Scott Gasparich Has Left the Building

[Zimmy]

I have to say, I do not think BGW was holding him back. If anything they abetted him. Look this may sound harsh, it may be impolitic, and perhaps ill timed, but I do not think he was talented. This is just one mans opinion, but I think he was an egotist, and his shows were ill conceived and often in poor taste. He took no consideration of his audience and certainly not the parks fan base. Part of being a producer and running that kind of department is understanding cash flow. He clearly has no fiscal sense and his spending was out of control. He was more interested in adding to his power base and forcing his "vision" down everyone's throat then increasing shareholder wealth. Certainly entertaining was not in his consideration.

 

[John]

Agreed. His approach to the park was looking at it like a blank canvas. He can create whatever he wants and he's in total control. Although he put a lot of effort towards his works, it just wasn't in the interest of the fan base like you stated. I cringe at the looks of the new London Rocks, I'll get my inaugural viewing out of the way, but I don't see myself returning to the Globe Theatre until the fall.

 

[BGW Family]

Humm...I seen Scott at the park Friday with his name tag on. Could this mean bad information?

No. This news broke 1 week ago and it states he will be leaving in 2 weeks. That would mean you may see him up through next weekend.

Correct. The date of departure I heard was May 1.

 

[flamanar]

I have to say, I do not think BGW was holding him back.  If anything they abetted him.  Look this may sound harsh, it may be impolitic, and perhaps ill timed, but I do not think he was talented.  This is just one mans opinion, but I think he was an egotist, and his shows were ill conceived and often in poor taste.  He took no consideration of his audience and certainly not the parks fan base.  Part of being a producer and running that kind of department is understanding cash flow.  He clearly has no fiscal sense and his spending was out of control.  He was more interested in adding to his power base and forcing his "vision" down everyone's throat then increasing shareholder wealth.  Certainly entertaining was not in his consideration.

Thank you, Zimmy.  I stand corrected.  For whatever reasons (old age, bad short-term memory, etc.) I had forgotten some of the things you mentioned in your post.  I do think SG did have some great ideas (C-town stuff comes to mind)...but there was no consistency with that, and there were many more 'misses' than there were 'hits'.  And there is no room for managers that mistreat the people they are working with (control issues, domineering, whatever).  Ego's need to be left at the door if you want to be a truly great manager.  Having happy people working for you should be one of your greatest rewards...which is typically reflected in the end product.  And yes, I do remember a deaf ear that was given to fans concerning the shows.

Yes, I remember that SG really was more of a 'steamroller' type of personality.  If you manage to tick off the people who work under you AND people who you aim to acquire as 'fans'...you're obviously doing something wrong.  You are correct in that SG never seemed to care what fans thought at all.  Which was bad for SG, the fans, the employees and BGW in general.

However, all of this confirms my opinion (albeit from quite a different angle) that BGW and SG were incompatible with each other.  His leaving was the best thing for both SG and BGW.  Not trying to disrespect anyone here.  Just stating facts that have been talked about for quite awhile here.  I typically hate to see anyone lose a job.  However, there are also those who were given more than a fair chance to perform famously at their position in their field...that end up failing miserably, for whatever reasons.  They need to take some time to reflect on why they didn't succeed in order to learn from their mistakes and become a success in their field somewhere else.  Or not.

I'm choosing to move on from this, and focusing on the future of entertainment at BGW. Let us hope that a charismatic and professional entertainment guy/gal is acquired that will bring fresh and exciting shows to BGW in the near future.

 

[Zachary]

[...] BGW and SG were incompatible with each other. His leaving was the best thing for both SG and BGW. Not trying to disrespect anyone here. Just stating facts that have been talked about for quite awhile here. I typically hate to see anyone lose a job. However, there are also those who were given more than a fair chance to perform famously at their position in their field... that end up failing miserably, for whatever reasons. They need to take some time to reflect on why they didn't succeed in order to learn from their mistakes and become a success in their field somewhere else. Or not.

This is basically a perfect summery of my thoughts.

I believe that some of Scott's ideas could have worked perfectly somewhere else and a very, very small number of them actually worked perfectly here in Williamsburg (F&W!). That said, from what I've been able to tell after following the department under his leadership for four or five years now, he was not a capable leader. Many of his employees hated and feared him, pass holders and BGW fans alike disliked much of his work, many of the projects he tackled were spectacular failures both guest satisfaction-wise and financially, and, worst of all, whether it be because of ignorance or disregard, the park lost a few incredibly iconic features that it can never replace. Again, I don't believe Scott had any true malice towards the park or its fans, but I don't think he was qualified or fit to be such a powerful figure in Busch Gardens Williamsburg. Lastly, I wholeheartedly believe that Scott's reign will be looked back upon for years as a prominent, glaring scar on the history of the park- not just the park's entertainment department, but truly the park as a whole.

I do wish him all the best, but I am glad he has moved on.

 

[Franco]

I think Scott can absolutely be successful in a park with different values than BGW has held for decades. He was a square peg trying to traverse a round hole for several years. He'll find his spot elsewhere and hopefully, for everyone's sake, he'll do good things there. I just BGW will learn from this hire and why it didn't work and put someone in his place who can return the park to the more Old Country ideas.

 

[Nicole]

I'm sorry, but after reading this thread for a while, I need to respectfully disagree. I think he was completely in over his head. He lacked the experience and skills to run an entertainment department anywhere. His choices indicate a lack of taste and an ignorance of several types of performing arts. He appears to be a terrible manager, and reportedly is more interested in his personal power and empire than the good of the team.

So my views are not misunderstood or misrepresented, let me clear: Scott should not run any theater department anywhere.

 

[BGW Family]

Disclaimer: Personal opinion, only. Not meant as a personal attack. Those with sensitive stomachs, look away.

This is going to be long, quick and probably grammar hell....

I won't sugar coat this at all. He destroyed one the most iconic areas of the park by way of ripping out the Festhaus stage out and then sat about trashing TIO. All because he had a bad experience with that show back in his early days. Still holding this grudge and acting on it as an adult who is suppose to be a top leader? I've seen 5 year olds act more mature. Next would have been Banbury if he had his way. Good riddance.

He was childish and unprofessional in his treatment and vindictive nature toward anyone that didn't bow down to his ego, or crossed him, or whom had a successful show that he didn't create. He terrorized cast and crew across the park. Blacklisting locals and switching to Cline to supply more expensive NY cast that did not gain us a better level of entertainment that the locals. He rode around in garland glitter decorated luxury carts that cost $10,000 each.

Kilarny Kommotion and Wunderbarn were NOT excellent examples of art that were too sophisticated for a simple theme park. They were garbage. Period.

F&W wasn't his idea. It was Disney's. He stole it like he possibly did REDACTED and REDACTED. He even stole internally with Monster Stomp (BTW, the hugely successful Revamped originally created by cast members) which I believe he was pressured into. Like he was made to bring TIO back. BUT, with his petty sign game. Kudos to the last TIO cast though. You should see their cast shirts.

Celtic Fyre? Thank goodness he has been blocked by it's popularity or he would have already trashed it for a show of leprechauns farting confetti. He wanted the names of every performer that broke script on the finale that year we thought he had killed it.

He did a fire-sale of live musicians and gutted all those great shows FULL of LIVE music; TIO, Boogie Band, Starlight Orchestra, etc, etc. Recently he turned the evil-eye toward MIU because they were getting better reviews than LR. The cast eventually quit under his callous retribution. He also read the riot act to the LR cast and blamed THEM for the bad reviews when they only did the best they could with what HE gave them. That is quality leadership right there.

He drove off so much great talent that has been with the park for years. Hell, just watch the choreography changes last year, like Night Beats. His new "professional" gutted the work a former cast member had beautifully choreographed.

The climate and moral he fostered was horrid. His actions read as immature over-compensation to deal with his insecurity and being touted as a failure. Ask any talent that has been around long enough what they recall of DeHart and what they recall of SG. I'm sure answer will be luvs and hugs for one and evil-eye for the latter.

Just like me. NO love lost here.

Those that know me may be shocked by the harshness of this posted opinion. I'm sorry, SG is the poster child for what has been going wrong with BGW. There are still minions and rats in the ranks that could be a continuation of his regime, or even worse. PLEASE flush out all the old and start anew with someone professional and qualified to do the job right.

"I'm looking forward to your letters..." Craig Ferguson.

 

[Jonathan S]

I'm sorry, but after reading this thread for a while, I need to respectfully disagree.  I think he was completely in over his head.  He lacked the experience and skills to run an entertainment department anywhere.  His choices indicate a lack of taste and an ignorance of several types of performing arts.  He appears to be a terrible manager, and reportedly is more interested in his personal power and empire than the good of the team.

So my views are not misunderstood or misrepresented, let me clear: Scott should not run any theater department anywhere.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but this is what everybody has been saying about Scott. If I went and dug up posts, I would find things contradicting these new sentiments about him. In my honest opinion, since SEAS is already replacing people, Scott was bound to go, and now you all are sad that he's going. Whether it was for the better or not, I feel that everybody shouldn't criticize whoever takes his place and just go with it. After all, whatever happens, happens; nothing we can do about it.

 

[Zimmy]

It is because of people like Scott that I left the industry. There are far too many people in the performing arts with egos too large to contain within their skulls. Unfortunately the ones with forceful personalities often get ahead and get put in management roles. Rarely have I working on a show that well people managed. More often then not drama is the preferred method. Scott embodied that sprit. Further, he did not have the talent, vision, or sense to be in any position of power.

He is everything a manager should not be.

 

[Thomas]

Zimmy for Entertainment VP!

 

[Zimmy]

You joke...

 

[Thomas]

I'm totally not joking... I'd vote for you.

 

[Franco]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but this is what everybody has been saying about Scott. If I went and dug up posts, I would find things contradicting these new sentiments about him. In my honest opinion, since SEAS is already replacing people, Scott was bound to go, and now you all are sad that he's going. Whether it was for the better or not, I feel that everybody shouldn't criticize whoever takes his place and just go with it. After all, whatever happens, happens; nothing we can do about it.

I'm not at all sad to see him go. I doubt anyone is. He was absolutely ruining a lot of what I love about BGW, but I do think that his vision for an amusement park could work elsewhere, especially if he swallows his pride and learns from this experience. I find it hard to believe that he won't have a similar position elsewhere, and if he does, then I wish him the best of luck, because I'd hate to see him destroy another park and I always wish for the success of a park that I may one day want to visit. Most importantly, I may have vehemently disagreed with Scott's decisions while he was here, but I won't speak ill of the dead, so to speak.

 

[flamanar]

...He was childish and unprofessional in his treatment and vindictive nature toward anyone that didn't bow down to his ego, or crossed him, or whom had a successful show that he didn't create. He terrorized cast and crew across the park. Blacklisting locals and switching to Cline to supply more expensive NY cast that did not gain us a better level of entertainment that the locals. He rode around in garland glitter decorated luxury carts that cost $10,000 each...

WOW.  WOW WOW WOW!  Ok, I was clueless to at least 70% of what you posted, and if entirely true (I have no reason to doubt your honesty), then I must go back and retract most of my previous posts.  WOW.  Ok, taking these new happenings into consideration, then I can't see him succeeding anywhere else (my last post DID say that he should either learn from his mistakes to be a success...or not).  If he were that out-of-control and horrible at managing, then yeah...I can see your point quite clearly.

I'm truly sad that BGW lost so much real talent due to SG.  I also wasn't sure who created/demolished items in your posts, so I left them out of my last post and didn't contribute them to SG.  Ironically, I was talking to my better half at dinner last night about how I'd never forgive whoever ripped out the Festhaus stage...AND HAD THE NERVE TO POST A VIDEO OF IT BEING RIPPED OUT AND REPLACED BY THE CURRENT ONE.  I stand by what I verbally said last night.  The Festhaus was trashed, and if it was SG, then I retract most of what I've posted in this thread recently.  I do also remember him trashing TIO, but I haven't been to the park for years now, so alot of the bad things that have happened aren't as fresh in my mind as people who actually had to deal with/watch what SG did (lack of 'first-person' perspective).

I also wondered why F&W was being attributed to anyone at BGW.  That HAS been a WDW event for many years now.  I'm glad they were able to pull that off.  My personal opinion has always been:  don't try to copy Disney!!!!  But in this case, I was proven wrong.  Killarney Kommotion.  Ugh.  Atrocious. Entwined.  Don't get me started.  

Thanks for giving me a more proper perspective, BGW Family.  WOW....I honestly didn't know that he was SOOOO bad...nor did I realize the magnitude of his ego and how many people he hurt, nor how badly he hurt them.  I have no place in my heart for someone like that.  Unforgivable.

 

[Zachary]

I want to highlight this bit from BGW Family's post:

There are still minions and rats in the ranks that could be a continuation of his regime, or even worse. PLEASE flush out all the old and start anew with someone professional and qualified to do the job right.

What is said above is crucial to the outcome of this change. There are people in the park both inside and outside of the Entertainment department who are just as bad as (and in some cases worse than) Scott. A lot of change still needs to occur before we're out of the woods.

 

[flamanar]

I want to highlight this bit from BGW Family's post:

There are still minions and rats in the ranks that could be a continuation of his regime, or even worse. PLEASE flush out all the old and start anew with someone professional and qualified to do the job right.

What is said above is crucial to the outcome of this change. There are people in the park both inside and outside of the Entertainment department who are just as bad as (and in some cases worse than) Scott. A lot of change still needs to occur before we're out of the woods.

That's kinda very scary. I guess SG surrounded himself with 'like-minded people'? This could get ugly. I'm hoping that whatever is necessary for a complete change actually happens. Still, looks like it's gonna be a very uphill battle.... Thanks for the additional info, Zachary. In some ways, I'm kinda glad that I'm not as 'plugged in' as others regarding BGW. I do consider it one of my favorite places to go...although I'm not sure I'd 'recognize' it now, with all the changes :/ May a positive change come quickly.

 

[BGW Family]

One instance, the person leading the video banning is still there.

 

[netdvn]

Scott G was the best. I wish he could stay. Aside from Wunderbarn and Entwined his shows were great.

#BringBackScottG

 

[CastleOSullivan]

One instance, the person leading the video banning is still there.

I have often wondered where that rule came from and the reasoning behind it.