don't know. Uh, that was not clear to me, but, uh, anyway, I'm.

358
00:20:35.920 --> 00:20:37.809
Going to guess it's spark generators, but I don't know

359
00:20:37.829 --> 00:20:39.309
that for a fact. Right.

360
00:20:39.410 --> 00:20:42.250
I think spark generators is more apt, that it's like

361
00:20:42.549 --> 00:20:45.940
a firework effect and not actual pyrotechnics, but that's what

362
00:20:46.019 --> 00:20:50.579
the release says. So anyway, it sounds really cool. I mean,

363
00:20:50.619 --> 00:20:53.160
this is starting to get into a much more expanded

364
00:20:53.220 --> 00:20:56.259
experience where you have the animatronics and the sparks and

365
00:20:56.519 --> 00:20:59.970
the scents, and you're just adding more layers to this

366
00:21:00.490 --> 00:21:02.509
experience that already did really well.

367
00:21:03.549 --> 00:21:05.849
And I think, again, that's great.

368
00:21:05.869 --> 00:21:09.369
Anytime that you can add something that makes it different

369
00:21:09.410 --> 00:21:11.730
from something you could do in a nice home theater

370
00:21:11.809 --> 00:21:15.609
at home, then I think we're going a step in

371
00:21:15.630 --> 00:21:18.690
the right direction, especially things that allow the entire crowd

372
00:21:18.710 --> 00:21:22.099
to experience something together that they can make memories with.

373
00:21:23.180 --> 00:21:25.619
I think the sphere in general has been super smart.

374
00:21:26.059 --> 00:21:28.619
I think that it is a, it is clearly a

375
00:21:28.920 --> 00:21:31.640
multi-use space. Yes, it's a multi-use space on a very

376
00:21:31.720 --> 00:21:35.650
grand scale, but, um, they, you know, they've started to

377
00:21:35.690 --> 00:21:38.079
test out what's going to work as far as these, uh,

378
00:21:38.170 --> 00:21:42.410
immersive re re-imagining immersive film experiences. They've obviously done live

379
00:21:42.450 --> 00:21:44.779
concerts there as well. And of course the one that

380
00:21:44.819 --> 00:21:47.519
I'm most excited about is in 2027 when Rocky Horror

381
00:21:47.539 --> 00:21:51.400
Picture Show does an immersive event there as well. So, um,

382
00:21:51.799 --> 00:21:56.190
that will, that will continue to take their assets. I mean,

383
00:21:57.230 --> 00:21:58.809
the cool thing is, you know, we think, oh my gosh,

384
00:21:58.829 --> 00:22:01.660
they're adding animatronics and they're adding glitter and they're adding, uh,

385
00:22:02.359 --> 00:22:06.230
But the truth is the most expensive things are already there.

386
00:22:06.730 --> 00:22:10.549
They've already got the programming and the giant sphere and the,

387
00:22:10.710 --> 00:22:13.730
you know, I call it the curved jumbotron, which is

388
00:22:13.930 --> 00:22:18.190
really simplifying it. But they've already got all of those

389
00:22:18.309 --> 00:22:21.900
assets and to find different ways to cross-utilize them in

390
00:22:21.960 --> 00:22:26.500
ways that families can enjoy together or targeting specific audiences

391
00:22:26.539 --> 00:22:33.069
at times. Super smart. Very smart. Yep. All right.

392
00:22:33.769 --> 00:22:37.970
To Tennessee now, we'll go in the Pigeon Forge region.

393
00:22:38.329 --> 00:22:42.750
There is a coaster that is adding live actors and zombies.

394
00:22:42.789 --> 00:22:48.539
So this is the Rocky Top Mountain Coaster, and it's

395
00:22:48.640 --> 00:22:51.839
running the coaster at night in a new overlay called

396
00:22:51.859 --> 00:22:56.569
Zombie Invasion, which is adding live actors on the hillside

397
00:22:56.630 --> 00:23:00.619
that the coaster goes through. So it's a rail track

398
00:23:00.859 --> 00:23:03.799
sled ride right so it's not like a really fast

399
00:23:03.839 --> 00:23:06.640
crazy coaster it's it's just a mountain coaster yeah it's

400
00:23:06.700 --> 00:23:10.849
a mountain coaster it's a mountain coaster but what's interesting

401
00:23:10.890 --> 00:23:13.890
about this is that they're just they're adding they're adding

402
00:23:14.049 --> 00:23:17.950
live actors uh zombies the live actors they're also adding

403
00:23:17.970 --> 00:23:22.490
zombies and military themed environments and simulated weapon props strobing

404
00:23:22.529 --> 00:23:27.369
lights fog Loud sounds, sudden scares, they're adding all these

405
00:23:27.529 --> 00:23:32.869
themed elements to the areas around where the ride will

406
00:23:32.890 --> 00:23:37.289
go through as part of this event. It opened earlier.

407
00:23:37.309 --> 00:23:41.660
I haven't seen great videos. I mean, as in I

408
00:23:41.700 --> 00:23:43.759
haven't seen good videos, as in the quality of the

409
00:23:43.779 --> 00:23:46.920
video isn't good. Not that it doesn't look fun. But

410
00:23:47.420 --> 00:23:51.400
I will say when they emailed me about this experience,

411
00:23:51.940 --> 00:23:53.940
and sent me the press release i was excited just

412
00:23:53.980 --> 00:23:57.799
because it's such again it's a just like with the

413
00:23:57.839 --> 00:24:01.849
sphere the primary cost is already there you know you

414
00:24:01.890 --> 00:24:05.569
have your main asset and now you're just bringing in

415
00:24:05.690 --> 00:24:07.970
actors and you're bringing in the themed environment and you're

416
00:24:07.990 --> 00:24:10.970
bringing in fun elements to the area around it and

417
00:24:11.049 --> 00:24:12.490
as long as it's done in a safe way of

418
00:24:12.559 --> 00:24:16.559
course but i think stuff like this is excellent i

419
00:24:16.579 --> 00:24:19.579
think anytime you can make a ride different for an

420
00:24:19.660 --> 00:24:22.380
overlay and put a little bit of work into making

421
00:24:22.400 --> 00:24:25.220
it a unique experience. That's exactly what we want to

422
00:24:25.240 --> 00:24:27.420
be doing with the holiday season. And I could envision

423
00:24:27.460 --> 00:24:29.420
a Christmas version of this as well, again, that I

424
00:24:29.460 --> 00:24:30.839
think would do well too.

425
00:24:31.599 --> 00:24:34.450
Well, and it's, it's funny because I have not experienced, um,

426
00:24:34.569 --> 00:24:36.849
this particular mountain coaster, but I have done work in

427
00:24:36.869 --> 00:24:39.789
Pigeon Forge and my hotel was right next to this location.

428
00:24:40.470 --> 00:24:42.470
And, um, why I didn't do it, I don't know.

429
00:24:42.490 --> 00:24:46.170
I was too busy, but anyway, um, The thing you

430
00:24:46.190 --> 00:24:49.569
have to recognize, too, with mountain coasters is, yes, they

431
00:24:49.730 --> 00:24:53.109
are sled-based and the rider can control the speed to

432
00:24:53.150 --> 00:24:56.779
a certain extent. The rider has... There are handbrakes on

433
00:24:56.819 --> 00:24:59.160
it that you can use to slow yourself down or

434
00:24:59.200 --> 00:25:02.180
speed yourself up. The other thing I love about this

435
00:25:02.339 --> 00:25:06.460
and why it's a great cross-utilization of existing assets is

436
00:25:06.480 --> 00:25:09.339
they already do nighttime rides. And they have lit tunnels

437
00:25:09.579 --> 00:25:12.150
and they invested... I was doing a little bit of research.

438
00:25:12.630 --> 00:25:18.720
They invested... about half a million dollars in lighting when they,

439
00:25:18.829 --> 00:25:21.220
when they put this in so that they could run

440
00:25:21.740 --> 00:25:23.750
originally so that they could run a longer day. But

441
00:25:23.769 --> 00:25:26.069
if that lighting has control to it, you know, adding,

442
00:25:26.329 --> 00:25:30.609
adding fog to it totally makes sense. Um, and as

443
00:25:30.650 --> 00:25:33.869
Philip says, in order to remain safe, uh, from what

444
00:25:33.910 --> 00:25:37.109
I've seen, many of the actors are in the pre

445
00:25:37.230 --> 00:25:39.730
and post ride experience, but they are, there are some

446
00:25:39.789 --> 00:25:46.769
in the actual coaster coaster experience itself. Um, I cannot

447
00:25:46.990 --> 00:25:51.269
guarantee this because I don't know, but I have worked

448
00:25:51.349 --> 00:25:53.890
on projects where we have had to deal with the

449
00:25:53.950 --> 00:25:57.910
ride envelope. And in many cases, what they will do

450
00:25:58.309 --> 00:26:00.329
is they will, in essence, put a fall protection harness

451
00:26:00.509 --> 00:26:06.480
on the actors that attaches to a safety point so

452
00:26:06.500 --> 00:26:11.420
that they physically cannot enter the ride envelope. And it's

453
00:26:11.440 --> 00:26:16.319
a great safety thing for them. For those of you

454
00:26:16.339 --> 00:26:19.640
who have never been to Pigeon Forge to experience the

455
00:26:20.759 --> 00:26:23.720
just shenanigans that go on there, there are so many

456
00:26:23.819 --> 00:26:27.140
incredible shows and experiences and there are a ton of

457
00:26:27.200 --> 00:26:29.440
mountain coasters. This is one of the larger ones that

458
00:26:29.480 --> 00:26:33.660
I've seen that I'm aware of. But it's one of

459
00:26:33.680 --> 00:26:41.240
those situations where I could totally see this being an

460
00:26:41.289 --> 00:26:46.299
attention grabber. Because if you've ever been to International Drive

461
00:26:46.319 --> 00:26:49.920
in Orlando, Pigeon Forge, the main drive of Pigeon Forge

462
00:26:50.220 --> 00:26:54.920
is like that only on steroids. And it's surrounded by mountains.

463
00:26:55.240 --> 00:26:58.359
So it's significantly, really significantly more. So they need all

464
00:26:58.400 --> 00:27:01.730
those attention grabbers that they can possibly get. And to

465
00:27:01.769 --> 00:27:04.529
have something like this, you know, when you see lights

466
00:27:04.589 --> 00:27:07.170
and fog rising off, I remember back in the hell

467
00:27:07.190 --> 00:27:09.029
of scream days at Busch Gardens, we got.

468
00:27:10.740 --> 00:27:13.329
More attention from the fog and the lights rising from

469
00:27:13.369 --> 00:27:16.470
the event itself than we actually did from any of

470
00:27:16.490 --> 00:27:20.670
the marketing. So yeah, I think this is super smart.

471
00:27:21.670 --> 00:27:23.170
I wish I was going to be there over the

472
00:27:23.190 --> 00:27:25.009
Halloween season because I would love to experience it.

473
00:27:25.690 --> 00:27:25.819
Yep.

474
00:27:26.859 --> 00:27:29.359
Well, I'm going to sneak in one more new story

475
00:27:29.380 --> 00:27:31.759
in the few minutes we have left. And just while

476
00:27:31.779 --> 00:27:35.339
we're talking about Pigeon Forge, let's talk a little bit

477
00:27:35.359 --> 00:27:38.660
about the Golden Ticket Awards event. that were announced on

478
00:27:38.720 --> 00:27:42.890
September 12th. They had the big ceremony at Codaland in Austin, Texas.

479
00:27:43.190 --> 00:27:47.109
And the interesting things to me were two interesting things. One, Dollywood,

480
00:27:47.170 --> 00:27:50.210
speaking of Pigeon Forge, Dollywood received four of this year's

481
00:27:50.250 --> 00:27:53.250
Golden Ticket Awards, the most of any park. And it

482
00:27:53.289 --> 00:27:56.829
was Best Guest Experience, Best Kids Area, Best Family Coaster

483
00:27:56.869 --> 00:28:01.269
for Big Bear Mountain, and Most Beautiful Park. And also

484
00:28:01.869 --> 00:28:06.329
that Six Flags took away another win at Fiesta, Texas.

485
00:28:06.730 --> 00:28:10.369
for their new show the new halloween show monster mash

486
00:28:10.450 --> 00:28:14.049
bash and they won last year also for the for

487
00:28:14.089 --> 00:28:16.730
the show in the mardi gras category the voodoo dolls

488
00:28:17.069 --> 00:28:19.809
so it's a it seems like that team entertainment team

489
00:28:19.849 --> 00:28:22.869
is i haven't seen either show but it sounds like

490
00:28:22.890 --> 00:28:25.130
that entertainment team is doing good and we always talk

491
00:28:25.190 --> 00:28:27.400
about entertainment at six flags and their investment to that

492
00:28:27.500 --> 00:28:32.720
so um and what you know dollywood it's it's it's

493
00:28:32.759 --> 00:28:34.799
a great park and so it's i'm glad to see

494
00:28:34.839 --> 00:28:38.710
them on this and Europa Park, of course, won Best

495
00:28:38.769 --> 00:28:43.089
Park overall. Europa Park is an excellent park as well.

496
00:28:43.130 --> 00:28:46.549
They're just about to open their Halloween experience, speaking of. So,

497
00:28:47.569 --> 00:28:48.529
golden tickets, Scott.

498
00:28:50.390 --> 00:28:51.470
Yeah, it's interesting.

499
00:28:51.769 --> 00:28:58.390
The thing about golden ticket is, as with any award, Um,

500
00:28:58.470 --> 00:29:01.609
whether it's the Thea's or the brass rings or the,

501
00:29:01.829 --> 00:29:04.569
the golden ticket awards, there's always people who will look

502
00:29:04.609 --> 00:29:06.170
at them and go, well, I don't know. I think

503
00:29:06.210 --> 00:29:08.109
so-and-so should have won or such and such should have won,

504
00:29:08.730 --> 00:29:12.259
but kind of where we started. These awards are meant

505
00:29:12.440 --> 00:29:15.480
to elevate the industry. So when we can look at

506
00:29:15.519 --> 00:29:18.160
them and go, here's somebody being recognized for doing something

507
00:29:18.200 --> 00:29:20.119
right now, are they the only person doing something right

508
00:29:20.160 --> 00:29:23.210
in that category? Clearly not. And you know, having been a,

509
00:29:23.400 --> 00:29:26.720
having been a judge for, for the brass rings for many,

510
00:29:26.740 --> 00:29:30.490
many years. Sometimes it's really hard and it comes down to,

511
00:29:30.509 --> 00:29:33.700
you know, it's a team of six people, seven people,

512
00:29:34.740 --> 00:29:37.029
looking at it kind of arm wrestling back and forth.

513
00:29:37.490 --> 00:29:39.930
Sometimes there's a lot of discussion that goes on. I

514
00:29:39.950 --> 00:29:41.740
don't know whether that's true for all of the awards,

515
00:29:41.819 --> 00:29:46.140
but the truth is, if it recognizes excellence in our industry,

516
00:29:46.539 --> 00:29:49.920
it helps us all. So, you know, I've kind of put,

517
00:29:50.380 --> 00:29:53.559
because there's even in this particular list, there's some that

518
00:29:53.640 --> 00:29:56.660
I don't necessarily agree with, but I support them because

519
00:29:56.700 --> 00:29:59.470
it's like, okay, good. Somebody really liked that. Somebody thought

520
00:29:59.509 --> 00:30:03.950
that was great. And so I think we need to recognize,

521
00:30:04.430 --> 00:30:06.789
and hopefully the parks, I know the marketing departments know,

522
00:30:07.509 --> 00:30:12.690
the parks can certainly lead with their winnings and the

523
00:30:12.730 --> 00:30:15.890
celebration of what is really cool. And we hope that

524
00:30:16.089 --> 00:30:21.309
this show, even when we're being snarky, we truly hope

525
00:30:21.329 --> 00:30:24.519
that this show will help industry leaders continue to celebrate

526
00:30:24.619 --> 00:30:27.920
what is great about our industry. But unfortunately, the celebration

527
00:30:27.940 --> 00:30:30.789
must end for now So on behalf of Philip Hernandez

528
00:30:31.069 --> 00:30:34.029
with Gantem Lighting and Control and myself, Scott Swenson with Green,

529
00:30:34.170 --> 00:30:36.569
or with Green Tag, no, with Scott Swenson Creative Development,

530
00:30:37.950 --> 00:30:40.839
we will see all of you next week. Thanks for watching.

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