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Tag: Orlando

Ep 138 – The Queen of Medieval Times

We’re joined in studio by one of the Medieval Times queens and a show designer. They share their behind the scenes stories from over the years at Medieval Times, including the incredible work that went into the latest show. This new show is one of the company’s most ambitious and most historic.

Hour Two is filled with news including an update to the Florida Mall story we talked about a few weeks back. We also touch on the latest news from WDW including Dan Cockerell’s retirement and the end of Night of Joy.

Recording Date- April 27, 2018 in Studio B at WPRK Winter Park, FL

Show Notes

Hour One

Medieval Times Orlando

Article on the new queen

Hour Two

Pandora closed April 24-26

Update to monorail story

Florida Mall panic at Apple store prompts a lawsuit

Trolls Topia- 4th park land, Kids Zone?

Night of Joy confirmed cancelled for WDW

Dan Cockerell, VP of Magic Kingdom Suddenly Departing Company

accesso gets a new ceo

Fun Spot Orlando gets a Headrush 360

I-Drive’s high-flying StarFlyer debut pushed to June

Ride-sharing Safr coming to Orlando, focuses on women’s safety

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Ep 137 – Holly V Kapherr talks the future of travel agents, Marineland, and Florida tourism

Tourism writer Holly V. Kapherr talks about her recent Marineland article in Travel Weekly, her work with boutique hotels, and the future of casinos in Florida.

Recording Date- April 20, 2018 in Studio B at WPRK Studios in Winter Park, FL

Show Notes

Holly V Hapherr’s Travel Weekly | Orlando Weekly | Twitter

Marineland

Travel Weekly’s Marineland coverage

 

St Augustine Aquarium

Jeff Vahle has officially been named as president of Disney Signature Experiences.

Casino pact gets an extension

  • 2010 pact, the Tribe is bound to make monthly payments for the exclusive right to offer certain games, including blackjack

Air travel safety

  • The last time there was an uncontained engine failure in a U.S. plane was in Sioux City, Iowa in 1989. That accident killed 111 of the plane’s 296 passengers
  • almost 29,000 commercial flights a day in US
  • Asiana in 2013 in San Fran last major incident
  • 40 deaths worldwide in 2017
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Ep 135 – Disney security, Disney labor shortages, and Disney housing

Breaking news of the Pulse shooter’s wife has use discussing safety at WDW. We look back to a 2015 episode where we discussed it in detail. We also talk about the questionable future of Vista Way. And the latest on a big increase in CMs headed to WDW and what a recent hiring event may mean about it.

Recording Date: March 29, 2018 at WPRK’s Studio B.

Show Notes

Security at Disney-

YouTuber’s issue with Disney security

Pulse shooter’s wife’s trial reveals new things about the threat at Disney

 

Port Canaveral gets post-Panamax cargo ships

Royal Caribbean CEO Hints That Ship Larger Than Symphony of the Seas Is on the Horizon

Vekoma bought by Sansei

Rick Scott hands fate of cardroom to Seminole County Commission

Vista Way– 13K new hires, 75K total employees by 2021, typhoon lagoon hired half of what’s needed, are incentives enough?

Sesame Place BGW plans are leaked

SeaWorld CMO Is Latest to Go in Executive Purge

Disney is working on a Grad Night movie

Disney-run government Reedy Creek faces personnel issues after consultant’s report

Iconic I-Drive hotel to add retail component

I-Drive Chamber endorses Jerry Demings in Orange County mayor’s race

Manatees Move Back In: South Florida Museum Manatee Rehabilitation Hospital Welcomes New Manatee Patients

Schlitterbahn will fight criminal charges after owner and designer arrested over child’s death

New Gerstlauer Coaster Going Vertical at Nickelodeon Universe at the American Dream

Big insurance payout may cover repairs to Mote-Morris house | Wiki on the house

Hard Rock Hotel Daytona Beach debuts with ocean views, 3 eateries

Drive Shack’s First U.S. Venue Coming to Lake Nona

Universal Orlando Property Appraisal Lawsuits End in Settlements, Refund

 

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Ep 133 – Parking Fees vs Resort Fees with Kill Resort Fees Founder Lauren Wolfe

We try catching up on the latest news with this episode. News includes a billion dollar upgrade coming to Royal Caribbean, the significance to the new name at Gary Goddard Design, a mystery around a deleted article on The Dis, and the big changes coming to Lowry Park Zoo.

Kill Resort Fees Founder Lauren Wolfe calls in to talk about the new parking fees at WDW, why Disney likely won’t be adding a resort fee, and her work on bringing light to these hidden fees.

Recording Date– March 16, 2018, in Studio B at WPRK Winter Park, FL

Special GuestKill Resort Fees Founder Lauren Wolfe

Show Notes

Gary Goddard leaves, Legacy Entertainment new name

Disney restructuring

DCL changes eastern Caribbean itinerary as islands still work to recover from Maria

Tomorrowland Expo party confirmed for MK

The Dis deleted an article on a mechanics death

Food prep employees at MCO picket

Vacation homes no longer pay school impact fees

Rocket launches at KSC might soon be 3x the current rate

Shrek 4-D leaving?

Lowry Park Zoo renamed, announces major updates

Brevard Zoo announces inclusion plan for those with special needs, Jeff Corwin announces he’ll be visiting the zoo

Magic Sports and Entertainment district

Royal Caribbean’s billion-dollar expansion

Crystal Cruise update

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Ep 129 – Full Sail University’s Hall of Fame, Mango’s, and Mardi Gras

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)

Show Notes

Cowgirls closes for good at I-Drive 360

Paul Nolan leaves IAAPA, joins accesso

Florida House approves TDT money for roads, pedestrian improvements Source 1 | Source 2

Opening Date for Toy Story Land – June 30th, 2018

 

Full Sail Hall of Fame

Link

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.
  • 2004 Graduate (Recording Arts)
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