As experiential entertainment only gets more important to Hollywood, a University program that serves as a pipeline to that world is adding a veteran of the space as its new director.
The Themed Entertainment Program at the USC School of Cinematic Arts’ Interactive Media & Games Division (IMGD) has tapped Steve Tatham to serve as faculty and director of the program.
Tatham was the executive creative director of Universal’s Epic Universe, overseeing what was NBCUniversal’s biggest bet on experiential entertainment yet, with densely-themed lands based on the world of Nintendo, How To Train Your Dragon, Harry Potter and Universal Monsters. Before Epic he was VP of creative for Universal Studios Japan and also worked in senior roles at Walt Disney Imagineering. He started his career in the space as a skipper on Disney’s Jungle Cruise ride.
USC’s themed entertainment BFA program helps students develop skills that can be applied to developing new experiences for theme parks, zoos, retail, museums, restaurants and other venues, built around themed narrative storytelling.
“IMGD’s Themed Entertainment program is singular within academia and industry because it truly gives students a deep dive into a category that millions enjoy each year but few have the opportunity to formally study,” said IMGD chair Danny Bilson. “Steve Tatham is the ideal professor to lead this program and guide our students as they craft the next generation of in-person entertainment. His unique background directing large and small projects makes him able to relate to where the students are now and where they want to go. We are ecstatic to welcome him to the faculty.”
“I’m honored to join and lead USC’s Interactive Media & Games’ Themed Entertainment Program,” added Tatham. “I’ve spent my career creating stories people can step inside, from theme parks and museum exhibitions to worlds inhabited by Mickey Mouse and Godzilla. What excites me most about USC is the opportunity to take everything I’ve learned inside the berm and ask what comes next: How can we expand the boundaries of themed entertainment, bring entirely new kinds of stories and places to life, and prepare students to create experiences none of us has imagined yet?”