In March, 2022 Holovis announced they had appointed George Walker as Vice President of Creative Development. IPM caught up with George to find out more about his new position and long relationship with Holovis.
What drew you to join Holovis?
With Holovis, I have found a place where I can really explore ideas and enjoy creative freedom to do what my title states: Creative Development. Ideas alone are not enough, you have to figure out how to develop them into something real. Stuart Hetherington, the CEO of Holovis, understands and believes in this. He and I have a great relationship that started about ten years ago when I was Creative Director for Ferrari World. When I met him and the Holovis team, I was immediately struck by their agility, talent, and this scrappy ‘get it done’ attitude. I think that is what makes Holovis different, and is at the core of what drew me to them. They like to not only think of ideas, but also find paths to get them done!
What was your favorite project that you collaborated with Holovis on?
The entire Ferrari World expansion is a fantastic example of what results when we team up. Flying Aces roller coaster, Benno’s Great Race interactive dark ride, and Italian Street were really great projects, but definitely my favorite is the highly anticipated MISSION: Ferrari attraction that will be coming soon. Of course, I can’t say much about it yet other than it is the project with Holovis that I am most proud of because it is so jam-packed with media, special effects, characters and sets. We were able to create a very rich, imaginative and exciting world that guest will get to step into.
What opportunities do you bring to the company?
Holovis has grown tremendously over the years. They have developed incredible ideation and media production capabilities to directly link with their sophisticated LED, AV and projection expertise. In my role I look forward to pushing the envelope. By illuminating for clients and developers all the amazing things that Holovis can do to bring projects and ideas to life, we can capitalize on that successful growth and momentum. Add to that my ideation and conceptualization skills, and we will really start to have fun.
How are you and Holovis evolving to meet the changing needs of the industry?
In 2019 I was honored to be asked to give the keynote Lunch-and-Learn presentation at IAAPA. I spoke about the emergence of what I call “Authentic Reality,” a term that takes a friendly jab at the recent Virtual Reality craze. In that speech I pointed to the trends that show how audiences are longing for more transformative interactions in their entertainment choices. We know that truly great storytelling is symbiotically linked to well executed technology, but it must be done invisibly — almost magically. The more you effectively use the tools of technology, the more authentic the storytelling will be. The combination of what I bring and what Holovis brings gives us the tools to meet this need.
What are you most excited about in the near future in your new role?
As a society, we have had some tough times, but I believe the future is bright and we intend to help lead the way ahead as we kick off the “New Roaring Twenties”! Holovis grew their UK presence over the last couple years, and now there will be a push to grow the Holovis Orlando Innovation Center. We have plans in the works to increase the capabilities and cultivate the talents to capture the momentum of the decade, and pent-up energy from the pandemic. We are looking at new market opportunities and new ways to deliver authentic, story-driven technologies. A lot of that will be creatively developed in the Orlando office with great talents like my colleague, Amy Steele. We have worked closely for years and both agree this is a very exciting time. I am honored to be part of such a talented team!
