TEA, the professional association representing the leading creators of compelling places and experiences worldwide (a group comprised of more than 450 firms in 36 different countries), is scheduled to announce the appointment of Craig Hanna, chief creative officer of Thinkwell Design & Production, to president of its International Board at the TEA Members Meeting, November 17, 2005.
The announcement ceremony will take place at IAAPA Attractions Expo in Atlanta and herald the beginning of a term during which Hanna will provide leadership to his industry colleagues and serve as TEA spokesman.
A filmmaker, writer, and storyteller with nearly 20 years expertise in the creation of compelling experiences and environments for companies such as Coca-Cola, Motorola, Disney, Anheuser-Busch, and Universal Studios in more than a dozen countries around the world, Craig Hanna is behind some of the best known entertainment experiences. Among the highlights of his career accomplishments are the award-winning "Men in Black: Alien Attack" ride at Universal Studios Florida-the world's first interactive ride with multiple endings; "Templo del Fuego" at Port Aventura in Spain¬--an "extreme attraction" that received a Thea Award for "Best Attraction" in 2003; "Sea Odyssey," also in Europe, which was billed by the international press as "the most technologically advanced underwater simulation experience in the world." He is the co-inventor of three entertainment technology patents and an honored member of the Wired magazine "Brain Trust."
"As the outgoing president of the TEA International Board, I have every confidence that Craig Hanna will bring all the force of his leadership skills as well as his abundant creativity to the task of representing the organization," says Patrick Gallegos, president of Gallegos Lighting Design and the current president of TEA. "Craig's selection by his peers on the International Board to be the name and public face of the TEA reflects their respect for his ability in representing our dynamic industry."
Currently, Hanna serves as both principal and chief creative officer of Thinkwell Design & Production, where he directs and oversees the creative development of each project. A highly regarded firm specializing in the turnkey conception, design and production of experience-based attractions, exhibits, live shows and environments, Thinkwell's clientele is comprised of international theme parks, museums, sports teams, Fortune 500 companies and destination resorts including Dreamworks SKG, The Gordon Group, Nike, Paramount Parks, Sesame Workshop, Shedd Aquarium and Universal Studios.
"As a longtime member and board member of TEA, I am honored to be selected to serve as the organization's president," says Craig Hanna. "I look forward to representing the interests of this extremely talented group of companies and individuals and doing all I can to facilitate creative collaborations between my industry colleagues and the companies and public audiences for which they produce their inspiring work."
In addition to Hanna's current role at Thinkwell Design and Production, his prolific career in the creation of virtual environments and entertainment and leisure projects around the world includes executive-level creative positions at Universal Studios, The Jack Morton Company's Themed Entertainment Group, Iwerks Entertainment, and Ride & Show Engineering.
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