TEA at Cal Poly Pomona

With the semester coming to an end next week, TEA@CPP had its final meeting of the semester. Club members heard a wonderful presentation about "The Tyrant's Curse" Escape Room. Congratulations to our Project team for all the work they have accomplished this year! Our club also bid farewell to four of our board members who are graduating next week. Xochitl Solorzano has served on our TEA@CPP board for the past four years, two of which as our club president. She has done an incredible job leading our board members and ensuring our club runs smoothly. We have seen great success through her leadership, hosting 26 meetings, 5 guest speakers, and 2 wonderful tours this year. Mike Sturman is one of the longest-serving board members, having served five years on the club's board. His dedication to the club has inspired many amazing events, including our recent Student Conference KITE. He has also helped coordinate many amazing guest speakers to educate our club members. Trinity Neades has served as the treasurer for our club this year, helping ensure all of our ventures can be funded properly. She supported immensely with our Conference KITE as well as the Escape Room project. Finally, our last graduating board member is our Membership Director, Joseph Lorenzetti. He has worked throughout the year to support all of our members and promote a welcoming community within our club. Thank you to all of these board members for the work they have done for TEA@CPP; you will all be greatly missed! Best wishes to everyone as they move into new adventures!

This past Saturday TEA@CPP had the honor of getting a VIP tour at The Huntington Gardens lead by Docent Erin Sloan. She was gracious enough to tell us about the amazing art pieces and architecture that was used to create these themed environments. Some of the group’s favorite items were the Portrait of a Young Gentleman, Drifting towards Twilight, and the Chinese Garden. Thank you Huntington Garden for hosting us!

TEA@CPP has been hard at work on a creative project! This year, a group of students have been working on the Tyrant's Curse Escape Room, a project where TEA@CPP members are designing a medieval fantasy themed escape room giving the students of CPP easy access to themed entertainment on our campus! The project team, led by Curtis Shipley with assistance from Trinity Neades, have recently been working on the concept and deliverables to present to the school in late April for approval to build. The creative design team led by Jacqueline Perisho are designing a scale model of the escape room and the Costuming and Props team led by Katie Reynoso have been working on various props and one of the costumes for our live actors. The engineering team led by William Dinkins have been developing the technical side of the room, creating code for the RFIDs that will control our insightful puzzles. Lastly, Faith Martinez and the Revit team have been working on a digital model of the room on Revit. We can't wait to see this project continue and grow from model to an immersive experience for students to enjoy! Look out for details regarding our presentation soon! If you'd like to be a part of the magic, join the discord linked down below! https://lnkd.in/gYRQ_dUh

TEA@CPP Board Members, Xochitl Solorzano, Mike Sturman, and Emily Buecheler volunteered at TEA Inspire and the THEA Awards this past week. It was an amazing opportunity to support the TEA and learn more about the happenings of the industry. Thank you so much to Terry Lacson and the Themed Entertainment Association for facilitating this incredible opportunity!

This past week a group of students from TEA@CPP had the opportunity to visit TECHNIFEX. As leaders in design, engineering, and the creation of special effects, Technifex showcased us a wide array of innovations as well as some of the paths it takes to create them. We extend our sincere thanks to Monty Lunde, Tracy Balsz, and TECHNIFEX for graciously providing this opportunity for our students to gain firsthand insights into this scope of the industry!

Last week, TEA@CPP had the opportunity to go behind the scenes of the famous theme park haunt that started it all, Knott’s Scary Farm! Attendees were treated to an exclusive behind the scenes panel celebrating 50 years of the event, featuring special guests and some of the original minds behind the scares, costumes, and mazes that make the event what it is today. We were delighted to hear first hand stories of how many scary farm staples such as “slider” scare actors and “The Hanging” show came to be. Additionally, following the end of the panel, there was a brief Q & A session and admission to the event thereafter. We are incredibly grateful to the Themed Entertainment Association, the Knott’s Scary Farm team, and everyone else who made this opportunity possible. Needless to say, everyone had a scary good time and we look forward to more engaging and educational opportunities in the future!

Last week, TEA@CPP unveiled an exciting new program: Night School! Night School is an engaging nighttime guest speaker series accessible to everyone within the Themed Entertainment Next Gen Community. Each session spans 2 hours, featuring a distinguished guest speaker who shares their expertise through engaging presentations and interactive activities. We were delighted to learn about the Project Life Cycle from Senior Project Coordinator Sam Lieberstein from the esteemed Thinkwell Group (A TAIT Company). Sam's unique blend of enthusiasm and meticulous organization has enabled him to successfully shepherd a diverse array of projects from inception to completion. We extend our gratitude to Sam for generously dedicating his time to Next Gen and for his insightful exploration of the Project Life Cycle. It was an amazing opportunity for students to not only gain knowledge but also actively participate in an engaging conversation. If you or your company would like the opportunity to speak at a future “Night School” please reach out to TEA@CPP at teacpp.club@gmail.com

This past Saturday, September 23rd, 13 of our lucky TEA@CPP members got to attend Museum Day at Walt's Barn. Thank you to the docents for such an insightful tour, the Themed Entertainment Association for putting on the event, and Huitt-Zollars for sponsoring! 

GENERAL MEETING #2 RECAP: This Tuesday TEA@CPP held its first design competition of the semester! Club members were tasked with designing an attraction for the new San Fransokyo Square at Disney California Adventure. Teams of 3-5 individuals each created a design that included an attraction entrance, show scene, ride vehicle, and story synopsis. The creativity in the room was evident as each team developed a unique attraction. Thank you everyone who joined us in this fun competition!

Some of our TEA@CPP members got to attend the “Ready! Set! Network! Speed Networking and Panel Discussion” event on The Jim Henson Company lot. It was an amazing opportunity to connect with representatives from 22 companies and hear from a panelist of incredible individuals. Thank you Donnelly W. and Xochilt Khoury for hosting an awesome event that supported NextGen! And thank you to all the companies, panelists, and volunteers for also dedicating your time to help make the event possible!