Jason Surrell β95 has spent decades shaping the stories behind some of the worldβs most iconic theme park attractions. His credits include the Thea Award-winning Jurassic World Adventure, Halloween Horror Nights and Universal Epic Universe. Heβs also contributed to Walt Disney World Resortβs Star Tours: The Adventures Continue, Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor and enhancements to the Haunted Mansion.Β Now, the interdisciplinary studies alum returned to ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ to share his storytelling expertise with students in the themed experience program.
We sat down with Surrell to talk about what storytelling means today β not just for theme parks, but for anyone looking to make an impact. Here are five insights he believes every student should know.
1. Storytelling Is a Universal Skill
Whether you’re designing a ride, writing a research paper or helping a patient, storytelling matters. It is how we connect, communicate and create meaning.
βRegardless of your discipline …Β we’re all storytellers,β Surrell says. And it is particularly important in todayβs entertainment options: βThe thing that separates theme parks from amusement parks is stories.β
He encourages students to understand classic story structures, like the heroβs journey, because they help us make sense of life.
βIβve mapped my own personal and professional life to the heroβs journey β and Iβll be damned if it doesnβt work,β he says.
2. Curiosity Is Your Superpower
Surrell believes curiosity is essential, not just for creatives but for anyone who wants to innovate.
βYou need to be a student of life. You need to be curious about everything, because you never know what’s going to come into play in this field.β
While working on Disneyβs Pal Mickey, Surrell had to learn about unfamiliar subjects to write dialogue for the interactive toy. It was a challenge that pushed him outside his comfort zone and led to the creation of a toy that entertained and educated guests at the parks, including Animal Kingdom.
βAll of a sudden I’m a zoologistΒ … literally having to learn about ring-tailed lemurs,β he says.
3. Comfort, Reassurance and Escape Are Human Needs
Theme parks arenβt just entertainment β theyβre emotional experiences. Nostalgia plays a big role in this, especially in places like Disneyβs Magic Kingdom, Surrell says.
βThereβs something inherently reassuring about going to a place that … remains the way you remembered it as a kid,β he says.
He sees themed entertainment as a noble pursuit, one that supports mental and emotional well-being, which became very apparent during the COVID-19 pandemic.
βTheme parks are explicit about it,β he says. βIt’s comfort, reassurance and escape. There really is no more noble pursuit than to provide that for people. Our central product really is emotion.β
4. Be Ready to Pivot
Surrellβs career path β from performer to Imagineer to professor β shows the power of flexibility.
βYou have to be ready to pivot and adapt to whatever life in the industry throws at you.β
He shares how a mentor once advised him to gain more experience before applying to Disney. That advice led him to Universal, and eventually back to Disney.
βFive years later, a job opened up … That was a deviation from the path I thought I was on.β
Students should be prepared to adapt, take risks, and embrace opportunities outside their original plans.
5. Themed Experience Is a Growth Industry
The themed entertainment industry is booming, and that extends beyond the opening of Β Epic Universe and Disneyβs expansions. Themed experience can be found everywhere now, including restaurants, hotels, libraries, cruise ships, hospitals, museums and retail. Surrell sees ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ as the ideal place to study this field.
βIt only makes sense. Weβre in the theme park capital of the world … the go-to place for themed experience,β he says.
He compares ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½βs program to film schools in the 1960s β a launchpad for a new generation of storytellers.
βThis program offers young people a very clear and legitimate pathway into the industry.β
Surrellβs message to students is clear: Be curious, be adaptable and embrace storytelling β no matter your field.
βCharge forth now because you have everything on your side,β he says. βBe fearless, be courageous and go for it.β
