 | This biographical article is written like a résumé .(November 2016) |
Jon Snoddy | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Technology expert |
| Known for | Advanced Development Studio Executive SVP at Walt Disney Imagineering |
Jon Snoddy is an American technology expert who is currently the Advanced Development Studio Executive SVP at Walt Disney Imagineering. [1] [2] He was the co-founder of Big Stage Entertainment and has served as director, CTO, CCO and CTO in various technology/media firms. [3]
Snoddy holds a BA in Journalism from University of South Carolina (1979). He also holds an AS in Electronics engineering from Piedmont Institute of Technology, Greenwood, South Carolina. [4]
Snoddy served as the recording engineer, technical production, at National Public Radio (NPR) from January 1982 until March 1984. [5] While working with NPR, he served as the technical director for the program "All Things Considered". He was also the technical director for US 1984 Election coverage and technical director 1984 Winter Olympics. [5]
Between March 1984 and March 1987, Snoddy served as the project director at Lucasfilm Ltd. [6] From 1987 to 1995, he was the director, Senior Concept Designer at Disney. [7] Between 1987 and 1996, he served as the Senior Show Designer Walt Disney Imagineering. [8] From March 1987 to December 1996, he served as the director, Senior Concept Designer Walt Disney Imagineering. [9]
In 1996, Snoddy co-founded Sega GameWorks LLC alongside Steven Spielberg and Skip Paul. [10] From 1996 to 2001, Snoddy served as the Chief Creative Officer at GameWorks. [11] In 2002, Snoddy and Steven Spielberg co-founded MyTelescope.com; an internet astronomy startup. [12] From January 2003 until February 2007, he was the CCO/CTO TimePlay Entertainment. [13] Between October 2009 and April 2014 he was the Vice President of R&D at Walt Disney Imagineering. [14]
In 2007, Snoddy co-founded Big Stage Entertainment alongside Jonathan I. Strietzel and Jon Kraft. [15] He also served as the CTO of the company from January 2007 to July 2009. [3] [16] In May 2015, Snoddy became the Advanced Development Studio Executive SVP at Walt Disney Imagineering. [17] [18] [19]
Walt Disney Studios Park is the second of two theme parks built at Disneyland Paris in Marne-la-Vallée, France, which opened on 16 March 2002. It is owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company through its Parks, Experiences and Products division. Upon opening, it was dedicated to show business, movie themes, production, and behind-the-scenes, but in the 2010s, in a similar manner to its sister park, Disney’s Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World in Florida, it began to distance itself from the original studio backlot theming and entered a new direction of attraction development inspired by iconic Disney stories. In 2019, the park hosted approximately 5.2 million guests. The park is represented by the Earffel Tower, a water tower similar to one that was installed at the Walt Disney Studios lot in Burbank, California.
Walt Disney Imagineering Research & Development, Inc., commonly referred to as Imagineering, is the research and development arm of The Walt Disney Company, responsible for the creation, design, and construction of Disney theme parks and attractions worldwide. The company also manages The Walt Disney Company's properties, from Walt Disney Studios in Burbank to New Amsterdam Theatre and Times Square Studios Ltd. in New York City. Founded by Walt Disney to oversee the production of Disneyland, it was originally known as Walt Disney, Inc. then WED Enterprises, from the initials meaning "Walter Elias Disney", the company co-founder's full name. Headquartered in Glendale, California, Imagineering is composed of "Imagineers", who are illustrators, architects, engineers, lighting designers, show writers and graphic designers.
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Bran Ferren, is an American technologist, artist, architectural designer, vehicle designer, engineer, lighting and sound designer, visual effects artist, scientist, lecturer, photographer, entrepreneur, and inventor. Ferren is the former President of Research and Development of Walt Disney Imagineering as well as founder of Associates & Ferren, a multidisciplinary engineering and design firm acquired in 1993 by Disney. He is Chief Creative Officer of Applied Minds, which he co-founded in 2000 with Danny Hillis. Apple's "pinch-to-zoom" patent, which features prominently in its legal battle with Samsung, was invalidated by the US Patent and Trademark Office in 2013 based on a 2005 patent by Ferren and Hillis for multi-touch gestures.
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