Author: Jonathan Green

With only two weeks until Universal Studios Hollywood enters their peak season, the theme park continues its radical transformation into a world-class destination. In this month’s photo update, we’ll be taking a look at Universal Hollywood Drive, and the continued revitalization of CityWalk’s entertainment district. From there, we’ll begin our journey through the park and look at The Walking Dead Attraction, Soundstage 28 and the first signs of construction for this year’s Halloween Horror Nights event. And then we’ll wrap up the update with a look at the progression of Universal’s efforts to modernize the backlot. Let’s begin our tour…

Last Saturday, Universal Studios Hollywood joined M.E.N.D to host their annual “Christmas in Spring” event, marking over 25 years of Universal’s efforts to give back to the community. Over 100 Universal Team Members came together to volunteer for this worthy cause. M.E.N.D, located in Pacoima, California, welcomed hundreds of families on Saturday to an afternoon of games, food and entertainment. To help with the event, Universal brought along some of their most beloved characters, including Scooby Doo, Shaggy, Dora, Diego, Spongebob, the Minions, and even Santa Claus himself. As M.E.N.D families walked in, Universal Team Members distributed special badges and…

On May 5, Universal Studios Hollywood invited actors to audition for their newest endeavor, The Walking Dead Attraction. The Walking Dead Attraction, based upon AMC’s hit television series of the same name, is Universal Studios Hollywood’s latest year-round attraction which is slated to open this summer. What does it take to be a scareactor? According to Universal Studios Hollywood Creative Director John Murdy, “It’s part athlete, part actor. You need to be in control of your body.” With that advice, hundreds of hopefuls gathered in front of the globe theater with the hopes of becoming part of Universal’s latest attraction.…

In this episode Chris Glass, Kaley Cyrino, Tyler Crouch and Jonathan Green discuss Comcast’s purchase of DreamWorks Animation and The Wizarding World of Harry Potter’s attendance figures thus far. Agenda » Introduction – 0:20 » Wizarding World Attendance – 2:45 » DreamWorks Animation – 31:55 » Secret Life of Pets – 53:57 » Halloween Horror Nights – 55:17 » Listener Questions – 1:04:15 Player Direct Download and iTunes You may download this episode directly here. You may also subscribe to the Inside Universal Podcast on iTunes.

With Universal Studios Hollywood’s five-year transformation now completed, the park has begun refining some of the park’s latest additions. In this month’s photo update, we’ll be taking a look at CityWalk Hollywood’s ongoing construction projects aimed at revitalizing the entertainment district’s shopping, dining and entertainment offerings. We’ll then be taking you inside the theme park where crews are now focusing on the up-and-coming The Walking Dead Attraction and the entrance plaza. Finally, we’ll be wrapping up with Universal’s ongoing modernization of the Universal backlot. Without further ado, let’s begin this month’s photo update. Park Update Index » CityWalk » Entrance…

Universal Studios Hollywood has announced that The Exorcist is coming to Halloween Horror Nights. Based off of the 1973 William Freidkin film, The Exorcist centers around a girl possessed by a demon named Reagan who undergoes an exorcism by two priests. The original film is based off of a book by the same name, becoming one of the most successful horror films of all time capturing over $400 million at the world wide box office. Due to the success of the film, two more sequels were made, though neither of them could capture the shear horror of the original film.…

In this very special episode, we’re incredibly honored to be joined by Universal legend Mike Sington. For over 36 years, Mr. Sington has been one of the primary driving forces behind Universal’s world-famous Studio Tour, serving as the Director of Studio Guide Casting and Development before his recent retirement in April. In this far-reaching discussion, we discuss the development of the Studio Tour, the theme park and more alongside Mr. Sington’s personal experiences with the studio and the company. Agenda » Introduction – 0:25 » Mr. Sington’s joins Universal – 1:40 » The relationship between the movie studio and theme…

In this episode, Jonathan Green, Tyler Crouch and Jon Fu discuss the opening of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Agenda » Introduction – 0:25 » The opening of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – 0:30 Player Direct Download and iTunes You may download this episode directly here. You may also subscribe to the Inside Universal Podcast on iTunes.

On April 7, 2016, Universal Studios Hollywood debuted their long awaited mega-attraction, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. To give you an authentic account of Wizarding World’s grand debut, we joined with the fans and camped out overnight. Here’s a play-by-play on how the entire experience played out. To give you the necessary backstory, we’ll begin with Sunday, April 3. By this time, Universal hadn’t made any public announcements regarding the impending opening, and how guests – with reserved tickets – should prepare. In an effort to gather information on how best to navigate and prepare for the opening day…

With the opening of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter just a few days away, Universal Studios Hollywood has begun putting together the finishing details on some of the more important projects occurring in and around the park. Without further ado, let’s get started Park Update Index » speaker » stuff speaker speaker bose community meyer sound meyer sound jbl jbl bose qsc klipsch bose bose bose soundtube bose bose community klipsch eaw bose bose bose rh meyer sound meyer sound…