1/1/2023 0 Comments Sea world tidal pools![]() ![]() Anything we do is not going to please them. Though first-quarter attendance for the parks as a whole was slightly up, according to reports released in May, Lum knows there’s a lot of work to be done to appeal in new ways to a mainstream audience. Just weeks later, SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment CEO Joel Manby announced the San Antonio and Orlando parks would join San Diego in ending their killer whale breeding and changing their signature theatrical shows to become more “animal-experience” focused. In February, about a week before Lum was announced as the new president, the park made headlines when a dolphin died, marking the fourth death of an animal in San Antonio in less than two years. San Antonio is still dealing with the backlash. SeaWorld’s stock price never recovered from the blow, trading this spring at about half its pre- Blackfish value. ![]() The SeaWorld brand has faced intense scrutiny since the 2013 release of the documentary Blackfish, which tells the story of a trainer who was killed by one of the Orlando park’s captive killer whales. Now, he faces his biggest assignment: reinventing SeaWorld San Antonio. In his nearly 20 years with the company, Lum has been the guy who takes on big projects, sees opportunities and finds solutions. In the five months since Lum transitioned from leading Busch Gardens Williamsburg to replace Dan Decker as president of SeaWorld San Antonio (both are owned by SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment), he’s been thinking a lot about what needs to change. He gestures to the huge, multicolored fin that decorates one side and the two large monitors. He points to the large, oval-shaped pool, long used for the killer whale shows. In a relaxed tone of voice, he talks through the changes that are coming. He has a commanding presence-tall with broad shoulders-but with his unassuming polo shirt and khaki slacks he looks like any other employee. ![]() Carl Lum stands near the bottom of Shamu Stadium, close to the pool, and looks out at the arena. ![]()
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