Today, we’re honoring someone truly foundational to the world of theme parks.
On November 7th, 2025, we lost Jay Stein — the man who transformed Universal from a simple studio tour into a global competitor and was the creative force behind the “ride the movies” experience we know today.

Author Sam Gennawey, in his book JayBangs, calls Jay “the father of the modern theme park.” Walt Disney may have invented the idea, but Jay Stein reinvented it — transforming Universal’s parks into the cinematic, thrill-packed experiences we know today.
Today, we’re exploring his life, his impact, and why the modern theme park wouldn’t exist without him. 

Early Life & Rise Through MCA

Jay Stein was born on June 17, 1937. At age 21, he joined the National Guard, where he met Dennis Shryack, who had a great job back home as the head of the mailroom department at Revue Studios in Hollywood. Dennis would help get Jay a job there after their active duty ended. 

Now, for us theme park fans, what’s important to note here is that Revue Studios was the television production company owned by MCA — short for the Music Corporation of America. MCA would later acquire American Decca in 1962, which had been the parent company of Universal Pictures after acquiring them in 1952. MCA would continue to operate as MCA Universal until 1996, when it was renamed to Universal Studios after being purchased by Seagrams (You know, the soda company).

But anyway – back to Jay: 

His work ethic quickly stood out. He took every job possible — deliveries, errands, last-minute runs — and earned the trust of executives, directors, and actors.

Jay rose to Assistant Studio Manager and worked closely with the team, coordinating daily production operations. That role put him in constant communication with every department — including the one that would define his career: the Universal Studio Tour.
The Studio Tour began as an experiment in 1964, and though it made money, it frustrated filmmakers as it interrupted production. By 1967, MCA leadership removed the original manager and put 26-year-old Jay Stein in charge as the President of the Universal Studio Tour.

But he wasn’t just managing trams; he was responsible for the entire operation, balancing guest excitement with studio quotas.

And Jay being Jay… he didn’t just maintain it — he transformed it.
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Reinventing the Studio Tour

Jay launched new advertising campaigns, read guest complaint letters, and asked a key question:

“How can we bring the movies to life even when nothing is filming?”

Working with his Planning and Development team, Jay introduced effects that made the tour feel dangerous and cinematic, such as The Flash Flood, the collapsing bridge, the Doomed Glacier Expedition, and the parting of the Red Sea, just to name a few. All of these moments offered guests what he called a “JayBang”: the moment when guests feel something (scared, excited, thrilled), or experience something unexpected (getting sprayed with water or feeling the heat from a fire effect). Every attraction that crossed his desk had the number of JayBangs on the cover page, and was a huge deciding factor as to which projects were green-lit. 

With the additions of these thrilling attractions, attendance for the tram surged. Guests were excited to learn how movies were made. Universal realized they had something bigger than a studio tour — they had an entertainment product!
Jay was soon promoted to be an MCA vice president — one of the youngest in company history.
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Ambition Beyond the Backlot

Jay continued expanding Universal’s footprint:

• He created the concept that eventually led to the Universal Amphitheater.
• He developed ideas for Rockplex — a project whose DNA later became CityWalk.
• He helped buy Minibus – the company that provided the first version of studio trams. He rebranded Minibus into Landmark Services, more popularly known as Tourmobile, which became the largest sightseeing company in the U.S., scoring a deal with the National Parks Service to provide trams for tours around Washington D.C. for over 40 years. MCA collected 93% of the ticket sales of these tours from 1969 until Tom Mack purchased the division in 1981.
• Outside the parks, he negotiated — on a handshake — the purchase of Yosemite’s concessions business, turning it into the national park system’s most profitable operation. This would also become a subsidiary company of MCA.

Every one of these moves reflected Jay’s instinct. He had really big ideas, and he knew how to execute them with the right teams.
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Building Universal Studios Florida

By the mid-1980s, Jay saw the next frontier: Florida.

Disney had Walt Disney World, and Jay believed Universal could offer something different — not “a tour,” but a theme park where guests lived inside the movies.
To convince MCA to greenlight the project, he knew he needed one thing: Steven Spielberg.

Jay and Spielberg had mutual respect from when they brought Jaws to the studio tour in 1976. Jay asked Spielberg to join the project as Creative Consultant, and Spielberg’s support was the credibility MCA needed. Spielberg sketched scenes, edited scripts, and pushed for authenticity; Jay translated those ideas into attractions.

Then came the twist: Disney (allegedly) caught wind of Universal’s plans and accelerated their own “studio park” for what became Disney-MGM Studios.

Jay was furious about the leak, and was ready to sue — but Spielberg urged him to focus on creativity, not courtrooms. Jay redirected that fire into building something bigger, better, and far more immersive.

And many would agree that he did.
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Opening Day & Massive Success

On June 7, 1990, Universal Studios Florida opened — the first park ever built around the idea of “ride the movies” – a phrase coined by Spielberg himself.
Attractions put guests in the middle of cinematic chaos with attractions like Kongfrontation, Earthquake: The Big One, E.T. Adventure, Jaws, and within a year, Back to the Future: The Ride.

Jay personally selected the park’s leadership and even replaced the president weeks before opening to ensure the park would meet his standards.

Opening day had challenges, but the first full year proved Jay’s vision right: the park had 6 million guests, beating Disney-MGM Studios, and 80% of surveyed visitors preferred Universal’s studio park over Disney’s. Universal had set new standards for cinematic storytelling in theme parks from that point forward. 

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The Industry Shift: Out-Disneying Disney

Jay respected Disney — but he wasn’t trying to be Disney. He wanted to surpass them by doing what Disney didn’t: delivering physical experiences.
While Disney aimed for wonder, charm, and family-friendly experiences, Jay aimed for intensity and geared to a more adult audience.

The result was an industry shift. Universal embraced fire, water, explosions, motion simulators, and high-impact show scenes. Disney responded with its own cinematic, thrill-oriented attractions. It’s been said that Imagineers touring Universal would later tell colleagues, “We can do that too.” The ripple effect of Jay’s approach is still visible today: from Indiana Jones Adventure to Rise of the Resistance, every attraction that blends storytelling with physical impact owes something to Jay Stein.
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Mentorship, Leadership, & Universal’s Future

In 1989, Jay renamed the Planning & Development Team to Universal Creative. Mark Woodbury — who later led Universal Creative — often called Jay his greatest teacher.
Jay retired in 1993 at age 55, leaving behind: a thriving Orlando resort, a blueprint for a second gate (later known as Islands of Adventure), a creative philosophy centered on reinvesting in guests, and a generation of leaders shaped by his mentorship.

And even now, Universal’s biggest successes, including the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, VelociCoaster at Islands of Adventure, and now Epic Universe, all echo Jay’s guiding principle:

Surprise them. Thrill them. Make them feel something.
Give them a JayBang.
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His Legacy Lives in the Parks…or Does It?

At Universal Studios Florida, in the New York section of the park, there’s a subtle tribute that fans walk by every day:

“I. Stein & Co.” 

It’s on the corner to the left of the Mummy attraction and Macy’s façade, and to the right of the Jimmy Fallon: Race through New York attraction. As of recording in 2025, construction is currently happening in this area as they tear down Rip Ride Rocket and replace it with a new coaster. 

The I. Stein & Co building is often used as the façade for the Tribute Store, and themed buildings can sometimes cover the entrance.

Even though it says “I. Stein & Co”, and not “J. Stein”, I would like to believe that that this honors Jay Stein himself, or at the very least, Dr. Jules Stein, the founder of MCA. We were unable to find anything online confirming or denying what this name is in relation to, and we have not found any other tributes around the parks honoring him. If you know of any details – we’d love to hear from you! Come share with us on our private Facebook Group: Where In The Park Explorers.
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Closing Reflection

Jay Stein passed away on November 7th, 2025, at age 88.

He was demanding, relentless, and brilliant…And he changed theme parks forever.
Sam Gennawey ends his book JayBangs with this line:

“That is the Universal difference. That is Jay Stein.”

So, the next time you’re in a Universal park and an attraction makes your heart jump, your stomach flip, or your jaw drop — take a moment to thank Jay Stein.
He’s the reason the movies don’t just stay on the screen. 

We ride them.

We hope that you discovered something new about Jay Stein, or maybe you’re just hearing his name for the first time, and now have a deeper appreciation for his work and Universal Studios as a whole. We’d love to hear your thoughts about this episode, or maybe your favorite moments of the Tram Tour – past or present! Connect with us over on our private Facebook group: Where In The Park Explorers. 

Articles Referenced:

• Flickr - Wally Gobetz - Arlington National Cemetery Tourmobile
• Gennawey, Sam. JayBangs: How Jay Stein, MCA, & Universal Invented the Modern Theme Park and Beat Disney at Its Own Game. Theme Park Press, 2016. (Affiliate Link)
• Inside Universal - Former Universal Executive Jay Stein Passes Away at Age 87
• Los Angeles Times - How the Universal Studios Tram Tour Defined the Modern Theme Park
• NBC 4 Washington. Lydia DePillis. The Never-Ending Tourmobile. 7/28/2011
• WESH - Man Who Helped Create Universal Studios Florida Dies
• WDWNT - Department Store Facade at 2022 Holiday Tribute Store