I’ve wanted to be an imagineer since I was 12, I’m almost 16 now and I’m planning on going to SCAD and taking their themed entertainment design class along with other classes. I’m going to be duel enrolling and taking a Graphic Design class at a local college during my last two years of high school! I’m super excited! And I’ve thought about it: if I don’t get my dream job at Disney or Universal or something like that, I could make my own small adventure park in somewhere like gatlinburg (my moms friend owns multiple adventure parks in gatlinburg already and they make a lot of money)
That's very cool your family friend runs adventure parks! By the way - If you haven't yet, I recommend checking out this video: ua-cam.com/video/zRyg64TJsKA/v-deo.html Besides Universal and Disney - there are actually TONS of Themed Entertainment companies you could potential work at. Make sure to check out the video description for the company websites!
Hi, Lizzy! You sound EXACTLY like me! When I was 6 years old, I dreamed of owning my own theme park. I am now 47 years old and I still dream of having my own theme park. I've always drawn my own rides and parks since I was a kid, drew theme parks through high school, went to the Laguna College of Art and Design and focused on Illustration (since Entertainment Design wasn't a thing in 2000), minored in Graphic Design, and later applied to different theme park companies. My lifelong dream is to be a Walt Disney Imagineer. Although I have not yet been a full time employee at Imagineering, I did do a small job for them as a freelancer years ago. You have to keep your options open because Disney is VERY difficult to get in since projects come and go quickly and they usually hire people they are already in touch with. That's why I HIGHLY SUGGEST being a member of TEA (Themed Entertainment Association) and start getting in touch with people and start honing your craft. Chris is a great teacher and offers great advice. I don't know what your focus is on, but it's best to center your skills in one area of expertise, but to also be competent in a variety of different fields such as illustration, graphic design, UX design, etc. Your portfolio should show what you're really good at it and other fields you are proficient in. The more versatile you are, the more recruiters will be able to place you in a job. As for getting your own theme park, it's not as easy as it sounds. But I believe it can be done. I'm currently developing a business plan for a themed entertainment/retail venue in hopes that investors will provide the funds to get it built. Remember, it's all about networking and being a genuine person. You will be surprised how far kindness will get you!
I dont know if themed entertainment will be replaced by VR but rather more immersive Themed entertainment world experiences. Such as incorporating hotels, residence, stores, and other experiences into a themed scenario.
Hey there! I totally get where you're coming from regarding the uncertainty of VR's future, especially given the mixed reception of Facebook/ Meta's endeavors. It's indeed a wait-and-see game. On the immersive themed entertainment front, you've hit the nail on the head. The concept of incorporating hotels, residences, stores, and various experiences into a themed scenario isn't just a futuristic idea-it's been a thing for quite some time. Take Las Vegas, for instance, where entire hotels are themed like ancient Rome (Caesars Palace). The Rainforest Cafe is another excellent example, blending dining with a jungle-themed environment. It's fascinating to see how these places create a cohesive and immersive experience beyond just a single attraction. Who knows, maybe the future holds even more ambitious ventures in this direction, transforming entire areas into immersive worlds. It's a dynamic landscape, and as technology and creativity evolve, we might witness some groundbreaking developments. Exciting times ahead!
Thank you for the insight Chris! The potential of themed entertainment making an exodus from location-based entertainment is kind of sad, but it will be interesting to see how it evolves. Part of me still wonders if metaverse type experiences will adequately replace the feeling of traveling to a physical theme park and aren't inhibited by some of technology's pitfalls, maybe they'll exist side-by-side?
Great discussion question Luke! I don't think anything will ever replace the pen and paper, or books for that matter. It's very difficult to replicate the feeling of pencil on paper. Those traditional tools will always have a place in our lives. However, we cannot downplay how much computers and smartphones have accelerated progress or changed things for the better. T Physical themed entertainment locations will probably ALWAYS have a place in the world - in my opinion. However, the earning potential for "virtual locations" will almost have limitless reach! A Blockbuster store could only serve the nearby customers within a small radius. A Netflix or Disney+ streaming service can reach customers from all over the world! I miss going to physical Blockbusters too - but we cannot deny the momentum of the future! :)
Chris! Someone else forwarded your video to me I had no idea that you'd left the industry. I'm not surprised; and your video is beautifully comprehensive...but disappointed at what your departure represents. I don't know what's in store for "Themed Entertainment" - for once "Location" becomes irrelevant, is theming any longer "theming," or are all destinations unique in themselves...? Good luck out there; hope our paths cross at some point. KO
Hey Kile, great to hear from you! I hope you're doing well. I recently transitioned out of the themed entertainment industry. I had a great time while I was there, but I felt it was time for a change. I've been getting a lot of questions from students about the industry, and I've been helping them by being transparent about the industry's future prospects. I've been teaching classes and helping students get into the industry, but I thought it was important to acknowledge my concerns about the industry. I've always wondered if young people would rather go to EPCOT to experience world travel or just go to Italy. The internet and travel vlogging have made travel so accessible. However, I believe that experiential storytelling is an important tool, whether it's digital or location-based. Anyway, I just wanted to keep you in the loop and let you know what I've been up to. Hope to catch up soon. Best of luck with teaching your masterclass! That sounds fun!
Cool video! I like the way you explain things. The salary is less than I expected, so I’m a little surprised but not deterred. Is it difficult to live in places like California or florida for work being paid that much?
Hey Audrey! Thanks! There definitely are a lot of professionals who make it work based on their salary. I don't want to say it's difficult. But I don't want to say it's a lot of money either. I think what you are asking is... what lifestyle would I have if I made $60k a year? This youtube channel gives a very transparent look of what it would look like if you had different salaries working different jobs. I highly recommend to check it out to get a sense of comparison. ua-cam.com/users/CNBCMakeItvideos One caveat I want to say is that theme park professionals are not working all the time. If you had a 60K salary, but were out of work for 2 months, now your annual salary dropped to 50k. The overall sentiment I get from the industry is that people are really happy just to have work and just to have a job, because it's very common to be out of work occasionally. Theme park professionals are not talking about things like: "oh I just got a sign on bonus, I just got stock from the company, I just negotiated 30% higher pay raise." People are generally just happy to have work. And California will probably be more expensive than Florida - definitely. CA salary will probably be a bit higher. But you may not necessarily save more money since cost of living is higher too.
the salary is just the reality of working in entertainment. Like being an artist for video games or movies, it's seen as a more desirable job and as such compensation suffers
![Дон ДОН, Алаудинов и СБЕЖАВШИЕ из под Курска ахматовцы 😁 [Пародия]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/dEfCf5IK26Q/mqdefault.jpg)
Let me know your biggest takeaways from the video! ;)
I’ve wanted to be an imagineer since I was 12, I’m almost 16 now and I’m planning on going to SCAD and taking their themed entertainment design class along with other classes. I’m going to be duel enrolling and taking a Graphic Design class at a local college during my last two years of high school! I’m super excited! And I’ve thought about it: if I don’t get my dream job at Disney or Universal or something like that, I could make my own small adventure park in somewhere like gatlinburg (my moms friend owns multiple adventure parks in gatlinburg already and they make a lot of money)
Very cool best of luck Lizzy!!!
That's very cool your family friend runs adventure parks! By the way - If you haven't yet, I recommend checking out this video: ua-cam.com/video/zRyg64TJsKA/v-deo.html
Besides Universal and Disney - there are actually TONS of Themed Entertainment companies you could potential work at. Make sure to check out the video description for the company websites!
Hi, Lizzy! You sound EXACTLY like me! When I was 6 years old, I dreamed of owning my own theme park. I am now 47 years old and I still dream of having my own theme park. I've always drawn my own rides and parks since I was a kid, drew theme parks through high school, went to the Laguna College of Art and Design and focused on Illustration (since Entertainment Design wasn't a thing in 2000), minored in Graphic Design, and later applied to different theme park companies. My lifelong dream is to be a Walt Disney Imagineer. Although I have not yet been a full time employee at Imagineering, I did do a small job for them as a freelancer years ago. You have to keep your options open because Disney is VERY difficult to get in since projects come and go quickly and they usually hire people they are already in touch with. That's why I HIGHLY SUGGEST being a member of TEA (Themed Entertainment Association) and start getting in touch with people and start honing your craft. Chris is a great teacher and offers great advice. I don't know what your focus is on, but it's best to center your skills in one area of expertise, but to also be competent in a variety of different fields such as illustration, graphic design, UX design, etc. Your portfolio should show what you're really good at it and other fields you are proficient in. The more versatile you are, the more recruiters will be able to place you in a job. As for getting your own theme park, it's not as easy as it sounds. But I believe it can be done. I'm currently developing a business plan for a themed entertainment/retail venue in hopes that investors will provide the funds to get it built. Remember, it's all about networking and being a genuine person. You will be surprised how far kindness will get you!
@@theronlanghorne6673 thank you so much!!
I dont know if themed entertainment will be replaced by VR but rather more immersive Themed entertainment world experiences. Such as incorporating hotels, residence, stores, and other experiences into a themed scenario.
Hey there! I totally get where you're coming from regarding the uncertainty of VR's future, especially given the mixed reception of Facebook/ Meta's endeavors. It's indeed a wait-and-see game.
On the immersive themed entertainment front, you've hit the nail on the head. The concept of incorporating hotels, residences, stores, and various experiences into a themed scenario isn't just a futuristic idea-it's been a thing for quite some time. Take Las Vegas, for instance, where entire hotels are themed like ancient Rome (Caesars Palace). The Rainforest Cafe is another excellent example, blending dining with a jungle-themed environment. It's fascinating to see how these places create a cohesive and immersive experience beyond just a single attraction.
Who knows, maybe the future holds even more ambitious ventures in this direction, transforming entire areas into immersive worlds. It's a dynamic landscape, and as technology and creativity evolve, we might witness some groundbreaking developments. Exciting times ahead!
Thank you for making this. I always appreciate people taking time to increase the amount of publicly accessible knowledge!
No problem thanks so much for the comment. Glad you enjoyed the video!
Thank you for the insight Chris! The potential of themed entertainment making an exodus from location-based entertainment is kind of sad, but it will be interesting to see how it evolves. Part of me still wonders if metaverse type experiences will adequately replace the feeling of traveling to a physical theme park and aren't inhibited by some of technology's pitfalls, maybe they'll exist side-by-side?
Great discussion question Luke! I don't think anything will ever replace the pen and paper, or books for that matter. It's very difficult to replicate the feeling of pencil on paper. Those traditional tools will always have a place in our lives. However, we cannot downplay how much computers and smartphones have accelerated progress or changed things for the better. T
Physical themed entertainment locations will probably ALWAYS have a place in the world - in my opinion.
However, the earning potential for "virtual locations" will almost have limitless reach!
A Blockbuster store could only serve the nearby customers within a small radius. A Netflix or Disney+ streaming service can reach customers from all over the world!
I miss going to physical Blockbusters too - but we cannot deny the momentum of the future! :)
Chris! Someone else forwarded your video to me I had no idea that you'd left the industry. I'm not surprised; and your video is beautifully comprehensive...but disappointed at what your departure represents. I don't know what's in store for "Themed Entertainment" - for once "Location" becomes irrelevant, is theming any longer "theming," or are all destinations unique in themselves...? Good luck out there; hope our paths cross at some point. KO
Hey Kile, great to hear from you! I hope you're doing well. I recently transitioned out of the themed entertainment industry. I had a great time while I was there, but I felt it was time for a change.
I've been getting a lot of questions from students about the industry, and I've been helping them by being transparent about the industry's future prospects. I've been teaching classes and helping students get into the industry, but I thought it was important to acknowledge my concerns about the industry.
I've always wondered if young people would rather go to EPCOT to experience world travel or just go to Italy. The internet and travel vlogging have made travel so accessible. However, I believe that experiential storytelling is an important tool, whether it's digital or location-based.
Anyway, I just wanted to keep you in the loop and let you know what I've been up to. Hope to catch up soon.
Best of luck with teaching your masterclass! That sounds fun!
Thanks
Chris!
Great Video Chris! Merry Christmas my friend :)
Thanks Kevin! Happy new year!
Thank you so much for this video
no problem!
Cool video! I like the way you explain things. The salary is less than I expected, so I’m a little surprised but not deterred. Is it difficult to live in places like California or florida for work being paid that much?
Hey Audrey! Thanks! There definitely are a lot of professionals who make it work based on their salary. I don't want to say it's difficult. But I don't want to say it's a lot of money either.
I think what you are asking is... what lifestyle would I have if I made $60k a year?
This youtube channel gives a very transparent look of what it would look like if you had different salaries working different jobs. I highly recommend to check it out to get a sense of comparison. ua-cam.com/users/CNBCMakeItvideos
One caveat I want to say is that theme park professionals are not working all the time. If you had a 60K salary, but were out of work for 2 months, now your annual salary dropped to 50k. The overall sentiment I get from the industry is that people are really happy just to have work and just to have a job, because it's very common to be out of work occasionally. Theme park professionals are not talking about things like: "oh I just got a sign on bonus, I just got stock from the company, I just negotiated 30% higher pay raise." People are generally just happy to have work.
And California will probably be more expensive than Florida - definitely. CA salary will probably be a bit higher. But you may not necessarily save more money since cost of living is higher too.
the salary is just the reality of working in entertainment. Like being an artist for video games or movies, it's seen as a more desirable job and as such compensation suffers
Hello sir, I want to be a theme park designer, should I take Industrial design or architecture as a major in college, I am currently 17 years old
OH never mind, this was discussed earlier on the vid
@@JaggedCanvas i think architecture