Get out your exclamation points. Just announced is the birth of WOW! Works (SM), a new entertainment technology company, based in Clermont, FL. And it's not your everyday, run-of-the-mill entertainment technology company either. It is billed as "a diversified, all-encompassing special effects design, implementation, and management services company dedicated to the complete transformation of a creative vision into a tangible 'WOW' for its audience and clients. This transformation process includes consultation, conceptual design, continuity, and delivery of boundary-breaking effects."
And superlatives may be justified because WOW! is the brainchild of two very notable industry players, Bettina Buckley and Tyler Wymer, both of whom have long histories with the Walt Disney Organization. Buckley, WOW!'s chief effects orchestrator, produced four Super Bowl Half Time Shows for Walt Disney Entertainment and the opening events for three Disney parks, including Disneyland Paris. She was also heavily involved in the launch of Walt Disney Theatrical Productions with Beauty and the Best, and helped build the Walt Disney Entertainment division's first-ever planning and development department.
Wymer, the company's chief effects artists, was for over 20 years a designer and design director for The Walt Disney's Company's only live special effects group. Among his design credits are five Super Bowl Half Time Shows for Disney, the Fantasmic! Spectacle at Disneyland and Walt Disney World, the grand opening dedications of Epcot and Disney-MGM Studios, and opening festivities in New York for the films The Lion King and The Hunchback of Notre Dame at Radio City Music Hall, and Hercules at the New Amsterdam Theatre. He also worked in Italy on the show facilities and show designs for the Disney Magic and the Disney Wonder cruise ships.
Speaking of the launch, Buckley said, "We are so excited about the possibilities that will come from sharing our extensive entertainment and special effects experience with other industry professionals around the world. We bring special effects to a higher and more effective creative level by utilizing existing techniques in a unique way and by developing new products to deliver the creative vision." Wymer added, "There's more involved with special effects than just technical know-how. Our focus is on delivering strategic, never-been-done effects in a professional and innovative way that moves the audience, delivers the message, and creates moments that transcend cultures and form lasting impressions.
WOW! Works, which is subtitled "A Buckley/Wymer Company," is located at 1239 Commons Court, in Clermont. The phone is 352/243.2124. Fax is 352/243.2571. Email the company at [email protected].