Entertainment and Leisure Industry Veteran Steve Donnelly Tapped to Lead RWS Entertainment Group’s London Office - RWS Entertainment Group

With a broad range of creative, operations and development experience, Donnelly will expand RWS Entertainment Group’s turn-key operations throughout Europe, the Middle East and Asia

NEW YORK and LONDON – September 23, 2021 – RWS Entertainment Group, the world’s largest full-service live entertainment production company, proudly announces the appointment of leisure industry veteran Steve Donnelly to the role of Director, EMEA and head of the firm’s European headquarters. Opened in March 2020, the London headquarters of RWS provides a European base for the company’s growing international presence.

For more than 15 years, Steve has thrilled audiences and employers delivering live entertainment and experiences for resorts, theaters, cruise lines and theme parks. Steve has led overall concept development, planning, artistic delivery and operational implementation for leisure organizations including TUI, Karisma Resorts, Bourne Leisure, Sri Lankan Airlines, Away Resorts and Historic England.

“Bringing on Steve Donnelly to head our EMEA operations provides the executive leadership needed to continue our international growth,” said RWS Entertainment Group CEO Ryan Stana. “His experience across all phases of production, from concept to curtain, as well as his P&L and capital expansion expertise, provide a strong foundation for our team of designers, production managers, technicians and performers.”

In his new role with RWS, Steve will oversee the development and expansion of experiential operations, raising the guest experience through all touchpoints in the theme park, cruise, and attractions industry.

“For more than two decades Steve has been an innovative, creative leader in the UK leisure landscape,” added Ryan. “As the largest global provider of entertainment experiences, RWS is thrilled to welcome him to our team of mold breakers.”

About The Experience Department (ted)


Founded in 2000, The Experience Department (ted) is part of RWS Entertainment Group, the world’s largest leisure and attraction experience provider. Specialising in theatre, cruise, travel, resort and retail, ted leverages a vast knowledge of multiple industries across six internal departments: guest acts, production, technical, fitness & wellbeing, merchandise and music & media. The ted team’s capabilities extend from creative character development and custom-made merchandise to original music scores and set fabrication.

Offering a wealth of design and production expertise; a global talent pool of more than 8,000 world-class creators, artists, musicians, trainers and technicians; and the entertainment industries’ most modern studios, ted ensures that for every project and every client, everything is tailor-made.

With a global client base, operations in 50 countries and offices in 4 countries, there is a ted team member delivering spectacular experiences at a resort, on a cruise ship, as part of a technical trade event, in a branded-themed retail shop or at a sunrise yoga class in every corner of the world. By delivering a 360-degree experience design, ted has delighted such clients as Bourne Leisure, TUI Group, Marella Cruises, Roompot, David Lloyd Clubs, Away Resorts and Hoburne.

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About RWS Entertainment Group


RWS Entertainment Group is a global, Emmy Award-winning experience company with headquarters in New York, London and Cincinnati. Together with its subsidiaries, RWS designs, fabricates, installs and operates custom entertainment, live events, exhibits, destinations, décor and branded attractions. On land, at sea, and everywhere in between, RWS produces over 500 live experiences and employs over 8,000 performers and technicians annually.

Founded in 2003, RWS operates the largest live production facility in New York City, which includes 56,000 square feet of office space, a rehearsal studio complex and performer housing. RWS properties include Binder Casting serving the stage, film and commercial markets; RWS Décor Products and RWS Leased Experiences.

In 2021, RWS acquired JRA, an award-winning creative studio providing master planning, writing and content development, attraction/exhibit planning and design, graphic design, executive media production, art direction and project management. In 2022, RWS acquired ted, Europe’s largest leisure entertainment experience company. Specializing in theatre, cruise, travel, resort and retail, ted leverages a vast knowledge of multiple industries across six internal departments: guest acts, production, technical, merchandise, fitness & wellbeing and music & media.

RWS Entertainment Group and its subsidiaries have supplied groundbreaking productions for an impressive roster of clients that includes Warner Bros., Lionsgate, The Coca-Cola Company, Apple, Disney, O, the Oprah Magazine, Vera Wang, Azamara, MSC Cruises, Virgin Voyages, Hard Rock Resorts, Iberostar Hotels & Resorts, Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, Europa-Park Resort, Paultons Park, Marella Cruises, TUI Group, Roompot, Bourne Leisure, Six Flags, Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, Science Centre Singapore, Space Center Houston, Original X Productions, Crayola, Hershey’s and many more.

Follow RWS Entertainment Group on FacebookInstagram, and LinkedIn, JRA on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn and ted on Facebook and Instagram.