Thinkwell Group, in close collaboration with the Center for Puppetry Arts, celebrates the opening of the newly constructed museum featuring hundreds of original Henson and international puppets
LOS ANGELES, CA (January 6, 2016) — Thinkwell Group, a global experience design and production agency specializing in the creation of theme parks, major attractions, live events, and museum exhibits around the world, today announced their role in designing, producing and assisting in the curation of a new museum for the Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta, Ga. The $14 million, 15,000-square-foot expansion, Worlds of Puppetry Museum, which opened on November 14, features the new Jim Henson Collection and Global Collection galleries.
“Thinkwell was tasked with the challenge of creating a space that would appeal to local, national and even global audiences; one that is visually stunning and functional for Jim Henson’s work and our international puppetry collection,” said Vincent Anthony, Center for Puppetry Arts founder. “The reality of the designs is even more than we had ever imagined. Thinkwell’s partnership in this process has been and will continue to be an integral part of the Museum’s success.”
Thinkwell worked in close collaboration with the Center and The Jim Henson Legacy, the organization dedicated to preserving and perpetuating Henson’s contributions, to create an interactive, engaging and contextually rich experience inside the Jim Henson Collection gallery. Housed in this gallery is the largest and most comprehensive collection of Henson puppets and artifacts in the world, which were donated to the Center by the Jim Henson Foundation in 2007. More than 500 artifacts will be on rotating display in the gallery, which includes some of Henson’s most famous and beloved puppets, including characters from Sesame Street, The Muppets, Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal. In addition to Henson’s well-known puppets are more classic works, including representations of the Seven Deadly Sins from the 1975 pilot of The Muppet Show and the oldest piece on display, Omar, from Henson’s 1955 television show Sam & Friends.
The Jim Henson Collection gallery also includes a re-creation of Jim Henson’s office that includes items found in his workspace, such as his desk and his signature red sketchbook, which includes reproductions of his illustrations and designs. There is also a re-creation of Henson’s workshop called The Creature Shop, which includes new interactives and gives visitors a chance to peek inside drawers filled with puppet components. A mock television studio fashioned with an interactive puppet area allows guests to play the part of a puppeteer, maneuvering their puppet on the stage while staying hidden from sight of the television cameras.
The Global Collection comprises the other half of the new Worlds of Puppetry Museum and features approximately 175 puppets from around the world. In addition to popular American puppets like Punch and Judy, the collection spans centuries and countries and includes everything from American marionettes to Japanese Bunraku puppets to Indonesian shadow puppets. Organized by continent, the artifacts allow visitors to immerse themselves in the cultural traditions of puppetry from Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas. In addition to these displays, there are also new hands-on interactives, including an elaborate stage display that allows visitors to play with Sicilian rod marionettes outfitted as knights and a dragon.
Craig Hanna, Chief Creative Officer at Thinkwell said, “We’ve had the pleasure of working on many museum projects in our company’s history, but it’s hard to imagine something more fun and fascinating than exhibits on puppetry from around the world and the life and work of Jim Henson. It’s been such an honor to help shape this incredible collection and to create a space where visitors can enjoy the magic of puppetry for years to come.”
About Thinkwell Group
Founded in 2001, Thinkwell is a global experience design and production agency specializing in the creation and master planning of theme parks, destination resorts, major branded and intellectual property attractions, events & spectaculars, museums & exhibits, expos and live shows around the world. The award-winning company has become a leader in experiential design by bringing a unique holistic approach to every creative engagement, delivering extraordinary results to notable clients over the years, including Fortune 500 companies, movie studios, museums, theme parks and destination resorts. For more information visit: www.thinkwell.staging.work.
Media Contact:
Andrea Yoo
[email protected]
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Author: Andrea Yoo
White Paper | Intellectual Properties and the Branded Experience
Thinkwell’s 2015 Guest Experience Trend Report Focuses on Consumer Trends in Location-Based Entertainment Infused with Intellectual Properties
The recent surge in popularity of intellectual properties (IP) appearing in everything from theme parks and attractions to merchandise and museums had us at Thinkwell wondering whether this phenomenon will be an enduring profit generator for IP owners and the operators of entertainment and education venues. Does the presence of an IP lend credibility, trustworthiness, and value to a venue and would consumers be willing to visit this venue more often? Especially as more location-based entertainment (LBE) venues start to incorporate IPs, would visitors spend more money and time on their experiences and should IP owners start to license their properties more heavily to explore that possibility?
The 2015 Thinkwell Guest Experience Trend Report was created to answer questions like those. For the past two years, Thinkwell has published Guest Experience Trend Reports that investigated the behavior of guests as they explored theme parks and museums and how technology could be utilized to enhance or improve their visits. For the 2015 Guest Experience Trend Report, Thinkwell examined not only the behavior of guests as they navigated experiences, but also the reasoning behind deciding to go and make purchases at LBE venues.
Thinkwell had a nationwide survey conducted that polled over 1,000 adults with children to analyze their spending choices at family-friendly LBEs, specifically family entertainment centers, children’s museums, aquariums & zoos, and restaurants. The goal of the survey was to determine whether families would be inclined to visit one of those venues more often and spend more money on purchases if they were completely infused with a specific IP from a major motion picture, television show, video game, or book.
The results, while not entirely surprising, confirmed that families are indeed willing to spend more on an experience at an LBE if it featured a specific intellectual property. What was surprising however was that the results showed respondents would be less willing to spend an increased amount of money or time at an IP-specific educational experience versus an IP-specific entertainment experience.
Most respondents still preferred authentic and traditional experiences at children’s museums and didn’t necessarily feel that adding an IP would increase the value of the educational experience. Even at zoos and aquariums, which toe the line between education and entertainment, a smaller percentage of respondents stated they would pay more for things like annual memberships, merchandise, and souvenirs at an IP-specific location. But when going out for fun at family entertainment centers however, a much larger segment of respondents stated that they would be willing to spend more money and time on an IP-specific experience.
Entertainment Versus Educational Experiences
An astonishing 76% of the survey respondents stated that they would enjoy the experience at a family entertainment center more if it were infused with a recognizable IP from a motion picture, television show, video game, cartoon, or book. More than 62% of respondents also said they would be willing to spend more money on food, souvenirs, and merchandise if they included characters or imagery from a favorite IP. Not only did respondents claim that they would be willing to spend more money at a family entertainment center if it was IP-specific, 72% also stated they would visit more often than if it was a generic LBE venue.
Though an impressive 61% of respondents also stated they would visit a children’s museum more often if there were exhibits based around a child’s favorite IP, only half of respondents stated they would be willing to pay more for an annual membership, merchandise, or souvenirs despite having IP-specific elements at the museum. In a more traditional educational institution, respondents did not feel that having IP-specific exhibits added any value or incentive to visit the venue more often, nor were they inclined to spend more money on purchases there.
Even at a zoo or aquarium, which blends education and entertainment, only little more than half of respondents stated they would want to visit more often if there were IP-specific exhibits. Because respondents claimed that the primary reason they visit a zoo or aquarium is to spend time together as a family and not to see new or existing exhibits, having IP-specific overlays would not be a compelling enough reason for visitors to visit more often or purchase more merchandise or souvenirs.
While the previous three LBEs might be reserved for special occasions or weekend activities, 76% of respondents stated that eating out at a restaurant is a normal weekly activity. If an IP-themed restaurant was an option in addition to casual chain restaurants, fast food restaurants, and neighborhood restaurants, a majority of respondents stated that it would be a logical choice for their families when eating out. Particularly since a kid-friendly atmosphere was the most important factor for families in choosing a restaurant, having an IP-specific environment would please kids and parents alike, with Disney™, Star Wars™, and Harry Potter™ being popular IPs for influencing families on their themed restaurant choices.
The Why and Why Not
The study conclusively revealed that respondents would indeed be willing to visit an IP-specific LBE venue more often and spend more money on these experiences. But what were the motivating factors for these preferences? Based on 1,032 open-ended answers, the respondents who were more likely to prefer an IP-specific LBE stated that the experiences would be “more fun,” “make the kids happy,” and “make the experience more special.” These respondents felt that seeing recognizable or familiar characters and elements would be a treat for the kids and would be far more entertaining that visiting a generic LBE.
For the respondents that did not feel more inclined to visit an IP-specific LBE, cost was the biggest deciding factor against choosing these experiences over generic ones. These respondents did not feel that an IP-infused experience added any value for the implied increased cost, nor did they feel that the quality of the environment, food, merchandise, or souvenirs would be any better at an IP-specific LBE. Other consistent responses were that an IP would make the experience “too commercial,” “trendy,” and “distracting” so that families wouldn’t be able to fully enjoy their time at an IP-specific LBE.
The Value of Intellectual Properties
After examining the survey responses, the 2015 Thinkwell Guest Experience Trend Report concludes that IP owners can absolutely benefit from licensing and infusing their IPs into family entertainment centers, children’s museums, zoos & aquariums, and restaurants. Respondents were generally positive about wanting to experience IP-specific LBEs and were willing to pay more money and spend more time at these venues. So to answer our initial question about whether extending an IP could be an enduring profit generator, the study confirms that there is a demand for it and IP owners should invest in meeting that demand.
“Thinkwell has believed in the power of an intellectual property in attracting and retaining guests since the very beginning of the company,” said Craig Hanna, Thinkwell’s Chief Creative Officer. “This study highlights that the value of blockbuster brands and IP is only getting stronger, even in an increasingly crowded market, and that the public’s thirst for IP hasn’t been quenched yet.”
VIEW THE ACCOMPANYING INFOGRAPHIC HERE.
Infographic | Intellectual Properties and the Branded Experience
Thinkwell had a nationwide survey conducted that polled over 1,000 adults with children to analyze their spending choices at family-friendly LBEs, specifically family entertainment centers, children’s museums, aquariums & zoos, and restaurants. The goal of the survey was to determine whether families would be inclined to visit one of those venues more often and spend more money on purchases if they were completely infused with specific intellectual properties from a major motion picture, television show, video game, or book.
READ THE ACCOMPANYING WHITE PAPER HERE.
Museum of the Future
MUSEUM CONUNDRUM
Recently my colleagues and I were discussing museums over lunch. We all have a passionate interest in museums of all kinds, to one degree or another. We each had a memory to share about a favorite exhibit, a particular artifact, or even a favorite display technique, but something else came up that was very intriguing. Although we pronounced our undying affection for museums of every type, none of us had actually been to one as a guest in months. In fact, as it turns out, this relatively diverse group of writers, producers, creative directors, and artists, the so-called “interested” individuals who would seem to be the heartiest museum-goers, were all uniformly unenthused about the promise of a museum outing. Why?
We had the typical excuses: the museums are too hard to get to, the parking is a hassle, the price is too high, I can only go on the week-ends when the crowds are bad. All of these are legitimate, but none of them so daunting that they would really keep us away if the museum were compelling enough. And there’s the rub– they just… aren’t. The more we talked, the more we realized that generally museums aren’t worth going out of our way for. In some cases, they aren’t compelling enough to even warrant a spot on our recreational pastimes list (when discussing why we choose to go to museums when we do, one person replied, “When there’s nothing better to do”).
In light of all other entertainments, museums feel slightly out of touch. Even the word “museum,” feels archaic and dusty, like an invention from the 19th Century that has outlasted its usefulness. The word brings to mind the vaulted, marble floored institutions filled with relics, sarcophagi and other musty dead things behind glass or encased in formaldehyde. This is the iconic Hollywood location; the “Museum of Antiquities” visited by characters ranging from Indiana Jones to Curious George. Of course, that image doesn’t necessarily jive with the reality of today’s museums, but even the edgy architecture and the modern compulsion for Science Center interactivity cannot overcome our reluctance to go. We know it’s good for us, but so is oatmeal.
Art museums, meanwhile, elicited off-putting visions of stark minimalism: lean, streamlined galleries with a hint of erudition that left us feeling cold and out-of-place: these galleries are for experts and aficionados, certainly, but not for lay folk. The art itself is beautifully displayed, typically, but in a surreal vacuum of context. In so many cases, the works are presented with a succinct text panel, with barely any room to share even the most compelling stories about the piece, its creator, or of its time. This information is surprisingly hard to find; relegated to text on handouts or the monotonous banter of an audio tour.
TOO MUCH STATIC
While we have become increasingly spoiled by instantaneous access to information and entertainment literally at our fingertips, museum exhibits are frustratingly undynamic. The content is selected, processed and delivered down a one-way pipeline; an authoritarian board selects and presents the information that they deem worthy of our consumption. The typical museum communicates through lectures, not dialogue, and there are few ways within the museum itself for guests to pose questions or explore tangential ideas that the exhibits might inspire.
For better or worse, we live in an age of instant gratification and information access. The Internet provides an infinite web of information over which we wield complete control. Type in any subject and in a keystroke you have hundreds of relevant links that let you dive as deep into content as you want; even Wiki your own. As you do, you’ll inevitably stumble across another topic that strikes your fancy, and off you go on a whirlwind, stream-of-consciousness infosearch that could continue infinitely, if you so desire.
You don’t even need a computer anymore! Hold an iPhone in the air and with a touch on the screen and the right app, you can find out the name of the song that is playing in the elevator, and what artist or artists recorded it. Take a picture of any product anywhere with the same iPhone and another app will “look” at the picture, identify the product and then scan the Internet for more details, including make, model, and msrp. With the tap of another button, you can download the song or order the product online (after price-comparing on multiple sites for the best value, of course). And with the advent of services like iTunes, TiVo, and Netflix (along with home theater systems that rival the local cineplex’s) even television and the movies are under our beck and call.
IN THE DRIVERS SEAT
We’ve grown fond of this control. Rather than follow a designated path the curator has chosen for us, we prefer to choose our own and use the museum exhibits as a jumping off point for further investigation across many disciplines. The internet provides links to all sorts of tangential topics, how can the museum do the same and allow us to explore equally fascinating (and sometimes tangential) topics of our choosing?
Technological overlays could enhance the presentational nature of static exhibits and transform them into interactive research tools that put the guest in the driver’s seat. Imagine a digital heads-up display, integrated into a clear display case or panel in front of an art piece. With gesture recognition hardware linked to a computer database, the art or artifact becomes the touch point for multi-disciplinary research. Through the display, the guest can explore, not just the piece itself, but also the history of the object, the tools and techniques used to create it, the historical timelines that parallel its creation. You could, with the wave of a hand, learn more about the artist, link to other works that have a significant connection, grab a virtual magnifying glass and drag it across the canvas to “see” the brush work up close, or open video clips of experts and curators sharing interesting information about the item, and then record and share your own insights about the item for others to access.
Audio programs have become a ubiquitous part of the museum experience, but often they are simply dry recitations of facts and figures. These could be diversified to provide a unique point of view, to provoke a laugh, an epiphany or an opposing viewpoint. Imagine these audio devices featuring a selection of different voices each providing their own personal and sometimes biting commentary. What if, instead of the faceless avuncular voice museum audio programs currently employ, we could hear Jon Stewart’s take on this exhibit? Or David Sedaris? Or the creator of the artwork that’s on display. Suddenly, each visit to the museum takes on a new personality and a new point of view that contrasts sharply with the last, leading the guest to make their own conclusions and form their own opinions.
In this way, the audio track enhances the exhibit like the director’s commentary on the bonus tracks of a motion picture DVD. Taken to the next logical conclusion, the audio commentary might be guest-created, with personal observations and Wikipedia-like modifications. Now the audio programs function like blog entries on the Internet, entries which are oftentimes more enjoyable than the articles themselves.
We want to play. We want to touch things, turn them around, take them apart,see how they work. Play is an important learning tool for both children and adults, and museums should provide hands on labs for grown ups whenever possible. Perhaps this is a painting studio, where we can get a first-hand appreciation of art techniques like highlights and shadows, brush work, color mixing, and so on. It might be an adult-scale paleontology dig pit, with real equipment instead of sand pails and shovels. Perhaps this is a kinetic physics lab, where we can create our own kinetic sculptures, build DaVinci’s incredible machines, or play with light and sound. This isn’t just an assortment of science center, touch-the-button-interactives, but a working shop where we can deconstruct, analyze, and touch the rudimentary components of the exhibit.
This is a place where the current museum model would be exploded: where the back-of-house spaces, the archives, the workshops, the libraries, would all be available to the public for unlimited use, and would no longer be the exclusive domain of the museum staff. This is an institute where the guest is the creator, the researcher, and the arbiter of the museum’s ever-changing content.
MUSEUMS AS AN EVENT
Ultimately, we see a blending of all these programs and resources until the museum becomes the anchor and hub for a new entertainment, a multifaceted and wide-ranging event, designed and directed by the museum, that immerses guests completely within the exhibit experience. The subjects of these events could be a single artwork, artifact (a White Star Lines dinner plate, say), even a significant date, 1492, for example, or 1968. Imagine an art event, for example, which is anchored by a single work, but which allows you to explore your own path within multiple disciplines as defined by the work. The art work is the catalyst for a totally unique, self-directed experience through connected subjects.
Say the featured work is, for example, Seurat’s A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of Le Grand Jatte. Surrounding the main piece are supporting, cross-discipline experiences that are totally unique, yet connected to the original piece through which you can freely roam. The evening begins with dinner in the restaurant surrounded by Seurat’s other works while the artist himself (a performer, in this case) discusses their importance. Afterwards, you might step into Seurat’s studio if you wish, slip on a smock and get your hands dirty as you paint and begin to understand and appreciate “pointillism”.
In the studio, you can see how the artist worked in a world without Photoshop and art supply stores. You might explore the chemistry paint and the colors Seurat used, how his canvases were framed and stretched, even how he made his own brushes.
Another hall then immerses you in a living history of the era, in a pub, perhaps surrounded by (and interacting with) the people depicted on the canvas. By talking with them, you learn their hopes, dreams, and daily struggles, and see and explore the social influences under which the art was created. Through open discussion you can understand why was this piece created, what the artist was trying to say, what he was responding to culturally or politically. In yet another gallery, you could trace the evolution of the piece in previous and future works. How was the creation of this painting inevitable, and how has it transformed what came after? Who were the other great thinkers, creators, pioneers at the time of this piece’s creation? In any case, the subject of the exhibit, whatever it may be, becomes impeccably relevant and indelibly memorable for the visitor.
Ultimately, we see the museum as a versatile destination with multiple uses. A sort of contemporary salon: a place where people can dine, sip coffee, read, share ideas, research, create. With a lush coffee shop or café at its core (that is interwoven with, not isolated from the exhibits), this new museum would become a hang-out, a social and ideological gathering place, with a library, a theater, even a creative laboratory with accessible studios and workshops.
During our discussion, one of my colleagues blurted, “My God we’re inventing college!” Indeed, like a college campus, this museum provides a safe haven for open discussion, exploration, invention and research, but this place would be available to students of every age, not just college kids.
OUT OF THE BOX
As we continued to explore these “what ifs,” we almost simultaneously realized that we had yet to really smash the old museum model. We may have shaken up the contents of the box, but we hadn’t yet taken them out of it. All of these previous notions assume that the museum is a separate institution located off the beaten path in its own separate and self-contained building.
But why must the museum insist we go to it? Instead, what if the museum board thinks more like a retail developer: find a way to bring the museum to where the people already are?
There is no good reason for museums to assume the additional effort and expense to physically add restaurants, workshops, libraries and theaters to create a social hub, when these destinations already exist and are thriving. In the latter half of the 20th Century, Main Street gave way to the suburban shopping mall. Ironically, in the 21st century, the mall is ceding to the lifestyle center: destinations where shopping and entertainment (complete with green spaces, rides and multi-use concert venues) commingle to create a bustling place to see and be seen. These regional neighborhoods, with their residential condominiums and apartments hovering above retail stores, movies, restaurants, even bowling alleys, have become America’s new Main Streets.
Museums exhibits would fit in this place as naturally as Starbucks. These smaller, satellite locations could either stand alone or work in support of a museum’s flagship institution. The museum would provide the brand for a franchise, not of stores, but of exhibit galleries through which the museum’s artifacts and programs would rotate. By inserting itself in a residential address that also happens to be a thriving commercial hub, the museum becomes an integral part of the neighborhood, where a visit to the gallery is as daily a routine as a grande latte.
In this location, guests are not captives in the museum. With their membership or paid admission, they can enter and exit as often as they like during the day. They can browse the galleries at their leisure, in digestible chunks, and then take a break and discuss the content over a meal at an adjacent restaurant, bistro, or coffee house, where still other exhibits are on display.
The museum also has the opportunity to extend beyond the gallery walls and provide a thematic overlay to the lifestyle center. Exhibits could become interwoven into the landscape and signage of the entire plaza, providing content while drawing guests to the facility at the same time.
Museums used to be the exclusive domain of the IMAX theater, but not any more. More and more studios are releasing large format versions of their films (now in digital 3D!) and the IMAX experience is quickly becoming de gigeuer at the local multiplex. Rather than compete with the studios, the IMAX could become a shared resource, showing the museum’s short subjects during the day and early evening before transitioning to the feature films later on.
What museum staffs cannot forget, whether they like it or not, is that museum admissions are, in the eyes of the guest, entertainment dollars. The money they pull from their pocket to pay the entry fee comes out of an ever-dwindling discretionary budget, and though that entertainment dollar is limited, entertainment options are anything but. Never mind the lofty mission goals and educational standards; today’s museum is competing directly with movies, theme parks, corporate brand experiences (i.e. The World of Coke, M&M’s World, etc), nightclubs, and restaurants for a tiny share of that
precious entertainment dollar. Rather than compete against these other offerings, we see museums collaborating with, intermingling among, and even perhaps, branding them.
In these challenging economic times, when endowments are dwindling and promised contributions shrink or disappear entirely, the museum must begin to focus on the sure revenue stream: admissions. True, most museums generate less than 25% of their revenue from ticket sales, and the average visitor spends less than $1.00 on retail and food and beverages, but these are past statistics, not rules. Why not open a restaurant within the museum walls? Why not build a gallery smack in the middle of a retail hub? Why not aggressively pursue the visitor’s entertainment dollar? This doesn’t mean turning away from the institutions goals, but it does require creativity to find a way to achieve the mission within a new business plan, one that focuses on the desires and interests of the guest, and that means understanding, responding to, and delivering on their expectations.
Thinkwell Group Celebrates Sesame Street Presents: The Body Exhibit's 2 Million Visitors After A Successful 10-Year Run
After 2 million visitors, 22 cities, and a 5-year extension, Sesame Street Presents: The Body ends its North American tour
LOS ANGELES, CA (October 13, 2015) — Thinkwell Group, a global experience design and production agency specializing in the creation of theme parks, major attractions, live events, and museum exhibits around the world, today announced that two million guests have visited its touring exhibit, Sesame Street Presents: The Body. Originally planned for a 5-year tour, the exhibit, which is owned, operated, and designed by Thinkwell Group, extended its run for an additional five years due to its popularity and finally closed on September 7th after a successful ten-year run.
“We are thrilled to have spent the last decade in partnership with Thinkwell to bring unique and engaging health lessons about the body to kids and families through Sesame Street Presents: The Body,” says Scott Chambers, SVP and GM of North American Media and Licensing, Sesame Workshop. “This exhibit naturally complimented our ongoing Healthy Habits For Life curriculum and could not have been a more perfect outlet for Sesame Workshop to deliver upon its mission to help all children grow smarter, stronger and kinder.”
The exhibit, which premiered on May 14, 2005 at the Arizona Science Center, traveled over 42,000 miles to 22 venues in the U.S. and Canada over the course of ten years. With three to six month residencies at host museums, the exhibit has educated two million visitors with fun interactives, engaging content, and over 250 appearances by Elmo. The exhibit was in such high demand that it even returned to some museums for a second stint, including to the Bishop Museum in Honolulu, HI and the Discovery Science Center in Santa Ana, CA.
Created in partnership with Sesame Workshop, the exhibit launched as a result of Sesame’s Healthy Habits for Life initiative, which was established in response to the childhood obesity crisis in the United States. The interactive exhibit aimed to educate children about the human body in a series of fun and hands-on activities in three zones: Your Outsides, Your Insides, and Staying Healthy. Families were guided through the exhibit by Elmo, Grover, The Count, and many of the other lovable Muppets as they were taught about the benefits of maintaining a healthy lifestyle beginning at an early age. Because the exhibit offered a unique learning opportunity that included a variety of interactive, multimedia experiences in a recognizable setting, children were encouraged to investigate, explore, and experiment in fun and exciting environments related to the human body.
“Our ten-year partnership with Sesame Workshop was a wonderful experience for us and the many museums that have hosted Sesame Street Presents: The Body. All of us at Thinkwell are incredibly proud to have been part of such a successful exhibit that contributed to the education, engagement, and joy of millions of visitors,” says Joe Zenas, CEO of Thinkwell. After delighting audiences across the continent, the exhibit made its way home to Los Angeles after its final day in Fort Lauderdale.
About Sesame Workshop
Sesame Workshop is the nonprofit educational organization behind Sesame Street, which reaches 156 million children across more than 150 countries. The Workshop’s mission is to help kids grow smarter, stronger and kinder. Delivered through a variety of platforms, including television programs, digital experiences, books and community engagement, its research-based programs are tailored to the needs of the communities and countries they serve. For more information, visit us at http://www.sesameworkshop.org.
About Thinkwell Group
Founded in 2001, Thinkwell is a global experience design and production agency specializing in the creation and master planning of theme parks, destination resorts, major branded and intellectual property attractions, events & spectaculars, museums & exhibits, expos and live shows around the world. The award-winning company has become a leader in experiential design by bringing a unique holistic approach to every creative engagement, delivering extraordinary results to notable clients over the years, including Fortune 500 companies, movie studios, museums, theme parks and destination resorts. For more information visit: www.thinkwell.staging.work.
Media Contact:
Andrea Yoo
[email protected]
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Thinkwell Group Appoints Two New Senior Level Executives For Thinkwell Asia
Thinkwell Asia fills key roles as demand for company’s services grows throughout Asia
LOS ANGELES, CA (October 6, 2015) — Thinkwell Group, a global experience design and production agency specializing in the creation of theme parks, major attractions, live events, and museum exhibits around the world, has announced the appointment of Evi Sari as Managing Art Director and Yan Yan as Director of Business Development for Thinkwell Asia. Both women will be working out of Thinkwell’s offices in Beijing, China.
A native of Beijing, Yan brings over 15 years of experience in the entertainment and media industries. Prior to joining Thinkwell, Yan worked as a producer for Reuters TV, a project manager for Getty Images during the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, and as a group syndication manager for Condé Nast China. Additionally, Yan has extensive experience working in business development with major global brands Sony Music, Warner Music, Skype, and Universal Music. As the director of business development for Thinkwell Asia, Yan is primarily responsible for sourcing and reviewing new business opportunities, retaining and developing existing client relationships, and executing long-term strategic plans for Thinkwell Asia.
Born in Indonesia and raised in Singapore, Sari brings over 10 years of experience and contacts in China working in the entertainment and creative sectors. Prior to joining Thinkwell, Sari served as creative development director for Tim Yip Studio, the Beijing-based company founded by the Oscar-winning production designer of “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” directed by Ang Lee. At Tim Yip Studio, Sari worked on projects such as “Red Cliff,” a John Woo and China Film Group production, “The Banquet” produced by Huayi Bros, The Weinstein Company and Netflix series “Marco Polo,” the Kennedy Center’s Festival of China, and The Han Show by Franco Dragone and the Wanda Group. As managing art director, Sari will be responsible for liaising between Thinkwell’s U.S.-based art directors, the China-based design teams and clients in Asia, to manage talent, mentor designers, and support business development.
As Thinkwell Asia continues its rapid growth, filling key roles within the organization has become a top priority for the company. “Building a design studio in Beijing to mirror our studio in Los Angeles is no small task, but the talent we are finding here in China is quickly solidifying our ability to continue the amazing work we do in the location based entertainment industry,” says Kelly Ryner, President of Thinkwell Asia. “Our team in China is an extension of our U.S. operations, providing our clients just the right balance of Eastern and Western creativity and business sense.” By adding these two significant appointments, Thinkwell Asia boasts an experienced management team that can help drive the organization’s efforts in Asia.
Thinkwell has worked in Asia for many years in the theme park and resort sectors helping major studios, casino owners, and Fortune 500 companies to expand their brand and intellectual properties overseas. Recent projects in China have seen Thinkwell partnering in the strategy, creation, and development of new intellectual properties and projects for heritage attractions, educational experiences, theme parks and resorts with real estate developers like Zhonghong Group, Eontime, Le Song, Legend Tourism, and Huayi Brothers Studios.
About Thinkwell Group
Founded in 2001, Thinkwell is a global experience design and production agency specializing in the creation and master planning of theme parks, destination resorts, major branded and intellectual property attractions, events & spectaculars, museums & exhibits, expos and live shows around the world. The award-winning company has become a leader in experiential design by bringing a unique holistic approach to every creative engagement, delivering extraordinary results to notable clients over the years, including Fortune 500 companies, movie studios, museums, theme parks and destination resorts. For more information visit: www.thinkwell.staging.work
Media Contact:
Andrea Yoo
[email protected]
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Thinkwell Group Designs and Produces New Interactive Studio Attraction for Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood
Thinkwell Group, in collaboration with Warner Bros, designed and produced a new attraction called Stage 48: Script to Screen, which houses original experiences, displays, and interactives
LOS ANGELES, CALIF. (August 5, 2015) — Thinkwell Group, a global experience design and production agency specializing in the creation of theme parks, major attractions, live events, and museum exhibits around the world, today announced its role in designing and producing a new addition to the Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood. The 25,000-square-foot facility, called Stage 48: Script to Screen, is featured as the finale of the backlot tour and is the culmination of a two-year project that takes visitors behind the scenes of how movies and TV shows are made.
The immersive attraction provides visitors with a hands-on introduction to the world of filmmaking and includes interactive features and exhibits that highlight the phases of the production process, from screenwriting and set design to visual effects and post-production. Visitors will not only be able to see authentic costumes, sets, and models from films like The Dark Knight, Corpse Bride, and Sweeny Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, they’ll also be able to interact with various elements that explore and explain the production process from start to finish.
“It has been a real privilege to collaborate with the Warner Bros. family to make Stage 48: Script to Screen a reality. This was a top-down effort, with an amazing amount of participation and attention from the Studio Executives, Heads of Departments, and the Archive team. The Warner Bros. tour has been providing its visitors with an unparalleled experience inside one of Hollywood’s most storied studios, and Stage 48 is a wonderful finale and a clear demonstration of the studio’s commitment to their guests,” says Chris Durmick, Thinkwell Creative Director for Stage 48.
Visitors are welcomed to the new attraction by Ellen DeGeneres in an introductory video after which they are able to walk through a series of displays that show the various stages of pre-production. From script writing to casting, visitors can view re-creations of what a screenwriter’s desk would look like, try casting a film at an interactive touch table, and see actual scaled models of film set pieces and costumes created by design departments. Visitors can also design their own Batmobile on an interactive design station as well as outfit computer-generated models in costumes from The Great Gatsby or Camelot.
Visitors then walk through to the production area which houses the original Central Perk Café set from Friends, where visitors can act out a scene on the famous couch, get behind the camera, or be a member of the studio audience. This area also includes the space capsule used in the film Gravity.
In the post-production area, visitors can see how special effects, sound design, and editing complete the Hollywood magic. Visitors can experience green screen technology and ride a Batpod through the streets of Gotham, act as Dobby from the Harry Potter films using motion capture technology, or portray a larger-than-life Gandalf from The Hobbit at a forced perspective table.
At the end of the exhibit, visitors can experience the history of Warner Bros. in the Legacy Room, which includes some of Jack Warner’s personal effects and features a collection of Oscars® and Emmys® the studio has received in its almost 100-year history. There is also an almost 180-degree projection screen that shows a compilation of clips from award-winning movies like Casablanca, Driving Miss Daisy, to television programs like The Waltons, and Roots. Opened on July 16th, Stage 48: Script to Screen includes a new Central Perk Café and a retail store and is the finale to the existing studio tour that will allow visitors to go even further behind the scenes of the television and film world to get a true insider’s view into the workings of actual Hollywood productions.
About Thinkwell Group
Founded in 2001, Thinkwell is a global design and production agency that connects companies with custom content-driven experiences in the physical world. The agency headquartered in Los Angeles with offices in Beijing and Abu Dhabi collaborates with its clients to envision, strategize, and create immersive, one-of-a-kind guest experiences. Thinkwell specializes in the creation of theme parks, resorts, museums, exhibits, location-based entertainment, live performances and events around the world. The award-winning company has become a leader in experiential design by bringing a unique holistic approach to every creative engagement, delivering extraordinary results to notable clients over the years, including Fortune 500 companies, film studios, museums, theme parks and destination resorts. For more information visit: www.thinkwell.staging.work
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Download a PDF of the press release here.
Thinkwell Announces its New Los Angeles Location!
Thinkwell has enjoyed sustained growth over the years while maintaining its client-centric focus and high quality services. As part of our ongoing expansion and evolution, Thinkwell is proud to announce the launch of our new company identity, a new website launch, and a new office space for our international headquarters located in Los Angeles. Our new address is 2710 Media Center Drive, Los Angeles, California, 90065. We can’t wait for your first visit!
The Hunger Games: The Exhibition Sets Global Rollout Schedule
SANTA MONICA, Calif. and VANCOUVER, British Columbia, June 29, 2015 /PRNewswire/– Lionsgate’s (NYSE: LGF) The Hunger Games: The Exhibition is set to kick off its global tour this week with a six-month run at Discovery Times Square in New York City starting July 1, and the Company today announced the second stop has already been set for February 2016 at the Innovation Hangar at San Francisco’s historic Palace of Fine Arts Exhibition Hall. The one-of-a-kind 12,000-square-foot exhibit includes costumes, props, photography, interactive experiences, set recreations and a retail store. Fan excitement for the global tour has been underscored by strong advance ticket sales which have outperformed any other film-based exhibit at Discovery Times Square.
Courtesy of Lionsgate.
The Hunger Games: The Exhibition offers fans a dynamic experience with immersive environments and interactive areas reflecting the collaborative efforts of state-of-the-art partners, including audio-visual creator Electrosonic; fabricator MC2; provider of audio, multimedia, and mobile experience presentation systems Acoustiguide; leading operator of cultural attraction stores Event Network; and image capture partner Picsolve. As previously announced, Lionsgate created the exhibition in close collaboration with Thinkwell Group and is producing it in partnership with Imagine Exhibitions.
“Sales for The Hunger Games: The Exhibition have been robust with advance purchases outpacing any other film-based exhibition in the history of our venue,” said James Sanna, President of Discovery Times Square. “We’re thrilled to have been chosen as the host venue for the exhibit’s premiere.”
“This is an exciting and dynamic initiative growing our biggest global franchise and enabling fans to become even more engaged in the world of The Hunger Games,” said Tim Palen, Lionsgate Chief Brand Officer and President of Worldwide Marketing. “We’ve partnered with the leading companies in the event, exhibition and attractions space to create an unforgettable experience that fans will love as part of our plan to extend our Lionsgate brands beyond the big screen and into location-based entertainment around the world.”
“We are delighted that San Francisco is the next stop on The Hunger Games: The Exhibition world tour, as it underscores our city’s reputation for hosting engaging cultural events,” said Dan Shine, Curator of the Innovation Hangar. “This immersive, entertaining and educational experience is the perfect fit for the types of events we like to provide our visitors.”
The Hunger Games: The Exhibition invites visitors to step inside and explore the world of Panem as created by The Hunger Games films that have already grossed more than $2.3 billion at the global box office. Hundreds of authentic costumes and props, high-tech and hands-on interactives, and detailed set recreations reveal the amazing artistry and technology that brought these incredible books to life. Visitors will follow Katniss Everdeen’s inspirational journey, from her humble beginnings in District 12 to her emergence as the Mockingjay, sparking curiosity and excitement. The exhibit will feature seven galleries, including District 12, Tribute Train, The Capitol, Making the Games, District 13, Fan Gallery, and Katniss’s Journey.
Highlights include iconic costumes from the films, such as the Girl on Fire dress, the Mockingjay dress and the Mockingjay armor; key artifacts, including the Mockingjay pin, Cinna’s sketchbook and Katniss’s bow; and interactives, including an explorable map of Panem, game maker’s control table and a stunt choreography interactive.
Lionsgate partnered with a broad range of cutting edge technology, multimedia, retail and event leaders to create the one-of-a-kind fan experience. Electrosonic has designed, supplied, and integrated the AV system, including projection, audio, video and show control. MC2, a leader in the exhibit and event marketing industry, provided full-service custom fabrication and graphic design and production. Acoustiguide created a custom and interactive multimedia mobile application that triggers location-based features via beacon devices, which can be downloaded via the App Store and Google Play.
Event Network created all new merchandise available exclusively at the exhibition retail shop, with select items available online on the exhibition’s website. Picsolve, the leading image capture partner for the leisure and entertainment industry, offers four unique photography moments that place guests in iconic franchise environments. They also created a multi-angle video opportunity that allows guests to step into a Chariot for a behind-the-scenes, movie-making experience.
Next year Lionsgate will launch The Hunger Games StageAround live theatrical experience at a specially-constructed 1,200-seat theatre near Wembley Stadium in England and provide one of the centerpieces of the Motiongate theme park in Dubai with Hunger Games branded attractions and a live stage show based on the two most recent films in the Step Up franchise as the Company continues to roll out location-based entertainment around the world. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 launches in theatres worldwide on November 20th.
About the NY Exhibit
The exhibition will run at Discovery Times Square through January 3, 2016 and will then embark on a global tour. Individual tickets can be purchased at The Hunger Games Exhibit website. For information on purchasing group tickets for ten or more, for the New York engagement, please call 855-266-5387 or visit discoverytsx.com.
For more information on the exhibition, visit www.thehungergamesexhibition.com or future hosting/booking opportunities visit www.imagineexhibitions.com.
About Lionsgate
Lionsgate is a premier next generation global content leader with a strong and diversified presence in motion picture production and distribution, television programming and syndication, home entertainment, digital distribution, new channel platforms, video games and international distribution and sales. Lionsgate currently has more than 30 television shows on over 20 different networks spanning its primetime production, distribution and syndication businesses, including such critically-acclaimed hits as the multiple Emmy Award-winning Mad Men and Nurse Jackie, the broadcast network series Nashville, the syndication success The Wendy Williams Show, the critically-acclaimed hit series Orange is the New Black and the breakout series The Royals.
Its feature film business has been fueled by such recent successes as the blockbuster first three installments of The Hunger Games franchise, the first two installments of the Divergent franchise, The Age of Adaline, CBS/Lionsgate’s The DUFF, John Wick, Now You See Me, Roadside Attractions’ A Most Wanted Man, Lionsgate/Codeblack Films’ Addicted and Pantelion Films’ Instructions Not Included, the highest-grossing Spanish-language film ever released in the U.S.
Lionsgate’s home entertainment business is an industry leader in box office-to-DVD and box office-to-VOD revenue conversion rates. Lionsgate handles a prestigious and prolific library of approximately 16,000 motion picture and television titles that is an important source of recurring revenue and serves as the foundation for the growth of the Company’s core businesses. The Lionsgate and Summit brands remain synonymous with original, daring, quality entertainment in markets around the world. www.lionsgate.com
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Lionsgate
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SOURCE Lionsgate
Read a PDF of the Lionsgate press release here.