Park People
parkworld-online.com
A life in storytelling
Phil Hettema, president and creative executive at The Hettema Group, was recently announced as the winner of the Themed Entertainment Association’s prestigious Buzz Price Thea Award for 2018, recognizing a lifetime of distinguished achievements. Editor Bryony Andrews spoke with him about his background at Disney and Universal, the formation of The Hettema Group, and the highlights of a 40-year career in experiential design
How did your connection to theme parks begin? Part of my childhood was an annual trip to Disneyland in California. This led to a part time job. I worked in the costume department - I knew nothing at all but was exposed to a lot of great opportunities. I spent eight years on the live entertainment side working in the costume department for parades and shows. I realised it was an exciting industry and where I wanted to be, so I quit and went back to design school [ArtCenter College of Design] to gain some skills in related services.
What were the highlights of your early career? The opening and closing ceremonies for the 1984 Summer Olympics in LA. It was a fantastic opportunity to be part of something amazing. We were on a tight budget, and no one was expecting much, but it ended up being amazing. Also working in New York on the Statue of Liberty centennial celebration, and several other live events – such as the 350th anniversary of Harvard University in 1986.
Universal Creative
In 1987, Phil joined Universal Parks & Resorts as part of a team that would later become Universal Creative. His most memorable projects, as told to Park World, were:
Miami Vice Action Spectacular, 1987. Halfway through development, the theme changed from Rambo to Miami Vice - the team still managed to open on time. (Pictured on page 33)
Terminator 2: 3D, 1996. A show in which live performers interact with a 3-D film and other in theatre special effects.
The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man, 1999. A thrilling motion-based 3D dark ride located at the Islands of Adventure theme park in Orlando.
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Can you tell me about the formation of The Hettema Group? I loved my time at Universal, but it had been sold to corporate partners which meant constant reshuffling and starting over with the new management. It was time to try something different. I didn’t plan to start a company, it just
The High Roller Observation Wheel, Las Vegas
happened – I got a call from the King of Jordan to work on an 80-acre project in Aqaba, and so I assembled a team, and this was the beginning of The Hettema Group. We bought one-way tickets. I got to travel and understand the culture of the Middle East – it was complete cultural immersion. We added culture and storytelling to just about every aspect of the project. This has become basic to the DNA of the Hettema Group: we love projects that take the cultural to create a one-of-a-kind attraction.
What are the key trends in guest experience currently? There is a lot of hype about virtual and augmented reality. Our view is that VR will remain a tool, but not a fundamental part of guest experience. We shouldn’t use new technology ‘just because’ - you need to identify the experience, then use the technology, not the other way around. The purpose of guest experiences is fundamentally to create memories and build relationships, these are things we do together with friends and family. The [VR] headsets can be too cumbersome for this. We are in an increasingly digital age, which can be isolating - we are hungry for experiences that we can physically share with other people.
Continued on page 33
MARCH 2018
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