Don't Be Intimidated!

The deadline for the "Reel" Design Contest is quickly approaching!

Anyone interested in partcipating has to get their ride design in to us by the end of the day on Monday, February 20th.

We've been getting a lot of great entries.  But, we've also been getting a lot of e-mails from people who say they don't want to enter because they feel "intimidated."

They've heard that people are sending in schematics, blueprints, sketches and digital re-creations of their rides and they feel that they might not have a chance if they only send in a few written paragraphs.

Well, let me put your fears at ease.

At CoasterRadio.com, the thing that impresses us most is creativity.

Last time around, someone won just by sending in a few paragraphs that described the ride in detail.  They didn't have any supporting materials.  They got our attention and eventually won the contest with an excellent, compelling idea.

If you have an attraction design that is original, tells a compelling story and does things we haven't seen before, it's going to get our attention and impress our distinguished panel of judges..

So, don't be intimidated! Send us your entry by Monday night!  Good luck!

Valentine's Day Song Auction - Winner!

A few weeks ago, we opened the bidding on an original love song that would be written specifically for "that special someone" in a lucky listener's life.

The bidding was fast and furious all the way up to the January 26th deadline.

But in the end, Kerri from Florida outbid everyone (with a top bid of $200) and won the 2012 Charity Song Auction!

The next step was for Kerri to meet with famed London composer Nick Hutson.

Kerri informed Nick that she wasn't asking him to write a romantic song... but instead, she wanted him to compose a song about her three-year-old daughter, Morgana Jade.

Nick asked Kerri a few questions to get better acquainted with her daughter and found some inspiration for his lyrics..

He learned that she likes Sci-fi and LEGOS.  She's also interested in Star Wars and Disney Princesses.  In fact, it's not uncommon for her to dress up in a princess outfit, grab a toy sword and announce to her parents that she's heading off to fight dragons!

With this in mind, Nick began the task of writing lyrics, orchestrating instruments and composing a completely original song for Kerri and Morgana Jade.

And... here is the result.  A song that had it's World Premiere on the February 9th episode of CoasterRadio.com.

Kerri chose to donate her $200 winning bid to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis!

The team here at CoasterRadio.com is going to match that bid for a total donation of $400.

And... since we're not doing Theme Park Change this year... you might want to make a donation yourself!  Head to the St. Jude website to make a donation of your own!

Thanks to Kerri for bidding on this special item!  Thanks also to Nick for donating his time and talents!

Here's a special video message from the composer:

Advice From a Past Winner

Back in 2006, we had a lot of excellent entries for our first "Reel" Design Contest.

One of the underdog submissions was from Andre from Miami, Florida.  He sent in a description of a ride based upon the movie "Mirrormask."

Andre had a tough road ahead of himself in terms of judges' reaction... because none of us had ever heard of the movie before.

But, Andre's ride description and idea was so innovative and creative, that he moved to the head of the pack and won the contest.

As the reigning champion, Andre will be one of the judges for the Finals of this year's "Reel" Design Contest.  We asked him to think back to 2006 and give some advice to this year's contestants.  Here's what he said:

As the winner of the 2006 "Reel" Design Contest, Mike asked me to  share my experience with the premier competition.

At that time I had just watched the film “Mirror Mask” and was inspired because the visuals were so stunning. After giving it a bit of thought, it was easy to translate the visuals and the journey taken by the main character into an interesting and exciting dark ride

While listening to the results podcast and hearing the other great ideas being presented, I have to admit that I was really surprised and thrilled that my idea was chosen as the winner. I really felt like the underdog since I decided to base my idea on a film that really wouldn’t be considered a blockbuster.

To those considering entering the contest this year and may be hesitant because you may not think that your idea is good enough, I say just do it. You may be pleasantly surprised. Good Luck!

CLICK HERE to learn more about the 2012 "Reel" Design Contest.

The "Reel" Design Contest Returns!

You've probably looked at a theme park attraction and said...

"I can do better than that!"

Well, here's your chance.

This is the time of year when all of the different Hollywood blockbusters are being honored at the various award ceremonies.  What does this have to do with theme parks and roller coasters?  Well, many of the best theme park attractions in history have based upon popular films.

Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, Back To The Future, Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Forbidden Eye, Jaws, Star Tours, Kongfrontation, Superman Escape, Terminator 2: 3D, Jurassic Park, Men In Black, The Amazing Adventures of Spiderman, Revenge Of The Mummy and countless other attractions have had their storylines adapted from popular movies.

For our first contest of 2012, we want you to design a theme park attraction around the movie of your choice.

Then, it will be time to have your submission judged by an all-star panel, including....

* Neil Patrick Harris
* Gary Goddard, Founder and CEO, The Goddard Group
* Dan Koch, President of Holiday World and Splashin' Safari
* Korey Kiepert, Engineer & Partner at The Gravity Group
* Dave Altman, President, American Coaster Enthusiasts
* Arthur Levine, Theme Park Guide, About.com
* Lance Hart, Editor of Screamscape.com
* Andre from Miami, FL - The 2006 "Reel" Design Contest Winner

The winner will receive the first-ever "Reel Design"Award!  YES! An actual award that has your name engraved on it!  You'll go down in Coaster Radio history!

Here are the rules:

1) Write one or two paragraphs that describe your theme park attraction and e-mail it to feedback@coasterradio.com.  Make sure your description includes the film your attraction is based on, the attraction's title, a description of the ride (including any storyline) and any other themeing or design elements that make it stand out.

2) Make sure the attraction is realistic.  Don't send us details of an attraction that couldn't be actually built with today's technology and budget restraints.  If we had to set a budget cap, it would be around 80 million.  You can make your attraction a dark ride, a roller coaster, a flat ride, a walk-though experience or anything else you can imagine.  Just make it realistic.

3) The entries that catch our attention will have a mix of imagination, creativity and fun.  Remember, we'll be reading the finalists on a radio-style show, so your entries have to be descriptive and entertaining.

4)  You can send in supporting materials if you'd like (such as drawings, sketches, No Limits and Roller Coaster Tycoon creations), but it will be the description of your attraction that we are most interested in.

5) Ten semi-finalists will be chosen and will have their theme park attraction discussed on CoasterRadio.com.  We will then narrow that down to three finalists who will have their attractions judged by a panel of industry experts.

6)  All entries must be received by Monday, February 20th, 2012.

To get an idea of what this contest sounded like when he first did it in 2006, here is a link to that show!

Direct Podcast Link

Good luck!

The "Producer for a Day" Contest!

Every now and then, we get an e-mail from someone who says...

"You guys should let me produce the show!"  Then, they go on to list a hundred ideas that they would do if they ran the Original Theme Park Podcast.

Normally, we politely thank them for their e-mail and then steal all of their ideas.  But now, we're giving loyal listeners a chance to make CoasterRadio.com history!

If you win the "Producer for a Day" Contest, you get to produce an entire episode of the show. You decide what we talk about, what games we play, what calls we take.

Plus, you get something and even Mike and EB don't get... a paycheck - $50 in cash!

Here are the rules - In 30 seconds or less, sell us on why you’d make a good “Producer for a Day.”

Tell us what you’d do, what segments you’d create, what guests you’d book and how you’d make YOUR episode unique.

You can e-mail us the address on the left (or use the Contact Form)
You can leave a message at 206-339-3360
You can record an MP3 and send it to us.
Or you can post a video on YouTube.

All entries must be in by July 15th (for all your Podlaggers)

Good luck!