Transcript: Episode 176: Murdered Murder Mystery

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[00:00:00] Susan Barry: This is Top Floor episode 176. You can find the show notes at topfloorpodcast.com/episode/176. 

[00:00:14] Narrator: Welcome to Top Floor with Susan Barry. This weekly podcast ride up to the top floor features tangible tips and excellent stories from the experts and characters who elevate hospitality. And now your host and elevator operator, Susan Barry.

[00:00:32] Susan Barry: Welcome to the show. Ryan Fitzgerald is a saxophone player who stretched the truth enough to get hired on board a cruise ship where he ultimately put down his instrument and picked up a metaphorical clipboard as cruise director. After working his way up through corporate roles in onboard entertainment and brand partnerships, Ryan was drafted into his company's COVID war room, stretching his logistics muscles pretty much around the globe. An avid sports fan, Ryan spent time working for a professional sports team before returning to the cruise industry as executive vice president of sea production at RWS Global. Today, we'll discuss what it takes to run world class entertainment across 40 plus ships. But before we jump in, we need to answer the call button.

Call button rings 

[00:01:30] Susan Barry: The emergency call button is our hotline for hospitality professionals who have burning questions. If you would like to submit a question, you can call or text me at 850-404-9630. Today's question was submitted by Richie. Here is what Richie has to say. I'm going on my first cruise next month and I'm curious if there are two to three things to either pack or leave at home that will make it a better experience.

So Ryan, you have to take this one on your own because I have never been on a cruise and the only thing I would say is never pack jeans for any trip ever because you never wear them. So that's what I've got. What's your answer? 

[00:02:17] Ryan Fitzgerald: Okay, well, firstly, super happy to be here. I am currently wearing jeans. So, I don't know that I agree with you on that one. Okay, Richie, this is a good one. I would say there is some standards on cruises that you want to bring. You want to bring your tablet in case you feel a bit more effect from the seasickness. The cruise is like any vacation. I think you got to bring what you need. I don't think there's any hack to it.

I would say the only thing I would maybe say is for the cruise that you're going on do a little bit of homework. A lot of brands have some signature events like White Night, or an orange party, or a red white and blue gathering and, you want to have that outfit ready to go if you want to have some spirit and get along with your guests. So I would take a look at that. Other than that I think bring yourself and be ready to have a good time and and and you will for sure 

[00:03:16] Susan Barry: That's a good tip, though, because I would never have thought to, like, look at the theme nights and try to have the right outfit. So good tips all around. Your first job on a cruise ship was as a musician. How did you get that job? 

[00:03:31] Ryan Fitzgerald: Yeah, so, you kind of hinted at it there in the intro. Lee, faked my way on. So I was working. 

[00:03:41] Susan Barry: Wait, were you really a musician? Or were you only a fake musician? 

[00:03:45] Ryan Fitzgerald: I was at least really a musician. Okay. Okay. So, saxophone player. I was playing at an amusement park in Ohio called Cedar Point. America's rock and roller coast. I did two summers there. And at the end of the second summer in the show, I was in, I played the saxophone, but also sang, and like I say, danced, it was literally step touches and steps. But I thought I wanted to get my resume looking a little bit more like an all around performer as opposed to just a sax player.

So I went into the vice president's office at Cedar point and asked for some advice. And in that moment, and you talk about, like, stars aligning, calling, you know, other powers, whatever the case may be. In that 30 minutes, someone called her office, and she picked up the phone as opposed to sending it to voicemail. And it was a guy who worked for Carnival Cruise Lines who wanted a sax player on a ship. 

[00:04:44] Susan Barry: You are kidding me. 

[00:04:45] Ryan Fitzgerald: No joke. No joke. And she said, no, I don't know anyone, but the guy in front of me is asking questions about the resume. So maybe like, if you mind, like, handed the phone over, to which point I immediately said, uh, yes, I would love to be on a cruise ship. So tell me more. So we talked a little bit later and ultimately he kind of said, if you work at Cedar point, you're good enough, I'll get you on. And so it all got scheduled. Didn't have to audition. Didn't have to send in a video. 

[00:05:14] Susan Barry: That's wild! 

[00:05:15] Ryan Fitzgerald: Yeah. And to my memory, In that first conversation, I asked if I needed to be able to play the flute and clarinet. And I thought I remembered him saying no. So fast forward about a month, two days before I was signing on the ship or flying to join the ship, I had a call with him and I said, just double checking, I don't need to bring my flute and clarinet right? And he said, oh, yeah, you definitely need to do that. I didn't own one. I don't know how to play one. So I immediately hung up the phone, went to the music store, bought a flute, a clarinet, a how to play the flute and a how to play the clarinet book. 

[00:05:51] Susan Barry: No sir! 

[00:05:51] Ryan Fitzgerald: Yeah. And it's very similar to saxophone in many ways. And spent 36 hours playing both instruments as much as I could. I signed on the ship. Luckily we played shows to like a track and I just, whenever it came to flute and clarinet, I just kind of mimed it. Every day in port, while everybody got off for like three months, maybe not that long two months, I just practiced and eventually was able to play the shows and before the contract was over I told my music director on board the ship that I actually didn't know how to play either. And even to that point, I didn't know how to play them. I just knew how to play the exact notes in the show. So that's how it happened. 

[00:06:36] Susan Barry: What did the music director say when you spilled the beans? 

[00:06:39] Ryan Fitzgerald: Oh he laughed about it. And I mean, he was a good guy, kind of a super positive guy, so we just had a good laugh about it. He said no, he hadn't noticed, and I said, good. 

[00:06:50] Susan Barry: Oh my gosh. 

[00:06:52] Ryan Fitzgerald: I got another contract, so I guess it wasn't too bad. 

[00:06:54] Susan Barry: That's amazing. Well, you not only got another contract, you ultimately moved up the ranks at both Carnival and Princess Cruises. And you got to work on a lot of brand partnerships, all of which I think sound really interesting and exciting. Can you talk about one or two of the most memorable ones? 

[00:07:14] Ryan Fitzgerald: Yeah, sure. When I was at Carnival Cruise Lines, I was lucky enough to be pulled into the office to work on special projects off of ships. This was really the transition from working onboards to ashore. And I worked on some special projects. We were really for the first time Carnival was leaning into brands onboard ships, as opposed to kind of creating their own. One of which was Hasbro, the toy and game company. And so one of my projects was to essentially direct and roll out a new game show called Hasbro. We called it Hasbro the Game Show.

It was patterned after Family Game Night, which is a show on the Hub network, Hasbro's TV show at the time. And that was really incredible because, I mean, it was a very well aligned with the brand. You know, it was really a dive into the deep end. And it ultimately did really well over time. They kept it for many years. So I was really proud of that one. And I thought that was a really, a really great memories from that. 

[00:08:15] Susan Barry: What kind of games? 

[00:08:17] Ryan Fitzgerald: So if you go back and look at the TV show, they essentially take games that we all know and turn them into bigger than life. unique ways to play them. So as an example, actually, this is something you now see in like Dave and Busters, but Connect Four basketball, where rather than sliding it into a game, you actually shoot it on the board. 

[00:08:38] Susan Barry: Okay.

[00:08:38] Ryan Fitzgerald: Yahtzee bowling was one of our favorites. 

[00:08:40] Susan Barry: Nice

[00:08:41] Ryan Fitzgerald: So the bowling ball was about three feet tall and these pins down at the end of the stage all had six sides. So that's how you rolled the dice. 

[00:08:49] Susan Barry: That's cool. Yahtzee's my favorite. 

[00:08:51] Ryan Fitzgerald: Yeah. Yeah. Sorry Sliders was almost like curling, but you try to get your sorry slider into the right kind of target. And so it was like that. 

[00:09:02] Susan Barry: Gotcha. So like huge life size versions of the games. Okay. 

[00:09:06] Ryan Fitzgerald: Exactly. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So that was a good one. I think the other one I would throw out would be when I was at Princess Cruises, there was a great relationship with Discovery. The reason I bring that up was just because there was like a real full commitment across the whole guest experience.

So it was really neat to be able to sit with a brand and not only come up with a game show that might directly or indirectly relate to the brand, but, TV content, there was. Layering Discovery into the onshore experience through shore excursions and so I think that was a really neat one to be able to be a part of too because it wasn't just within entertainment on a ship. It was the full hotel and guest experience. 

[00:09:50] Susan Barry: So, I'm going to ask you something about this that, you know, may be a little bit off topic, but this is a little entry into my brain. I love a science museum. I love to go to a science museum. I think they're so interesting. But did you know, Ryan, that science museums are for children? Every time I have gone to a city that has a science museum, I'm like, Oh, I'll go to a science museum. And then I look like a fricking crazy person because I'm the lone adult without like little kids with me because I just think rocks are cool or whatever. The reason I bring this up is, is the, was the Discovery partnership intended for families, children, or was it any kind of cruiser?

[00:10:36] Ryan Fitzgerald: So, any kind of cruiser, which I thought again was a really great partnership. I mean, kudos to Princess and to Discovery for deciding to have that marriage because, you know, if you look at the content Discovery has, some of its food, some of its science and kids, you know, Myth Busters, volcanoes. 

[00:10:58] Susan Barry: Wait, those are for kids? I’m just kidding. 

[00:11:00] Ryan Fitzgerald: Right. Exactly. Some of it is destinational, which is like the absolute buzzword of the cruise industry. Right. And so there's these Alaska specific and Hawaii specific and you know what I mean? So like Discovery is one of those unicorn brands that like, as long as you're intelligent about how you like position all of that, you can hit every demographic on any line.

[00:11:27] Susan Barry: Got it.

[00:11:28] Ryan Fitzgerald: It could work for anyone and Princess really did a great job to lean into that. 

[00:11:32] Susan Barry: That makes a lot of sense. Okay. So you have been back in cruise production now after working in professional sports. What are, do you think the biggest similarities and differences between those two worlds?

[00:11:47] Ryan Fitzgerald: Yeah. Oh my gosh. Great. Like as I got into sports and came back into cruise, this exact question was like always on my mind, just observations along the way and so I love it. I think similarities, you know, everything is a show. In sports, in hospitality, in cruise, at hotels, like just in service in general. Everything, if Disney has taught us anything, it's that everything is a show and everyone's a cast member. 

[00:12:15] Susan Barry: That's the pull quote for this episode. That is very smart. Everything is a show. Okay. 

[00:12:19] Ryan Fitzgerald: And so that was absolutely similar, right? In sports, you provided a service to fans as they entered the stadium. In cruise, you did the same thing as they entered the ship. You have a, like an emotional goal and an arc that you want people to follow. Every great experience has intent, in sports or in cruise and hospitality. Every client or every guest or every executive needs attention regardless of what of those industries you're in.

I think cruise is big and international and global and in a lot of cases moves kind of slowly really on that like annual three, five year kind of trajectory. I think sports to me felt, very nimble, very quick. A lot of it is still privately owned. And so you're really delivering to the expectations of a person or a couple of people, as opposed to a board of global board of directors and all of that. Right? And so it's, you know, you're pivoting. Quickly in that sense. And the thing I'll always remember about crew about sports. So, while I was in that role, we hosted the Super Bowl. I mean, that's a grade 1 global event. And I'll always remember sitting in a meeting, which was called the Minute by Minute. Like in that industry, it's very like, I would call it famous meeting that happens with every Super Bowl. Right? And they say. 

[00:13:53] Susan Barry: Really? 

[00:13:54] Ryan Fitzgerald: It is like 80 people along this long table and the lead from the NFL is running the meeting and it is not minute by minute, not second by second, but there are some parts of that meeting where they are delivering the experience to the less than a second exact. I mean, we're talking coin flips to speaking scripts to, you've got networks and television and the live experience in the stadium, sometimes with a show, you're like, really hope the curtain goes up at 7:30, but if it's 7:32, no big deal. Not even allowed to be a consideration in this world, right? And so everything is to the second in that world, not necessarily the case in cruise So that was a big difference for me. 

[00:14:38] Susan Barry: Tell us about RWS global and I think this company evolved from theme park shows to now global cruise and event production. So can you talk through that a little bit? 

[00:14:52] Ryan Fitzgerald: Yeah, it's a pretty awesome story. I mean, it's one of the reasons I'm here and attracted me to make the leap. So the company really started with our owner and founder, Ryan Stana, in his apartment in New York city, realizing that there was a whole chunk of the world that couldn't afford to see Broadway shows or couldn't afford to get to New York to see it. And there was a whole chunk of performers that were good enough for Broadway, but there's only so many shows and so many roles and all of that. And so that really inspired him to create RWS Global.

So that way that gap could be kind of brought together in places like theme parks, as an example, we're really the first. And so RWS Global really supplied that talent and produced shows in that way for a long time. And eventually happened to produce a show by the name of luminosity that was pretty extravagant. And at that time included LED walls and LED projection in that. And that hadn't really been seen yet on cruise. And there was a cruise line that the vice president of that cruise line that happened to be in the audience. And that was really it. He saw it, connected with Ryan, decided it was worth the chance for RWS Global, at that time just RWS, to produce those shows. They did. And that's really how we first got on ships. That was with Holland America Line. 

[00:16:20] Susan Barry: So he was producing the shows, like finding the sets and all that stuff. I, for some reason, I thought it was more of a matchmaking situation. So, okay. I understand. 

[00:16:33] Ryan Fitzgerald: Yeah. Yeah. Producing. And listen, I think like anybody else, we did, they did and we do today what our clients need and we fill the gaps that they need us to fill. Right? So in some cases they have their choreographer and just needed an idea. They had an idea and needed a choreographer. They wanted it like fully turnkey or they just needed the right female singer. All of those things. What's amazing about any entrepreneur probably, but Ryan especially is just, yeah, we can do that. We can absolutely do that. We'll figure out how to make it happen and we'll do it really, really well. And that's how the company ultimately has grown to where it is today. 

[00:17:09] Susan Barry: What is it like to manage entertainment for 40 or more ships? I think you guys work with six different cruise lines. Is it hard to keep it all? I mean, this sounds like such a basic question, but is it truly, is it hard to keep it all straight? Are there unique things about working with that broad of a portfolio as compared to say your past history in cruises? 

[00:17:33] Ryan Fitzgerald: Yeah, so you nailed it like one of the biggest differences or biggest kind of eye opening moments was exactly that coming from a brand, which, you know, managing 20 plus ships across the world, Princess was very global, slightly smaller Carnival was bigger, but at that point in time, not necessarily as global, all of that ultimately was still a very much a single, maybe a couple of different experience categories to deliver. With a portfolio of six, plus clients in C, it is, I wouldn't say it's necessarily hard to keep track of, but it's incredibly unique, right? Like anything else you have. different personalities and clients that you're working with. You have literally a different remit in scope. In some cases, we are fully turnkey and just giving them everything in their entertainment department.

And in other cases, we are really like a sniper trying to hit a particular target for them and solve the challenge they're having in that lounge or in this part of the business or for this season or whatever. And so, yeah, that really is. You really, I likened it a lot to what I would imagine a lawyer is who's working on different accounts. Who's like trying to clock their time, right? It's like a chess player. Make their move and clock it in. It's like okay, hang on. Now I'm going to this client, so let me take that hat off and there is some specifics and logistics like what is it that we are contractually, you know, providing here? And what is the context of that relationship and how is it actually going? And you know what I mean? You kind of want to manage all of that. So that way you step into the room or virtual room appropriately. And you know, continue to keep that client happy and grow our business and deliver awesome experiences and all that. So, very, very different than being with a single brand for sure.

[00:19:34] Susan Barry: It sounds like it. Now I'm getting a little bit tired, but can you explain what the process looks like for designing and pitching new shows? How do you, how do you do that? But truly, how do you balance sort of the remit, like you said, the here's the, Contractual obligations that we have budgets being creative, coming up with something new, or do you not come up with new things? Are you recycling? Like, how does it all work? 

[00:20:09] Ryan Fitzgerald: Yeah. Yeah. I mean, listen, there's a million ways to combine all of those kinds of versions of that that you just mentioned. I mean, I think at the end of the day, we are a creative company and our clients need to hear from us, our creative ideas. So yes, there's often clients who come to us with their half baked version of an idea. We will like, it is incumbent upon us to always expand on that. Make it bigger or better or come at it from a different angle or inform them of the trends that we're aware of or the ideas that we have. Like, we have a lot of incredibly talented creative minds here. And so we've got to continue to have those voices be heard.

Um, so in that example, we're delivering to the remit and more. Some people come to us with a challenge, you know, a boulder in a way that would be a budget, right? And so I think we'll always make sure that we're providing options that are within that and above that and similar, but to the side of that. What's incredibly powerful about RWS Global is that when we have that and that's been decided that there is a machine here that can really churn through that process incredibly efficiently. I mean, there have been times where clients have asked us to create a portfolio of shows in weeks. Which includes like finding the talent to do those shows.

[00:21:37] Susan Barry: Oh wow. Are they calling Cedar Point? Like any more Ryan Fitzgerald's over there? 

[00:21:44] Ryan Fitzgerald: Yes. Yes, we are. And many more. So that's the part where we really kick into a gear that, I mean, I have just never seen anywhere else, at least in the kind of experience in entertainment industry. And it's, it's pretty impressive to see for sure.

[00:22:02] Susan Barry: We like to make sure that our listeners come away from every single episode of Top Floor with some practical specific tips they can try either in their businesses or in their personal lives. I actually want to ask you a question about something that you mentioned earlier, which is helping clients solve problems.

Can you give an example of the type of problem that you mean? I think a listener hearing this would be like what do you have like an opera problem or you don't have enough magicians or what? You know what I mean? Can you talk through the specifics of that? 

[00:22:38] Ryan Fitzgerald: Yeah, I'll start with a bit of a generic one I mean sometimes our clients come to us and say, our problem is we're looking at what we have and it just doesn't feel good enough right? So if you could direct this moment, what would you do? Right? I think a lot of times, entertainment in some cases is very much focused upon with a company and other places. It's an afterthought, right? It feels like it's either drive the bus or it's a passenger.

And so sometimes our challenge is just simply this doesn't feel good. Like, what would you do? Right? Sometimes the challenge is, yeah, this is pretty good. Maybe not as good as we would like, but it is way more expensive than we would like it to be. So our problem is can you give us something that we would really like is appropriate? But we need to see some savings here. And so I think we get We get those versions as problems. Opera on cruise ships as an example. 

[00:23:39] Susan Barry: That's maybe a terrible example, but. 

[00:23:42] Ryan Fitzgerald: No, no, that's actually been one of the problems we have fixed in our recent past, where there was an opera show that was really not doing well. From the day, right out of the gate. It just wasn't the right thing for the demographic. And so we had to replace that with our own show. So it's funny that you use that as an example. That's been one of the very specific problems that we've helped fix. 

[00:24:04] Susan Barry: That's funny because I thought it was so outlandish that it might like get a laugh here or there, but nope. So do people ever come and say like, I have an idea for something that I think would really sell on a cruise ship? Or, are these types of entertainment experiences more, I don't know if insular is a right word, but like, is it more inside baseball, where either the cruise company or your company come up with ideas or does somebody ever come out of left field and say, I got one? 

[00:24:37] Ryan Fitzgerald: Yes. A lot of people come and say, I've got this great idea for a show, or I have the rights to this IP or, I was thinking about this, yes, that happens a lot. And I think we're able to be nimble and move in that manner. And then really kind of create that marriage with that idea and the right brand, right? Cause I mean, you know, yes, there’s six plus clients that we have and see today, but there is the entire industry that we have really great relationships with.

Right. And so, yeah, every once in a while that does happen. And I think when you're on the brand side, because that, like I told you, it's so big and global and it feels like kind of slow and you know what I mean? They're not really able to listen to that as much as maybe the likes of us and other of our competitors are. And so yeah, that does happen every once in a while. And seeing those ideas come to fruition for the creator of the idea for the brand that it ends up, you know, getting connected with is really great to see. 

[00:25:39] Susan Barry: What kind of advice would you give to someone who is listening to this and says, I want to be Ryan when I grow up, they are aspiring to work in global production, global entertainment, global experience management.

[00:25:54] Ryan Fitzgerald: Yeah, I think firstly, for career growth in general, you cannot underestimate the value. And the effort it takes to network really well and network for the sake of networking. Not because you're in a moment where you need it, right? That's when it's too late. Great advice I got from a good friend years ago, that you need to be out there networking connecting and it's not just a selfish exercise to make sure that when you need a favor you can get it. Like that networking, that communication helps you also learn about what everybody else is doing in those challenges and how you can fit in and fix.

And so I would say that bit of a bit of advice is universal, not just to the cruise industry, but we are our own small world as well in production. Not just cruise. So I would certainly say start to do that now. And I think sometimes it's just that first one where you feel a bit embarrassed to reach out to a complete stranger and go, any chance you can just jump on the phone for 30 minutes and talk, you'd be surprised how many people are truly flattered by that moment and would love to do it, having no idea who the heck you are reaching out.

So, I certainly made the most of that advice. And it's really led me to where I am today. I think from the specific production perspective, there is so much depth and width to production and what it goes, what goes into, coming up with a show, delivering a show, creating a show, operating a show. And so if you're in that world, in a theater here or an amusement park there. Just try to sponge every piece of that kind of journey or life cycle or whatever. If you're on the stage, learn what's going on behind the scenes. If you're behind the scenes, learn what's happening in the booth or what's happening on the business side of it or whatever you can learn. 

Because I think ultimately, as you grow into an executive level with a company, it's that diverse experience that really allows you to potentially be in charge of all those subject matter experts. Having just experience in all of it. So I think that's something I would say to someone who's already in the industry But wants to continue to grow just learn as much as you can. 

[00:28:08] Susan Barry: It's something similar to what we say about hotels or what you know, I have said about the hotel business. Not only should you work in the operation, even if it's for just a year, give yourself that pleasure. It's so fun. Like same thing I'm guessing in a production. That's a fun thing to do. I mean, I may or may not have been the shrew in Taming of The Shrew. It was not typecasting and I can tell you that that was an excellent experience. So I know exactly what you mean. There you go.

We have reached the fortune telling portion of our show. So now you have to predict the future and then we will grade you later. What is a prediction, Ryan, that you have about the future of cruise entertainment and live shows? 

[00:28:54] Ryan Fitzgerald: Prediction for cruise entertainment and live shows. I think that shows will continue to be, firstly lean on technology in ways that are unique and new. I think that as that technology expands from a single use to a group use, you'll see things even like, AI become a driver of what an experience may look or feel like for any one individual or group of people. I think that will inevitably move in both land and sea entertainment. And I also see a very, kind of like circular, moment coming around where as there's players in our world that really start to move in that direction, you'll actually see a fair amount that also want to get back to shows that are great songs with great singers and dancers.

[00:29:59] Susan Barry: Analog entertainment. 

[00:30:01] Ryan Fitzgerald: Yeah. Yeah. I think it's really for the right people that really love that immersive experience. I think that is so powerful for them. And then some that maybe don't understand that. And then I think there's just a continued stronger marriage and the delivery of the experience on board. That is food and beverage and entertainment and arrival and departure. And, you know, like I said, it's it's all a show at the end of the day. And so we'll continue to get better and better at delivering it in that way. So it just feels magical from even the moment you hit the website for the first time to the moment you're on your 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 10th, 20th, you know, voyage.

[00:30:45] Susan Barry: If you could wave a magic wand and change one thing about the cruise or hospitality industry, what would it be? 

[00:30:52] Ryan Fitzgerald: So I am going to take a sideways approach to this one, maybe sidestep it. I'm going to say nothing. So here's what I think. I think that, you know, disruption and disorganization breeds creativity. I think every fast paced brand or slow paced brand from a guest experience point to even, you know, the experience in an office and how fast or slow it moves has a place for everyone. So I think I am excited to continue to see how the industry provides a version of a C experience for just about anyone on earth. Right? I think, I mean, it's been years now, but I think the cruise industry accounts for like 1 percent of global. Like hospitality stays, right? There's 99 percent as hotels, right? There's a huge group, you being one of them, who have not yet gone on a cruise, right? And so providing all of that in different ways for everybody, I think is valuable. And I think it's what makes the industry so exciting. 

I would say, if anything, just like all industries in the world, we should continue to work on DEI. I think we should continue to do things that are environmentally friendly and deliver our services in that way. Physical and mental health of our teams is incredibly important, so we should continue. We have to be better in all of those, just like everybody else on earth, to be quite honest. But I think the industry’s in a good place. I think there is a little bit for everybody. And I think for every problem, there breeds this new solution that ends up becoming the next biggest, greatest idea. So I kind of love the good, the bad and the ugly of all of it. 

[00:32:42] Susan Barry: That makes a lot of sense. I think I might be convinced to agree with you. Question mark. I'm not sure. Okay, folks, before we tell Ryan goodbye, we are going to head down to the loading dock where all of the best stories get told.

Elevator voice announces, “Going down.”

[00:33:02] Susan Barry: Ryan, what is a story you would only tell me on the loading dock? 

[00:33:07] Ryan Fitzgerald: Okay, slightly morbid, but there is an experience that we created twice on Princess Cruises. And it ultimately was a jewelry heist experience where, um, you met.

[00:33:28] Susan Barry: Why have I never been on a cruise before? This is so up my alley..

[00:33:32] Ryan Fitzgerald: So, so much fun. And our team were actors in the room and you kind of went along this 30 minute journey of learning that jewels had been stolen and you have to kind of like, that's the kickoff. And then over multiple days you find all these clues and you ultimately solve the mystery.

[00:33:50] Susan Barry: That sounds amazing. 

[00:33:52] Ryan Fitzgerald: So it wasn't originally a jewelry heist. So only on the loading dock would I tell you the full story. Which is we worked with a company for six, eight months to build a murder mystery on board. And we were a little nervous about it because like murder mystery is like, it's a bit dark, but I mean, I think, you know, Clue is about a murder mystery. So, it can't be bad? Right?

[00:34:16] Susan Barry: Yeah, people have this for dinner parties.

[00:34:18] Ryan Fitzgerald: Right. Exactly. So we kind of convinced a nervous group of executives to go down this route. And sure enough, we did. And we wanted it to be genuine and real. So, you know, someone got hit in the head and it was backstage and you had to, like, similarly meet the suspects in this 30 minute setting and solve all the clues over the next three or four or five days and come back and see if you got it right. Two weeks before we were set to install the experience on the first ship, there was an actual murder on board. 

[00:34:52] Susan Barry: Shut up! What? 

[00:34:55] Ryan Fitzgerald: Yeah. Which was similar, also, like, scenario of blow to the head. 

[00:35:06] Susan Barry: Nuh-uh. 

[00:35:08] Ryan Fitzgerald: Like, wasn't backstage. It was elsewhere, but it happened and it was terrible. And like, it was, you know, super difficult experience, obviously for those directly involved, but all those around, you know, whatever. Then we couldn't very well go on board with the exciting murder mystery. And so we had to literally go all the way back to the beginning and then make it a jewelry heist. This was another branded partnership. So we had like, I had recorded content with a guy on TV that does murder mystery. It was, it was a whole thing. I remember all of us in one light being like, this is terrible. So obviously that's acknowledged that. 

[00:35:58] Susan Barry: R.I.P 

[00:35:59] Ryan Fitzgerald: But like, wow. 

[00:36:01] Susan Barry: How in the world could that have, that's insane. Ryan Fitzgerald, thank you so much for being here. I know that our listeners got some great tips and are going to watch their back and I really appreciate you riding with us to the top floor.

[00:36:20] Ryan Fitzgerald: Thank you so much. Thanks for having me. I had a great time. Yeah, I appreciate it. 

[00:41:09] Susan Barry: Thank you for listening. You can find the show notes at topfloorpodcast.com/episode/175. Jonathan Albano is our editor, producer, and all around genius. He even wrote and performed our theme song with vocals by Cameron Albano. You can subscribe to Top Floor on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you like to listen. And your rating or review will go a long way in helping us give you more of what you like.

[00:41:45] Narrator: Thanks for listening to the Top Floor Podcast at www.topfloorpodcast.com. Have a hospitality marketing question? Reach us at 850-404-9630 to be featured in a future episode.