The Medici Effect Explained

Medici XD (Experience Development) is the new venture of Mousetrappe founder Daren Ulmer with fellow industry leader and Animax Designs founder, Chuck Fawcett. Both are already successful themed entertainment entrepreneurs whose previous ventures shared a similar pedigree of clients. Today, in Orlando at the IAAPA Expo press conference Fawcett and Ulmer announced the structure and key management for this new attractions development company, designed to create the most immersive and believable attraction experiences.

Ulmer explains that the primary impact of the Medici family, who seeded the renaissance with art and culture and brought Europe out of the dark ages, was in how they brought together the very best in arts and sciences, which in turn sparked inspiration and forward leaps in many different fields. Similarly, Medici XD intends to bring together the strongest multi-disciplinary team in the industry.

The Medici XD offering is a response to changing times. Guests’ digital footprint and their technology expectations are expanding daily, but how we are responding to this transforming landscape in how we are building today’s attractions hasn’t changed. The Medici XD team see the need for a broader solution which brings together previously disparate specialties, such that the experience is developed as one holistic thought from the very start. Fawcett and Ulmer believe that their multi-disciplinary product line will have cross collaboration at its core that will spur inspiration and innovation. 

Working with master planners, designers, and venues themselves, Fawcett and Ulmer believe their offer will result in a better end product, and ultimately a more effective guest experience, versus when separate elements of a show or attraction are delivered independently or stitched together. This will address common issues such as “rough edges” that detract from the believability of the experience, or problems at the project management level related to integration, scope, or communication gaps.

Fawcett and Ulmer unveiled how they are turning their vision into a reality, explaining the five divisions or “disciplines” Medici XD encompasses:

– Media: Content design and production, visual and audio
– Machines: Motion-based ride systems and electro-sensory devices
– Interactive: Realtime (“game engine”) rendering, software and interactivity
– Theatrical: Live performance and human interactions
– Labs: Research & Development group focused on innovation across all disciplines