Universal Destinations & Experiences Chief Mark Woodbury Appoints Two Execs As Creativity Takes Over Division

Universal Destinations & Experiences’ Chief Mark Woodbury has announced the promotion of two key executives as the division continues its trend of ongoing creativity and innovation.   What’s Happening: Recently, Universal announced the rebranding of their parks and resorts division into the newly named Universal Destinations & Experiences. Today, Destinations’ Chairman-CEO Mark Woodbury released a […]

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Celebrate Mom this Spring with shopDisney’s Mother’s Day Gift Guide

Spring is here and that means it’ll soon be time to celebrate Mom for the wonderful woman that she is. While there are many ways to show your appreciation, if she’s a Disney fan, you can treat her to some beautiful and thoughtful gifts from shopDisney!   (Please note this article contains affiliate links. Your […]

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VIDEO: Captain Minnie Debuts New Adventure-Themed Outfit for Disney Treasure Cruise Ship

Captain Minnie revealed a new adventure-themed outfit that she will be wearing exclusively on the Disney Treasure, a new Disney Cruise Line ship setting sail next year.

minnie disney treasure adventure outfit

The new outfit includes a blue jacket, red and white polka-dot ascot, a safari hat, and khaki pants.

The video is the first in what will apparently be a series of promotional videos. It shows Minnie receiving a treasure map from an officer of the Disney Wish before she heads to her dressing room to change.

Minnie was promoted to captain for the launch of the Disney Wish and was the first character other than Mickey to be featured on a Disney Cruise Line ship’s bow.

The adventure-themed Disney Treasure is scheduled to set sail in 2024. Its atrium statue will feature Aladdin and Jasmine riding the Magic Carpet.

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Interview with the Stars of “Prom Pact” and Season 2 of “Doogie Kameāloha, M.D.” from the “Prom Pact” Pink Carpet Premiere

The stars of Prom Pact attended a bubblegum pink Hollywood premiere on March 24th, including Peyton Elizabeth Lee and Milo Manheim, who first met at a Disney prom event for teenage stars of Disney shows. Laughing Place was on the carpet and got to speak with many members of the cast of the new film, which […]

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Universal Destinations & Experiences Promotes Brian Robinson & Eric Parr

Brian Robinson and Eric Parr have been promoted at Universal Destinations & Experiences (previously Universal Parks & Resorts), chairman-CEO Mark Woodbury announced in a memo to staff today.

universal destinations and experiences logo

Robinson has been appointed to the role of EVP, Chief Creative Officer. He is currently EVP, Brand Strategy & Creative at Universal Products & Experiences. Robinson will move to Florida this year for his new position.

Parr has been promoted to SVP, Creative Studio from VP of Creative, reporting directly to Robinson.

Woodbury wrote, “We have an exciting future with a powerful aspiration reflected in our new name, our phenomenal product, a differentiated brand purpose and an extraordinarily talented team. I’m confident with where we are going as a company and in Brian and Eric’s ability to take the Creative Studio and its culture to new heights.”

He stated he will announce other key appointments soon.

Read the full memo below.

Dear Team Members,

This is an exciting time for Universal Creative as they continue to innovate the most compelling attractions imaginable and develop new, exciting and immersive ways to bring our brand to life for our existing fans and for new audiences around the world. Their work is key in helping us pursue our bold ambition for Universal Destinations & Experiences.

As we look to the future, we have been thoughtful about Universal Creative’s next chapter. One that cultivates creative talent, enhances a culture of inclusive collaboration, and takes our rich portfolio of franchises and unique brand of storytelling to new heights. A place where individual effort is respected, recognized and rewarded, and the team is empowered to reach its highest potential.

I am pleased to share the following Universal Creative leadership roles.

Brian Robinson is appointed to the role of EVP, Chief Creative Officer. He will lead the Creative Studio, inclusive of ATI (Advanced Technology Initiatives), Media, Architecture and Planning, and Attraction Development. He will be responsible for setting priorities and inspiring the creative vision for the team and for leading cross-functional collaboration within Universal Creative. He will also work closely with UDX Marketing and Insights in developing product execution strategies moving forward. Brian is a creative force, a true collaborator and a dynamic leader who excels at building inclusive and innovative cultures. He will contribute to the brand strategy for UDX and help strengthen alignment across our divisions and functions.

In his current role as EVP, Brand Strategy & Creative at Universal Products & Experiences (UP&E), Brian has led some of entertainment’s most recognized franchises through physical and digital product innovation, resulting in numerous industry awards and record performance. He serves in an important role as a key interface with Universal Pictures and other NBCU divisions, and also built a powerhouse creative team at UP&E. Prior to joining Universal, he activated compelling franchises in visionary ways at DreamWorks Animation and was a key leader in the groundbreaking brand transformation at Target. Brian will continue his work at Universal Products & Experiences as we transition his responsibilities with a planned move to Orlando later this year.

Eric Parr is promoted to SVP, Creative Studio, reporting to Brian Robinson. In this new position, Eric will take on an expanded role leading creative design on new attractions, destinations and experiences worldwide. He will bring his rich creative and technical background to the attraction development process on multiple new platforms. Working in partnership with Brian, and in close collaboration with other Creative Studio functions, he and his team will shape and define the next generation of Universal branded experiences.

Parr was VP of Creative.

During his 25+ years of creative leadership, he has been instrumental in the development of some of the industry’s most iconic experiences and many of our award-winning attractions. Prior to joining Universal Creative, Eric reimagined museums and exhibitions, most notably the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, and helped them become world-renowned venues. As a trained architect and holder of many patents, Eric is recognized for his expertise in bringing creative projects to life that result in groundbreaking guest experiences. 

We have an exciting future with a powerful aspiration reflected in our new name, our phenomenal product, a differentiated brand purpose and an extraordinarily talented team. I’m confident with where we are going as a company and in Brian and Eric’s ability to take the Creative Studio and its culture to new heights.

I look forward to announcing other key appointments soon.

Please join me in congratulating these leaders on their new roles!

Mark Woodbury

For more Universal Studios news from around the world, follow Universal Parks News Today on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. For Disney Parks news, visit WDWNT.

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Star Wars Actor Ahmed Best Shares Special Message to Fans

Star Wars actor Ahmed Best shared a special message for the fans after his appearance in The Mandalorian last week. In last week’s episode of The Mandalorian, Best reprised his role of Kelleren Beq, a role he originated for a YouTube game show called Star Wars: Jedi Temple Challenge. Beq arrived in a flashback sequence to explain […]

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Disney Eliminates Metaverse Division in New Restructure

News from the Wall Street Journal overnight reports that Disney has scrapped their entire Metaverse division in the latest round of cost-cutting measures. The move is part of a broader plan to improve The Walt Disney Company’s profitability by reducing employment. The division is said to have held around 50 jobs that handled metaverse, a concept still misunderstood by many.

The mysterious division was created in 2022 by former CEO Bob Chapek after Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg made waves by announcing a bold new focus on ‘the metaverse’ while also pivoting his company branding to Meta. Chapek, who tagged the expansion as the “next generation storytelling,” was committed to the new technology combining the physical and digital worlds, best explained by Forbes in 2022 as “immersive, experiential online environments ripe with potential for magic and storytelling.” Sound vague? It is, but seeing as the concept never entirely made it off the ground, there isn’t a better way to put it.

The dismissal, which does not include team leader Mike White who will stay with the Disney company, is only the beginning of a new restructuring that is set to continue through the coming weeks.

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