RWS Entertainment Group has tapped Rochelle Wilhelm for the newly created Director of Business Development position. In this role, Wilhelm will be instrumental in expanding the recently launched Leased Experience Division bringing both large and small-scale branded and custom experiences to zoos, botanical gardens, museums, cultural institutions, sporting venues, municipalities, retail centers and more. Prior to joining RWS, Wilhelm held guest experience positions at leading venues including the Oklahoma City Zoo, San Antonio Zoo and the DoSeum children’s museum.
Through existing agreements with brands, RWS’s new Leased Experiences Division has partnered with and offers access to some of the biggest names in entertainment including Peanuts, Hasbro and BRICKLIVE. The division offers turn-key experiences including a wide array of immersive engagements versus traditional and static exhibits. This includes activations that are easily tailored to the client’s needs, including immersive and fun moments surrounding education and conservation. Exclusive to RWS, these services provide on-site, live experiences that incorporate full design, fabrication and live entertainment and operations for clients.
RWS’s Leased Experience Division also provides clients direct access to activations for seasonal experiences such as A Charlie Brown Christmas and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. In addition, RWS works with clients to create opportunities including VIP meet-and-greets, branded merchandise and character dining events.
“With leased experiences we provide the theatrical staffing which makes the experience much better — this is where most leased experiences fail,” said RWS Entertainment Group Founder and CEO Ryan Stana. “As RWS continues to expand our partnerships with leading entertainment brands, we can scale many of our most in-demand products and services to meet the specific needs of unique venues including zoos, museums and botanical gardens. Rochelle’s experience planning and expanding exhibits and experiences to elevate both attendance and guest satisfaction will be invaluable to our creative teams and our clients.”
Wilhelm’s services also extend to the RWS Fun Crew: Staffing Reimagined, an RWS program that delivers staffing solutions for front-of-house positions by providing hospitality-minded crew members to deliver operational excellence while raising the guest experience with moments of surprise and delight. Currently, the Denver Zoo, Brookfield Zoo and the Riverbanks Zoo and Garden have all tapped RWS’s Fun Crew for staffing needs.
“Having worked with RWS while in the zoo and non-profit sector, I’m excited to be joining a team that I know can innovate and deliver on truly immersive branded experiences,” said Wilhelm. “RWS’s innovation and execution know no bounds and I’m greatly looking forward to helping expand the brand.”
Wilhelm received her B.S. in Technological Entrepreneurship and Management from Arizona State University and currently resides in Oklahoma City with her husband and two children.
