Thinkwell Group
Thinkwell Group is an experience design and production agency that was founded in 2001 with headquarters in Los Angeles, California.[1] It specializes 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. Since 2006, the firm has gone from approximately 35 employees to approximately 180.[2][3] Thinkwell was named "Most Honored Theme Park Design Company" at the 2013 Theme Park and Attractions Summit & Awards in Beijing.[4]
Private company | |
Industry | Experience design |
Founded | 2001 |
Headquarters | Los Angeles, California , U.S. |
Key people |
|
Number of employees | Approx. 201 (2019) |
Website | thinkwellgroup |
Work
Some of the firm's projects include Warner Bros. Studio Tour London: The Making of Harry Potter,[5] Leavesden; Ski Dubai, an indoor ski resort in the Mall of the Emirates; NatureQuest, at Atlanta's Fernbank Museum of Natural History; the Wizarding World of Harry Potter Grand Opening Event for The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Parks and Resorts' Islands of Adventure theme park in Orlando, Florida;[6] and Jurassic Park Institute Tour, a 50,000-square-foot traveling educational attraction based on the movie Jurassic Park.[7]
In China, the firm has produced inEontime World, a massive indoor theme park, and SongSong Town, an "activity park" inside LeSong Plaza, both in Harbin,[8] and Warner Bros. Fun Zon in Macau, opened in October 2015 a hotel and casino mega-resort, Studio Cit. The firm has designed Monkey Kingdom (Beijing), based on the 16th century Journey to the West Chinese folk tale,[9][10] and Jurassic Dream, an indoor theme park in the Heilongjiang Province.[11][12]
In 2015 the firm opened the first major expansion to the Warner Bros. Studio Tour London: The Making of Harry Potter, which includes a recreation of Platform 9 3/4 and the original Hogwarts Express train. Also for Warner Bros., the firm designed and produced the interactive attraction, Stage 48: Script to Screen at the Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood. The firm also opened two museum projects, Aquanaut Adventure: A Discovery Zone at the Georgia Aquarium and the Worlds of Puppetry Museum at the Center for Puppetry Arts, the Fast & Furious: Supercharged attraction at Universal Studios Hollywood, and The Hunger Games: The Exhibition, a traveling exhibition created in partnership with Lionsgate based on The Hunger Games movie and book franchise.[13]
The firm was contracted by Expo 2020 Dubai as content master planners and designers.[14]
References
- "How do you create the unforgettable? Being able to direct an army of experts sure helps". Entrepreneur. 1 October 2007.
- "Playing With New Themes". Los Angeles Times. 12 April 2006.
- "An Interview with the Industry's Shapeshifters". Entertainment Designer. 29 April 2013.
- "Thinkwell named "Most Honored Theme Park Design Company" at Beijing Summit". ThemeParkPost. Retrieved 7 November 2013.
- MacDonald, Brady (21 March 2012). "'Harry Potter' movie studio tour opens outside London". Los Angeles Times.
- "Universal Orlando's celebrity opening ceremony for The Wizarding World of Harry Potter". Theme Park Insider. 16 June 2010.
- "Designing theme park rides: An $8M business". Fortune. 18 May 2007.
- admin. "SongSong Town – the FEC that made a shopping mall sing: Park World Online – Theme Park, Amusement Park and Attractions Industry News". www.parkworld-online.com. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
- MacDonald, Brady (7 July 2011). "Monkey Kingdom theme park set to open in China in 2014". Los Angeles Times.
- Pierson, David (19 June 2011). "Theme park designers draw steady work in Asia". Los Angeles Times.
- MacDonald, Brady (2 June 2012). "Dinosaur-centric indoor theme park set to debut in China". Los Angeles Times.
- Ungerleider, Neal (12 July 2012). "Flames of Fury, Animatronic Raptors, and a Brachiosaurus Half-Pipe: Inside China's Massive Jurassic Dream Theme Park". Fast Company.
- Vlessing, Etan (30 May 2014). "Lionsgate Moving Ahead on 'Hunger Games' Theme Park Plans". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 22 August 2014.
- "Dubai awards 72 contracts for Expo 2020 | Gulf Business". Gulf Business. Retrieved 27 April 2016.