It’s a SeaWorld heavy show when Scott Swenson, former Director of Creative Services at Busch Gardens Tampa, stops by the studio to discuss his more than 20 years with the company. The first hour is filled with insider stories for the past twenty years at Busch Gardens Tampa including never before shared details on the beginning of Howl-O-Scream, the background to that well known photo of the Howl-O-Scream and Halloween Horror Nights teams joining together, plus a ton of stories from the early days of Rhino Rally and Akbar’s Adventure Tours. Hour Two is focused on the current company with Swenson’s reactions to the huge leadership shake-up currently happening at SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment.
Recording Date: Friday, March 2, 2018, in WPRK’s Studio B in Winter Park, Florida
Ed and Ken are joined by the team behind one of the most ambitious developments in the history of Central Florida. Ponte Health is looking to be a true vertical city in downtown Orlando that would become a beacon for health research and practice. Today the developers give us a deep dive into their vision. We learn about the hydroponic gardens, the retail, and the research that is being proposed for this massive new tower.
The Gossip Line is also active with Ed giving new details on a ton of summer offerings headed to Walt Disney World including updates to one of the most iconic rides at Magic Kingdom.
In this huge episode, Ken and Ed give trip reports from Mango’s, Universal Orlando’s Mardi Gras, and Toothsome’s. Quick hits in the news include exclusive details on the Cowgirls closure, the CEO of IAAPA resigning, and the latest on how Florida’s Tourist Development Tax is being used.
In Hour Two Ken stops by the Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at Full Sail University where he interviews the school CEO and all of the inductees in attendance, including Orlando’s very own Film Commissioner.
Recording Date– February 16, 2018, in Studio B at WPRK (Full Sail interviews recorded February 15 at Full Sail University)
The inductees to be honored during Full Sail University’s 9th Annual Hall of Fame Week are:
Bob Cowan
Current Title: Front of House Engineer, Monitor Engineer & Production Manager
Industry Credits: Bob Cowan has worked in the live sound industry for over 20 years and serves as Front of House Engineer or Monitor Engineer and Production Manager on tour for some of the most notable artists in the industry including Metallica, where he has mixed shows with the band on all seven continents including Antarctica.
Additional artists Bob has worked with include: Melissa Etheridge, Slash, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Ringo Starr, George Benson, Natalie Cole, Enrique Iglesias, Blues Traveler, INXS, Shania Twain, Sammy Hagar, Frankie Beverly & Maze, Tokio Hotel, Phil Lesh, David Sanborn, Marcus Miller, Lords of Acid, Michael Bolton, Crushing Day, Sophie B Hawkins, Megadeth and more.
1994 Graduate (Recording Arts)
Fernando Delgado, C.A.S
Current Title: Production Sound Supervisor/Mixer, & Owner at Stickman Sound
Industry Credits: Fernando Delgado is the owner of Stickman Sound, Inc. in Las Vegas where he works in a variety of production genres such as live sports/entertainment, reality television, motion pictures and commercials on projects and with brands including: Coldplay in VR, FOX Sports coverage of Mayweather vs. McGregor, Top Gear America, The Ultimate Fighter, Kickboxer Retaliation, Show Dogs, Under Armour and Nike.
Most recently Fernando has been working with Flight Line Films mixing Blue Origin rocket launches along with a variety of VR projects.
Previously, Fernando has received an Emmy award in the category of Outstanding Achievement in Live Audio for his work with HBO’s Boxing.
1997 Graduate (Recording Arts)
Sheena Fowler
Current Title: Orlando Film Commissioner and Senior Director of Marketing and Communications, Orlando Economic Partnership
Industry Credits: As the Orlando Film Commissioner Sheena works closely with productions seeking the unique backdrops and premiere production facilities that Central Florida has to offer supporting the workforce and businesses that make up Central Florida’s entertainment production ecosystem. Key productions include Tomorrowland, Paper Towns, Sisters, The InBetweeners, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, Real Rob, and countless national commercial campaigns.
In her role as Senior Director of Marketing and Communications she manages public relations and content creation, promoting the region as a top business location.
Her prior experience includes production work with Warner Bros., HBO Boxing, CNN’s Captain Planet Foundation, Go Film, Transition Productions, iNEXTv.com and WMFE (Orlando’s PBS affiliate).
Sheena also has a background in Public Relations serving Orlando’s Downtown Arts District tied to organization, promotion and implementation of special events including the Gibson GuitarTown Foundation Auction.
Sheena is a past-president of Women in Film & Television – FL and the immediate past-vice president of Film Florida.
Sheena was named to the Orlando Business Journal’s “40 Under 40” list, which recognizes young leaders who have played a key role in shaping the Central Florida Community.
2006 & 2007 Graduate (Film & Entertainment Business)
Brett Novak
Current Title: Director, Editor and Visual Effects Artist
Industry Credits: Upon graduating from Full Sail’s Digital Arts & Design program, Brett moved to Los Angeles where he landed work as a Visual Effects Artist on some of the biggest music video projects for the likes of Beyoncé, Kanye West, Lil Wayne, Jennifer Lopez, Britney Spears and Lady Gaga, to name a few.
Brett’s work led him to a Lead Visual Effects Artist position with the Bandito Brothers, and later he branched out to pursue his own brand of video production.
Brett’s short films have received over 25 million views online, several of which broadcast daily on TV channels in the U.S. and around the world, and has been featured in major outlets including: Rolling Stone, Huffington Post, VICE, and the BBC.
His career has led him to film in over 25 countries, and has garnered awards at numerous international film festivals in categories including Best Short Picture, Best VFX and Best Editing.
Brett has directed commercial work for brands and companies including: Mercedes, Audi, Volkswagen, Google, Mattel and Warner Brothers.
2007 Graduate (Digital Arts and Design)
Grant Shonkwiler
Current Title: Owner, Shonkventures & Executive Director, Game Developers Foundation
Industry Credits: Grant Shonkwiler landed his first position in the video game industry with AMI Entertainment/MegaTouch Games as a game programmer immediately after graduation. Soon after his start he moved up to Lead Designer and after 3 years with the company he had shipped well over 50 titles.
In 2011, Grant made the leap to id Software as a Technical Producer and worked on “Rage”, working on the Multiplayer Team. After “Rage” he started working on the “Doom” franchise as a Producer for the Artificial Intelligence, Combat, Character and Narrative teams.
Grant’s career continued to skyrocket as he accepted a Producer role with Epic Games in 2014 and an opportunity to work on “Fortnite” in addition to being a Lead Producer for one of the prototype teams on a project that eventually became “Battle Breakers.”
In late 2016 Grant ventured out on his own starting a Production Consulting company called Shonkventures and has recently taken on an Executive Director role with the Game Developers Foundation, helping those interested in getting into the video game industry.
2008 Graduate (Game Design & Development)
Tremaine Williams
Current Title: Engineer & Producer
Industry Credits: Shortly after graduation Tremaine Williams began his career as an intern at the renowned Santa Monica, CA based Hidden Beach Recordings.
During his internship Tremaine became a voting member of The Recording Academy where he met the legendary production team of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, which led to Tremaine landing a job as their in-house engineer/programmer earning him credits on projects with artists including Usher, Janet Jackson, 50 Cent, Jill Scott, Boyz II Men and Chaka Khan.
After a few years of studio engineering, Tremaine joined the touring team of multi-GRAMMY award-winning artist Mariah Carey as a stage manager, keyboard technician and programmer.
In between touring, he also earned television show credits producing music for hit television shows Empire (commercial), Keeping Up with the Kardashians, MTV’s Real World and served as a Pro Tools operator for BET’s Sunday Best, Comic View and Apollo Live.
Tremaine earned his first credits as a film composer for The Last Fall (2012), Sound Designer for 9 RIDES (2017) and serves as a Governor for the Los Angeles Chapter of The Recording Academy.
Tremaine is currently on tour with multi-GRAMMY award-winning artist Bruno Mars’ 24K Magic World Tour 2017.
In this Mexico focused special episode Ken and Ed take the first hour to discuss all the latest news, including the latest on SeaWorld Orlando’s Sesame Street plans, the rumors on the return of Ringling Brothers, and the retail tenants of Margaritaville.
Hour Two is filled with news and reports from one of Orlando’s biggest competitors, Mexico! An exclusive interview with officials from Mexico’s new resort Amikoo gives never before shared details on what this massive complex will include. Then Robert calls in and gives a trip report from his recent vacation at one of Mexico’s all-inclusive resorts.
Recording– Feb 9, 2018, in Studio B at WPRK 91.5 Winter Park, FL
Brian Saeger of Skywalking Adventure calls in to chat with Ed and Ken about recent news from Disney and Universal. The guys talk about rumors of projects in the works and projects being canned. Ken also gives updates on O-Town West, the future of the Church St. Exchange building, Florida’s attempted law to ban orca breeding, and the latest on gambling in the state.
