The Themed Entertainment Association (TEA) — the global, nonprofit membership association for the creators of compelling places and experiences — has announced the slate of TEA Masters honorees for 2022. The TEA Masters program celebrates masters of their craft in the global themed entertainment industry.
The 2022 TEA Masters include:
- Phil Bloom: Ride Layout and Design
- Alfredo Ayala: R&D – Theme Park Technology and Animation
- Desireé Soto-Vaughn: Art Direction
- David Willrich: Technical Systems / Audio Visual & Multimedia
- Takayasu Fujita Kimura: Rockwork Sculpting / Design
The 2022 TEA Masters will be officially honored and showcased at SATE Las Vegas October 12-15, 2022.
The TEA Masters program, initiated several years ago by the TEA Past Presidents Committee, helps boost awareness of the many creative specialties and disciplines that collaborate to produce excellence and breakthrough guest experiences in themed entertainment. Engaging more fully with leading practitioners in these areas benefits our TEA membership community and the industry as a whole, fostering greater appreciation and understanding of the disciplines themselves and their role and impact within a project team.
“What an astonishing gathering of experts!” said Adam Bezark, 2021-2022 TEA Masters Chair. “The TEA Masters represent the breadth and depth of talent in our amazing industry. They also represent the TEA’s ongoing commitment to mentorship and growth. In addition to the honor that comes with being selected as a Master by your peers, our TEA Masters programs are all about sharing knowledge with students and NextGen talent, as well as professional TEA Members who may be changing careers and learning new skills. We’re incredibly proud to welcome these new TEA Masters, who embody incredible diversity in professional disciplines, companies and geographies.”
How TEA Masters are nominated and selected
TEA sends an official call for nominations to its worldwide membership and to the themed entertainment industry at large. The TEA Masters Committee reviews the submissions and recommends the slate of honorees for final approval from the TEA International Board of Directors.
To qualify for TEA Masters consideration, nominees must have a minimum of twenty years as a professional in a discipline associated with the themed entertainment industry; have made significant contributions in that regard; and be currently practicing. Nominees must not be currently serving on the TEA International Board or the TEA Masters Committee.
Additional details will be shared and announced in coming months when the TEA Masters re-opens for 2023 nominations.
