Joe Zenas
Joe Zenas (born 1967) is a Principal and Chief Executive Officer of Thinkwell Group. Before joining Thinkwell in 2003, Zenas served as an event producer for several Super Bowl halftime shows, the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games, and for Universal Studios’ Creative Group.
Early Life[edit]
Graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Music at Michigan State University, along with cognates in philosophy, computer science, and economics.
While at Michigan State, Zenas was awarded a position on The All American College Band at Disneyland, where Zenas divided his time between performing in the park and participating in workshops learning about the business of music with studio musicians.
Career[edit]
Early Work[edit]
Zenas began his career serving as an independent events producer for numerous live events. His first high-profile assignment was for the Super Bowl XXVII halftime show featuring Michael Jackson that took place on January 31, 1993, at the Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California. Zenas was involved in a total of ten Super Bowl halftime and pregame shows between 1993 to 2004.
In addition to Super Bowl halftime shows, Zenas helped to produce other events, including the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games ceremonies in Atlanta, and the Hong Kong 1997 Reunification Spectacular.
Zenas spent four years with Universal Studios’ Creative Group as a producer and as Director of the Creative Studio, where he oversaw the concept development of new shows and attractions for all of Universal’s properties around the world.
Thinkwell Group[edit]
Zenas serves as one of the owners and the company’s core leadership as Chief Executive Officer alongside Craig Hanna, Chief Creative Officer, and Francois Bergeron, Chief Financial and Chief Operations Officer.
As the Chief Executive Officer, Zenas is responsible for leading the direction of the company and establishing new growth opportunities, corporate strategies, strategic alliances, and intellectual property partnerships.
Zena’s leadership has prioritized building Thinkwell’s relationships with some of the world’s most prominent brands and intellectual properties, ranging from entertainment properties such as Warner Bros.[1] and Harry Potter[2] to cultural institutions like the Smithsonian. At the same time, Zenas has also focused on strategically expanding the company’s reach into new markets and verticals, overseeing growth China, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Healthcare.
Zena’s many client partners have included Warner Bros., Sesame Street Workshop, Universal Entertainment, the International Olympic Committee, the Walt Disney Company, Radio City Music Hall Productions, and Don Mischer Productions.
In May 2014, Zenas, returned to his alma mater, Michigan State University, to serve as the College of Music keynote speaker for its 2019 commencement exercises. He was also a recipient of the College of Music Distinguished Alumni Award.[3]
Projects[edit]
| Attraction | Location | Year |
| Warner Bros. Studio Tour London: The Making of Harry Potter | Leavesden, United Kingdom | Most recent expansion: 2019 Opened: 2012 |
| Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi [4] | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | 2018 |
| Richard Nixon Presidential Library & Museum | Yorba Linda, California | 2016 |
| Center for Puppetry Arts | Atlanta, Georgia | 2015 |
| Ferrari World Abu Dhabi (expansions) | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | 2013 |
| Fernbank Museum of Natural History | Atlanta, Georgia | 2011 |
| Snow Park at Ski Dubai | Dubai, United Arab Emirates | 2005 |
| Jurassic Park Institute Tour | Japan (touring) | 2004 |
| Universal 360 Nighttime Spectacular | Universal Studios Florida, Orlando, Florida | 2006 |
| Templo del Fuego | PortAventura, Salou, Spain | 2001 |
| Coney Island Concept Development | Brooklyn, New York | 2006 |
| Men in Black: Alien Attack | Universal Studios Florida | 2000 |
| Twister: Ride It Out! | Universal Studios Florida | 1998 |
| Expo 2020 Dubai | Dubai, United Arab Emirates | 2020 |
References[edit]
- ↑ Sylt, Christian. "How Warner Bros. Cast Its Spell On Abu Dhabi". Forbes. Retrieved 2019-08-17.
- ↑ "'Harry Potter' movie studio tour opens outside London". Los Angeles Times. 2012-03-31. Retrieved 2019-08-17.
- ↑ "Joe Zenas will serve as 2019 Music commencement speaker". MSU.edu. Retrieved 19 April 2019.
- ↑ "Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi: The World's 100 Greatest Places of 2018". Time. Retrieved 2019-08-17.
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