Michael Chase Integrity – Experience – Tenacity 16/B Island View, Midvale Village, Discovery Bay, Lantau Island, N.T. HONG KONG +852 9228-4966 Mobile [email protected] Summary: During my thirty years of working in themed and live entertainment, my integrity, experience, and tenacity have set me apart. Integrity marks all my business practices and relationships, making me a trusted leader on any project. My experience in working on complex project integration and delivery with some of the leading names in themed and live entertainment gives me the ability to face challenges with confidence. From the very first kickoff meeting throughout development and delivery, my consistent level of tenacity keeps a project focused to resolve every challenge, moving towards completion on schedule, within budget.
Specialties: Project Management of new construction projects from design development, procurement strategy and planning, through project delivery of construction and turnover phases. Technology integration and incorporating new tools and technology into processes including Drones, Site Scanning, BIM (Building Information Model), and 4D visualizations. Specialties include: Integration and Delivery, Themed Attractions, Live Entertainment, and Theatre Facility Development.
Experience: Principal Project Manager, Walt Disney Imagineering, Asia Ltd: Hong Kong Disneyland Expansion, "Arendelle: The World of Frozen" July 2017 – Present “Arendelle, The World of Frozen” is a new highly themed immersive environment land development set on six acres of land, which transports guests into the world of Frozen. This new land comprises two attractions (a water flume ride and family coaster), a quick service restaurant, merchandise shop, confectionary, and a character meet and greet flex space. Facilitated facility design development, show and ride integration, production and installation. Senior Project Manager, Walt Disney Imagineering – Shanghai: Shanghai Disneyland Resort: Retail, Dining and Entertainment District, “Disneytown”, Tomorrowland and TRON Realm. May 2012 – June 2017 Senior Project Manager for “Disneytown” the new Retail, Dining and Entertainment District development for the Shanghai Disneyland Resort and Associated Facilities development. 90,000 square meter lot size, with 45,000 square meters of buildings/GFA. Project Development includes The Walt Disney Grand Theater, a 1,200 seat, Broadway-style showcase theater; the World of Disney store and Spoonful of Sugar confectionary; 41 individual 3rd party tenant spaces (60% food & beverage and 40% retail), plus parking garage, outdoor valet parking and back of house offices, security, monitoring, service roads and tunnels, and the theme park’s Main Entry Plaza, with a show fountain feature. Senior Project Manager for Tomorrowland, in Shanghai Disneyland. Responsible for the delivery of the TRON Realm, interactive experience sponsored by Shanghai General Motors; the Tomorrowland Stage, sponsored by Pepsi; and the Star Wars Launch Bay. Final completion and turnover of the TRON: Lightcycle Power Run; Buzz Lightyear; Stitch the Encounter; and Jetpacks attractions as well as overall Tomorrowland project completion and closeout of the land, including F&B and Retail elements.
Michael Chase Integrity – Experience – Tenacity Operations Technical Director, Franco Dragone Entertainment Group: Dragone Macau Limited, The House of Dancing Water April 2011 – May 2012 Operating Technical Director for Franco Dragone’s The House of Dancing Water in Macau, leading a team of 158 technical staff, with 100 technicians required to run each performance. Conducted thorough structural and engineering reviews of all Theatrical Stage Equipment (TSE) and instigated design changes and modifications where necessary. Successfully planned and coordinated quarterly dark periods for major preventative maintenance activities on all technical systems and equipment. Implemented and enforced new safety procedures and policies. Developed and created a cohesive budgeting and tracking tool for nine departments with an annual $36M USD operational budget. Principal, Cedar Stage Productions, Inc June 2008 – April 2011 Technical Management Company serving the entertainment industry in themed attractions and live stage productions throughout the world. Skilled in developing project schedules, budgets, interfacing with designers and facility coordination, construction management, vendor contracting and negotiations, and all phases of development from design to completion. Technical Development Consultant, WDI Creative Entertainment (contract) Oct 2010 – Feb 2011 Developed preliminary budgets and provided technical input for all entertainment venues base systems and entertainment programs for the Concept Development phase of Shanghai Disneyland Resort. Project Manager, ShowFX! (contract) Nov 2008 – Oct 2010 Managed various projects as a custom fabrication vendor to produce show set and show action equipment. Duties including estimating, sales, scheduling, budgeting and management of assigned projects. Taking on projects from the RFP through engineering design, factory production, factory acceptance testing, installation and site acceptance testing. Technical Director, AMCI (contract) May 2010 – Sept 2010 Technical Director for two automobile marketing tours. Projects included: Global Lexus tour, featuring 3,600 square feet of interactive event displays traveling throughout the United States, Canada, Australia, and Japan. American domestic tour for Toyota highlighting seven major market intercepts which unveiled simultaneously across the United States. Technical Director, Base Entertainment Asia (contract) June 2008 – Oct 2008 Technical Director for new Magic Show production in Macau, China on the Cotai Strip. Developed initial budgets and schedules for production. Networking and developing business relationships in Macau to support installation and purchasing for the production. Initial development of technical standards and basic stage technician training program for Macau to support country wide entertainment programs.
Michael Chase Integrity – Experience – Tenacity Vice President of Project Management, Director of Production, G&G Design Associates, Inc. Nov. 2005-June 2008 VP, Project Management: Developed new business market in architectural specialty installations by creating a partnership with manufacturers of products for the architectural and design industry. New client sales during first year exceeded $1 million. Met clients, consulted on new projects, estimated project costs, negotiated contracts, and implemented fabrication and installation. Created new plastics fabrication department within company and developed a higher standard for quality control. Updated and implemented new estimating and job tracking system. Developed new business market in architectural specialty installations by delivering complete turnkey solutions of integrated design and prefabrication/manufacturing solutions to complex construction projects requiring multiple trades. New client sales during first year exceeded $1 million USD. Director of Operations and Production: Implemented new procedures and guidelines for project management, job cost tracking, production efficiencies and quality control. Managed custom manufacturing scene shop of 75 employees in fields of metal working, welding, carpentry, stitching, scenic painting, rigging, electricians and automation mechanics. Partnered with administration staff to ensure proper reporting structure, job cost tracking, and fulfillment of contract obligations. Projects included: Hollywood Bowl speaker towers and shrouds, A Taste of Lexus, Cal State University Fullerton Meng Hall acoustic canopy, Superbowl XL (2006) halftime show with the Rolling Stones, CalTech Guggenheim Building lobby ceiling display and Aerospace Labs ceiling display, Pacific Palms Resort – exterior architectural feature Spheres, and Star Trek – The Tour. Technical Director, Hong Kong Disneyland, Creative Entertainment, WDI Jan. 2004-Nov. 2005 Fantasyland’s Storybook Theater and The Golden Mickeys stage show ($10.5 million). Delivered facility entertainment design input and reviewed facility design on all systems for Storybook Theater, with completed facility design period completed in 20 weeks. Managed and coordinated all technical aspects of The Golden Mickeys stage show including Creative Development, Production/Procurement, Installation, Test and Adjust, Technical Rehearsals and Grand Opening in a 15-month time frame. Technical Director, American Musical Theatre of San Jose Oct. 2001-Jan. 2004 Managed all technical budgets and schedules for in-house productions and touring productions at the Center for Performing Arts of San Jose, including Les Miserables, Mamma Mia, Disney’s AIDA, Blast!, and Swing. In house productions include: Grease!, Evita, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Damn Yankees, Miss Saigon, Sound of Music, Funny Girl, On the 20th Century, and Dreamgirls with budgets ranging between $250K and $1.1 Million. Responsible Managing Employee (RME) under a California State Contractors License Class C-61/D34. Technical Director, Tokyo DisneySEA, Walt Disney Entertainment, Japan, WDI Apr. 1999 – Sept. 2001 Technical Director for multiple live entertainment productions: Dockside Stage Sail Away ($1.6 million), Atmosphere Entertainment program ($1 million) comprised of 30+ groups, and Magic Lamp Theater which integrated live performers into a 3D movie attraction.
Skills & Expertise • Project Management • BIM (Building Information Modeling) • Project Scheduling • Technical Direction • Budgeting/Estimating • Change Management • Contract Negotiation • Manufacturing and Fabrication • Theatre Development • Design Management • Show & Ride Integration • Operations Management