Group Effort How do you create the unforgettable? Being able to direct an army of experts sure helps.
By Sara Wilson
Opinions expressed by BIZ Experiences contributors are their own.
In the hot desert of Dubai exists a cool oasis: an indoor ski resort ranking among the world's largest. At Universal Studios Florida, the Universal 360 movie experience is a cinematic adventure so spectacular that guests linger just to see it. Since 2001, Thinkwell Design & Production, an $8 million, Burbank, California-based designer and producer of experience-based entertainment, has been tackling projects that can cost more than $1 billion and take years to complete. The results are breathtaking, but for founders Craig Hanna, 45; François Bergeron, 42; Joe Zenas, 40; and Cliff Warner, 44, pulling them off can be a managerial nightmare.
For sanity's sake, the founders have devised a fine-tuned system. They have only about 30 employees, but that can quickly jump to more than 100 when the pressure is on. Relying on a Rolodex full of specialized experts, they create out-of-this-world experiences without inordinate expenses. Says Hanna, "It allows us to keep our overhead manageable and predictable and allows us to bring in the right people to [work] on the project."
