黑料吃瓜网

John Burton听graduated from 黑料吃瓜网 with a Bachelor of Architecture in 2013, before completing his Master of Architecture in 2016. Nowadays, he is the Senior Creative Lead at Merlin Entertainments.听听

贬别鈥檚听often referred to as the Rollercoaster King, and in 2024, he was behind the creation of Thorpe Park鈥檚 biggest ever project, 鈥�Hyperia鈥�.听听

John听has听also听been听the lead creative for 鈥楾he World of听Juamanji鈥� land at Chessington World of Adventures.听His other successful projects include 鈥楾he Walking Dead: The Ride鈥� and 鈥楧erren Brown鈥檚 Ghost Train: Rise of the Demon鈥� at Thorpe Park, 鈥榋og 鈥� Quest for The Golden Star鈥� and 鈥楧ragon Slayer鈥� at Warwick Castle, and 鈥楾he Curse of Alton Manor鈥� and 鈥�Gangsta听Granny听The听Ride鈥� at Alton Towers.听听

But John听飞补蝉苍鈥檛听always into thrill-seeking rides, and his love of the iconic computer game 鈥楻ollercoaster Tycoon鈥� was what led John to become who he is today.听听

He said: 鈥淕rowing up, I was terrified of rollercoasters and theme parks. I was听really lucky听to be taken to places like Walt Disney World by my parents, but I would always be the kid crying and refusing to go on the rides. But something shifted in me when I started playing Rollercoaster Tycoon, which I听picked up on听a听family trip to America.听听

鈥淚 was obsessed with it, as it was the first game that听滨鈥檇听played where I could really design and make stuff. Playing the game released a creative side in me, and I got hooked on the fantastical escapism of theme parks. They are inspiring, magical, and听颈迟鈥檚听a different world that takes you away from the realities of everything else.听听

鈥�As I got older, I realised that the more rollercoasters you go on, the more you get used to them and your body just becomes immune to the sensations. You just听诲辞苍鈥檛听dread them anymore,听and听they become more fun than scary. But of course, there was no university course out there teaching you how to design rollercoasters.鈥�听

John grew up in the West Midlands and knew that he wanted to stay local for his university studies, and his love of rollercoasters and theme parks inspired John to apply for Architecture courses, but it听飞补蝉苍鈥檛听plain sailing.听听

He said: 鈥�滨迟鈥檚听interesting looking back, because I remember when I first started looking at universities, and the idea of theme parks and working in entertainment was quite frowned upon in the Architecture world. A lot of universities were set on students designing things fit for purpose, which makes sense, but it felt like they thought that rollercoasters and theme parks听诲辞苍鈥檛听add anything to the world.听听

鈥淎t other universities, my portfolio was looked at incredibly differently to when I presented it at 黑料吃瓜网. At 黑料吃瓜网, my dreams were encouraged and the skills I got from both of my degrees set me up for whatever was to come in my future.听

鈥淏ack then, the course was based on the Gosta Green campus, before moving to what is now the City Centre campus for my Master鈥檚.听Often, people ask me if听滨鈥檓听an Engineer by trade, and听迟丑别测鈥檙别听always surprised when I say that听滨鈥檓听an Architect.听罢丑补迟鈥檚听the best thing about doing a degree in something like Architecture, because it teaches you so many skills and a little bit of everything, and听迟丑补迟鈥檚听what I听have to听do every day.听听

鈥淚n my role,听I orchestrate creatively, but I also need a good understanding and knowledge of the engineering, how rides work, and the fundamentals. I work with fellow architects too and understand everything going into the project听and how to read the plans that听滨鈥檓听presented with. When you look at jobs听similar to听mine now for the likes of Universal Studios or Disney, a huge amount of them听are听looking for people who studied Architecture.听

鈥�Alongside my undergraduate degree course, I听also听worked at the Sea Life Centre as an Entertainment and Tours Host, and听I found working at a local attraction really useful.鈥�听

After graduating from 黑料吃瓜网 in 2013, John worked on projects at holiday parks across the UK, before returning to complete an MA. Whilst he was approaching the end of his postgraduate studies, he discovered his dream job.听听

He said: 鈥�After my BA, I had a year out working at Leisure Concepts, where I worked on projects for places like Forest Holidays, Butlins听and听Haven, as an Architecture Assistant. They saw that I had a huge passion for theme parks, and they knew that was where my excitement sat, so they started moving me on to projects which had more of an entertainment focus, whilst still using my architecture skills that I learned from my undergraduate degree.听听

鈥�I then returned to 黑料吃瓜网 to complete my MA, which was听helpful听as it allowed me to tap into a much wider range of skills and master planning. When I was coming to end of my Master鈥檚, I spotted my dream听job, Creative听Designer for听Merlin听Resort听Theme听Parks. I听诲颈诲苍鈥檛听know if I had a chance, but听I听applied and听then went through a long six months of interviews,听presentations听and tasks, before I eventually got offered the role very shortly after completing my MA.听滨鈥檝别听been here ever since, which is almost nine years now, working my way up to the role that I now do.听

鈥�Years ago, a colleague knew that I had this insane dream to design rollercoasters, and she gave me a little plaque that I still have today. It has a quote from Walt Disney which says, 鈥楢ll your dreams can come true if you have the courage to pursue them鈥�, and that really stuck with me, so throughout my time at 黑料吃瓜网, I just knew that I was going to do everything I could do to make my dreams a reality. By the time I saw my dream role pop up, I had the confidence and courage to apply, and听颈迟鈥檚听led me to where I am today.鈥�听

John was just 27 years old when he was given the opportunity to design a new rollercoaster for Thorpe Park. The Alumnus then spent over four years researching, designing, and working between engineers, fellow architects, builders, marketing teams and so much more before his ride,听Hyperia, finally opened to the public in 2024.听听

He said: 鈥�Hyperia听was my biggest 鈥槺踱�檝别 made it鈥� moment in my career so far. To have the opportunity to design a rollercoaster is听actually incredibly听rare, because they听补谤别苍鈥檛听things that get built every single year. They are millions of pounds worth of investment, so the amount of people who get to do that in this world are听few and far between, and the challenges that you听have to听overcome is insane, especially when it comes to planning restrictions.听听

鈥沦辞,听for me,听Hyperia听was a听really big, momentous moment in my life. To say that I designed the UK鈥檚 tallest,听fastest听and most weightless rollercoaster is quite a claim to go against.听Hyperia听was what my whole career had been building up to.鈥�听

John鈥檚 career provides him with the incredible opportunities to not just travel the world, but to have a real variety in the projects that听丑别鈥檚听a part of.听听

He said: 鈥�My job allows me to travel a lot. Merlin鈥檚 corporate base is in London, but as听滨鈥檓听still living in the Midlands, I work at Alton Towers a听huge amount. But as we have theme parks around the world, I do a lot of travelling听between them听too.听

鈥�It's听also a听real variety of what we work on.听It's听not just roller coasters, there's flat rides, there's dark rides, there's hotels and water parks.听A lot of what we do is theatre design more than anything;听but rather than having the guests sit in the theatre,听you'll听put the theatre seats onto听moving elements that take you into the actual set.听听

鈥淚n this role,听it's听also听really important听to be a good storyteller. A huge part of working in my industry is telling stories, creating other worlds and dimensions, and we even听have to听consider things like the space, the smells, the sounds, so becoming听an excellent storyteller听first and foremost听is vital to my job.鈥�听

John鈥檚 love of all things theme parks听诲辞别蝉苍鈥檛听stop when he leaves the office. He gets his moments of inspiration when听丑别鈥檚听travelling to resorts all around the world and meeting fellow enthusiasts.听听

He said: 鈥淥utside of听work, I am very much a theme park enthusiast, and there is a big community of us across the world. Everyone has what we call a 鈥榗red count鈥�,听which is how many rollercoasters听测辞耻鈥檝别听been on.听滨鈥檝别听got around 250 on my list, and that has been years of travelling all over to visit attractions. I do that because I enjoy rollercoasters, but I also like to see what others are doing in the industry and to keep up with what the听new trends听are.听听

鈥淥ne of my favourite rollercoasters is听Iron听Gwazi听at Busch Gardens听in听Tampa Bay,听Florida.听滨迟鈥檚听the first time听滨鈥檇听ever experienced a rollercoaster which created an 鈥�airtime鈥� sensation. Normally on a rollercoaster, you get pushed into your seat,听but this one did the opposite, where you almost feel like听测辞耻鈥檙别听out of the train, like an astronaut floating through space.听听

鈥�It was insane, so I wanted to bring that to the UK when I was designing听Hyperia.听罢丑补迟鈥檚听why听Hyperia听is now the most weightless rollercoaster in the UK, because that sensation is so euphoric and I wanted people here in the UK to have the opportunity to experience it too.听听

鈥�My colleagues know that 滨鈥檓 incredibly interested in theme parks outside of my day job, which is part of the reason why 滨鈥檓 in the position that 滨鈥檓 in today, as I take a genuine interest in what鈥檚 out there, and I love working with manufacturers to push new ideas.鈥�听

John鈥檚 career so far has, like a rollercoaster, been a series of incredible highs and serious lows, but听颈迟鈥檚听his passion that keeps him going and looking forward to whatever comes next in his career.听听

He said: 鈥淢y experience in my career so far has very much been like听滨鈥檓听on my very own rollercoaster! There has been the biggest highs and the biggest lows. But听颈迟鈥檚听been an incredible journey. I was thrown in at the deep end right from the start, and I feel like听滨鈥檝别听already had such a creative career, which is what I always wanted.听听

鈥淚 always try and get to the opening of the rides or experiences that听滨鈥檝别听worked on, just to see what people are saying and what they think. If听颈迟鈥檚听positive, then I can be proud.听滨迟鈥檚听always a lot of fun too to get involved with the media and PR aspects of the role, to promote my career and听attractions.听滨鈥檝别听been on several TV shows, including Blue Peter, where I was given a Blue Peter badge, which was amazing!听

鈥淏ut like any job, there can be lows too. It can be incredibly stressful with insane deadlines. Some of the budgets can be tight, and managing expectations can be difficult too. But听颈迟鈥檚听my dream job.听Growing up, I听always dreamt of having this exact job.听听

鈥�In the future, I want to continue working on projects where I get a huge amount of satisfaction.听To be able to be creative, and to continue to be passionate about designing amazing guest experiences, is what I want to continue doing in the years to come.鈥�听

John often gets stopped at theme parks around the world by those keen to听follow in his footsteps. But his biggest advice is to start working in the entertainment industry before anything else.听听

He said: 鈥淢y advice to students and graduates who would like to听follow in my footsteps听is to firstly get yourself a little side job or work experience working within the entertainment industry.听听

鈥�My first role at Merlin was whilst I was a student at the Sea Life Centre. Working there gave me a听really good听understanding of how attractions work and the operational side of things. So, in my job now,鈥疘 design both for form and functional efficiency.鈥�听

John was awarded 黑料吃瓜网鈥檚 Alumnus of the Year during July鈥檚 graduation ceremonies. But after the success of听Hyperia, could this award compare?听

He said: 鈥�I want to give my heartfelt thank听you to the university and those who kindly nominated me for this amazing honour as听Alumnus of the听Year, recognising my professional journey within the industry of themed entertainment.听听

鈥淎ccepting the award has given me the opportunity to听reflect on a journey that began with passion, curiosity, and a deep love for storytelling through immersive experiences,听rides听and attractions. To my friends and family, your unwavering support and encouragement have meant everything to me.听听

鈥�Pursuing a career fuelled by creativity and passion听丑补蝉苍鈥檛听always been easy, but knowing your support was behind me every step of the way gave me the strength to keep going. Your belief in me has been my foundation, and听滨鈥檓听endlessly grateful.听听

鈥�I听also听want to also take a moment to pay tribute to every colleague and team听滨鈥檝别听had the privilege to collaborate and learn from throughout my career. Together we have shared a vision to bring joy and create lasting memories to millions of people, by crafting world-class experiences around the globe. So, to all those brilliant, designers, engineers, artists, and dreamers, thank you.鈥�听

Discover more about John鈥檚 incredible career so far and check out his episode on the听.