Memoir Creative, a destination and experience creation company, announced a major expansion of its client services business and the appointment of Kevin Kreczko as Chief Growth Officer. Building on its success creating and operating original events, Memoir is bringing its integrated creative, fabrication, production and operating capabilities to theme parks, cruise lines, resorts, planned communities, municipalities, zoos, gardens, hospitals, cultural institutions and retail environments—with expanded offerings in intellectual property (IP) development and branded experiences.
“Our mission has always been to make every place and moment meaningful,” said Cole NeSmith, founder of Memoir. “Through our Immersive Master Plan, we help communities, theme parks, hospitality destinations and developers think beyond what a place looks like to how people connect with it. With Kevin joining our leadership team, we can bring that vision to more destinations—and deliver it from concept through operations.”
Proven destination makers
Some of Memoir’s portfolio includes creative collaborations on Orlando’s performing arts festival IMMERSE, founded by Cole NeSmith through Creative City Project; creation of Dazzling Nights and Happy Frights, popular Orlando seasonal festivals; Sea of Lights at Johnny Morris’ Wonders of Wildlife National Museum & Aquarium\; branded activations for United Parks & Resorts; and contributions to holiday experiences at Big Cedar Lodge. Its destination-making work also includes community activations and planning with Avalon Park Group.
Built to create—and operate
Memoir’s more than 40 full-time artists, designers, fabricators, producers and operators work from a 50,000-square-foot warehouse and production facility with capabilities in set and costume fabrication, special effects, technical system design, structural design and logistics. The creative studio also offers original music, animation, interactive technology, custom media content, graphic design, marketing, live performance, casting, retail merchandise development and branded products.
“Unlike providers that stop at opening day, Memoir operates our own events. This empowers us to design with first-hand knowledge of what guests love and what operators need,” said NeSmith. Its turnkey services encompass ticketing, guest services, staffing, food and beverage operations, retail merchandise and sales, security coordination, logistics and ongoing management—along with seasonal storage and repeat installations.
Six connected growth opportunities
The expansion brings together six connected growth opportunities: (1) turnkey destination development, Immersive Master Planning™ and seasonal festivals—from spring celebrations and summer events to Halloween and holiday spectaculars, including storage and operations; (2) immersive products, specialty lighting and interactive displays; (3) leased attractions and touring experiences; (4) brand strategy, marketing, graphic design, original music and media content; (5) retail merchandise and custom products; and (6) live shows, themed entertainment and custom productions for corporate, community and sporting events. Chris Keough recently joined as Director of Live Entertainment to lead the expansion of live performance and themed entertainment.
Through its Relational Cities initiative, Memoir’s Immersive Master Plan™ brings authentic place-based narratives, interactive environments, public art and signature events into destination planning. Working with developers and municipalities, Memoir helps turn downtown districts, lifestyle communities and underused spaces into places people want to live, work, shop and visit—supporting local businesses, tourism and long-term economic vitality.
Leadership for the next chapter
Kreczko has helped create and produce more than 250 Halloween and holiday events, alongside live show production, attraction design and management, and one-off productions for major sporting events, including the NCAA Women’s Final Four, as well as destination experiences around the world. His work spans brands including Disney Parks and Disney Cruise Line, United Parks & Resorts, Six Flags, Thanksgiving Point, San Antonio Zoo, Missouri Botanical Garden and Westfield Properties. As Executive Vice President of Global Business Development and Marketing at RWS Global, he supported the expansion of the experience division, international growth and strategic acquisitions. Most recently, as Vice President of Customer Experience and Daydreamer at Bass Pro Shops, he worked with founder Johnny Morris on immersive retail, merchandise innovation and experiences across the company’s hospitality and attractions portfolio.
“Great experiences don’t happen in silos,” said Kreczko. “They happen when creativity, production, operations and business strategy work together. Memoir isn’t just designing experiences for others—we create, build and operate them ourselves. We know what it takes to open the doors, welcome guests and make the business successful. We don’t just dream big. We dream bigger and make it happen. That’s how we turn imagination into revenue.”
