The Sweet Emotional Farewell Tour will bring together many of the creative people who helped create Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith. Attendees will hear from all of these special guests at the event.
JERRY REES
Jerry Rees is best known for the Emmy-nominated animated feature film The Brave Little Toaster (1987). Jerry is a Writer/Director of live-action, animation, AR, AI, audio-animatronic, robotic and immersive themed entertainment projects, including a record-setting 22 attractions for Disneyland, Walt Disney World, Disney Studios Paris, Disneyland Hong Kong, Tokyo Disneyland and the Disney Cruise Line. He is the winner of 4 THEA awards for Disney. While still in high school, mentored by Eric Larson – one of Walt Disney’s legendary “Nine Old Men.” Awarded a Disney Scholarship and attended CalArts as Teacher’s Assistant for the inaugural A113 class featured in Vanity Fair’s 2014 article “The Class That Roared” with photos by Annie Leibovitz. A classically trained Disney Feature Animator, Jerry pioneered new technologies on 1982’s TRON, and Directed the first AR postage stamp for the US Postal Service and Smithsonian in 2011. Executive R&D Imagineer at WDI from 2015 – 2020 as Creative Lead for robotics and AI. Member of the Directors Guild of America (DGA) and the Writers Guild of America (WGA). In Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith at Disney–MGM Studios, Jerry directed the preshow with Aerosmith.
MIKE LENTZ
Mike Lentz is the Executive Vice President of Development, Design & Construction at Host Hotels & Resorts. Host is the nation’s largest lodging real estate investment trust and one of the largest owners of luxury and upper-upscale hotels in the US. In this role, he oversees Host’s renewal and replacement capital expenditures and leads redevelopment efforts to reinvest within Host’s portfolio. Mike spent twenty years with Walt Disney Imagineering, the business unit responsible for the creation and growth of the Walt Disney Parks & Resorts. With projects ranging from attractions, water parks, and resort hotels to cruise ships and vacation club expansion, he oversaw development, design, and construction initiatives in almost every Disney resort around the globe. His final assignment at Disney was as the project development executive responsible for government negotiations and Blue Sky development of Shanghai Disney Resort. In Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith, Mike served as the Project Manager.
JIM BOCKSTALL
Jim Bockstall has a forty-year legacy of creating world-class projects on time and on budget for some of the most successful development companies in the world. His reputation is based upon the quality of his images and the clarity of his messages. His focus has been Graphic Design, Branding, Project Identity, Signage & Wayfinding and Iconic Elements for large-scale built environments. Jim worked for Walt Disney Imagineering in California. He led a design team for the Muppet Studios at Disney-MGM Studios, collaborating directly with Mr. Jim Henson and his associates. In addition, he was a lead concept designer for the proposed Disney-MGM Studios theme park in Paris, the renovation of Tomorrowland at the Magic Kingdom, and Disney’s America — the highly publicized history theme park in Virginia. In Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith, Jim was responsible for the ride’s graphic art.
JOHN SOLOMON
John Solomon began his career in the film industry as an assistant to Fred Roos at Zoetrope Studios, Francis Coppola’s innovative studio experiment. After Zoetrope was forced into bankruptcy, John joined Laurie Anderson’s performance art tour through Europe. By the time we got to London, Laurie’s song “O Superman” was at the top of the charts next to the Rolling Stones. Then John went to work for Freddie Fields at MGM as his director of development, before being recruited to Walt Disney Studios. John worked for Walt Disney Imagineering, where he spent 12 years as Vice President of Creative Development. My portfolio included the development and supervision of all filmed media in Disney parks, the head of voiceover casting, managing the staff of show writers and the synergy between WDI and the other divisions of the WDC. In Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith, John was responsible for securing the talent, AKA Aerosmith.
PAUL OSTERHOUT
Paul Osterhout was originally hired in 1980 as a production designer for EPCOT Center where he worked on all of the Future World pavilions. He was hired as a Production Designer for the Disney-MGM Studios where he provided design and art direction for The Great Movie Ride, Superstar Television, and the Monster Sound Show. Before the park was finished, he was promoted to Producer where he was the lead creative on Star Tours and MuppetVision 3D. Paul also produced New Tomorrowland (and in fact is the voice of the teenage boy in the last scene of Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress) and a number of projects for the Magic Kingdom. He was also the Producer on Rock ‘N’ Roller Coaster starring Aerosmith.