Interview with Peter Alexander of The Totally Fun Company

Written by: Sasha Rosen Tuesday, August 16th, 2011 .

If you’ve ever been to Universal Studios, you’ve seen the work of our latest interviewee. While you may not know Peter Alexander or The Totally Fun Company, you are guaranteed to know the rides E.T., Back to the Future, Jaws, and Earthquake. These entertainment experiences, along with many others, highlight the work of The Totally Fun Company, which does everything from designing rides to master planning of theme parks to producing shows and building family entertainment centers. We had the privilege of spending some time with Peter Alexander, president of The Totally Fun Company, and hearing the stories of his experiences with Disney, Universal, and Steven Spielberg.

Who or what inspires you?

The people that I learned from, like all the original guys at WED enterprises (now Walt Disney Imagineering) who worked with Walt like Blaine Gibson, Wathel Rogers, Rolly Crump, John Hench, and Marty Sklar, inspire me. I learned a lot from those guys; they were fearless and would try anything. I was also inspired by Henry Bumstead at Universal, who taught me a lot of what I know about drawing up sets. Also, my college roommate Steven Spielberg impressed me because he was totally driven and fanatically dedicated.

How did you come to work with Spielberg? Was it because you were roommates?

Spielberg separates his private life from his business life—he doesn’t like to recommend his friends for fear that they will embarrass him! One day I was working on King Kong in L.A., and Spielberg shows up and sees me for the first time in years. He didn’t even remember that I worked at Universal, and was really impressed with the things we were doing. About a year later, he called me up and asked me what I could do with Back to the Future. He said, “My friend Lucas is really shoving Star Tours in my face.” I called up Imagineer Tony Baxter to ride Star Tours, and I was blown away. I felt like nothing could top it. But one day I came up with the idea to put a DeLorean car inside an Omnimax dome to make it feel like you’re flying. My project manager bet me $20 it wouldn’t work. We made a mock-up of it, and as soon as it started he handed me the money without a word.

Were there particular experiences in your childhood that helped to cultivate your passion for entertainment / experience design?

When I was 11 we moved to Anaheim and we were right across the orange grove from Disneyland. I saved my allowance and walked across to Disney with my best friend and spent all day in there. Later, when I finished High School in 1965, the Vice President of Discipline at my school got me a job at Disney for a year and a half where I got to work behind the scenes.

What was it like working for Walt Disney Imagineering?

I got the job at Imagineering because I was an overall kind of guy, an engineer and a writer, and they wanted a “generalist.” It was impressive to hear the original Imagineers tell stories about working with Walt, and that’s how I learned a lot. I didn’t fit in as well at WDI because there were a lot of people and everyone had their niche, yet I had a broader job.

What was it like working for Universal?

At Universal it was every man for himself, which worked better for me than WDI. Once the heads of the company found out I was roommates with Spielberg, I got to call the shots. The guys in charge at Universal weren’t willing to do the big rides that I had in mind, but I warned them that they had to out-Disney Disney, or else they would go out of business, and they listened.

What is the most fun part of your job?

Doing the work is the most fun – not just supervising, but also designing things myself and doing feasibility analysis. I also like traveling all over the world. I have a dream job. I like all phases of it.

What is the most challenging aspect of your work?

Sizing the business right so that it stays afloat. In an environment where the market goes up and down, you either end up with too large of an office and too much staff, or too small of an office and you can’t handle the big jobs. Marketing is also a challenge.

How has your job changed in the last decade?

Everything is computerized now. I used to have a drafting board where I drew things, but now I use 3D modeling software and rendering programs. With the Internet it’s also possible to have designers working all over the country that I may never see. This also makes feasibility studies easier because we don’t always have to travel to the site.

What advice do you have for aspiring entertainment designers?

The thing that helped me was having operational experience and a background in engineering. It’s good to have different areas of expertise that can act as bases of knowledge to draw on, like architecture, construction, art, or theater arts. Since there’s no formal education, build your own base of knowledge and people will respect you. Next, you want to get your foot in the door. Use the old Hollywood “hang around factor” to get more involved in projects.

Is there something you can share with us about your current projects?

I’m working in Phoenix, Arizona, which is one of the last markets in the U.S. that can support a theme park. I can’t say what I’m working on because it’s secret. I’m also working in New Jersey on an educational playground project for little kids, in Korea on an “edutainment” idea, and in Hungary.