SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment Names New Senior Marketing Officers

ORLANDO, Fla., Feb. 9, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment today named Senior Marketing Officers for its SeaWorld and Busch Gardens theme parks.  

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110209/CL45282-a )

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110209/CL45282-b )

Peter Frey, formerly Vice President of Marketing for SeaWorld Orlando, was promoted to Senior Marketing Officer, SeaWorld Brands.  Frey will oversee advertising, promotional marketing, publicity, digital marketing and consumer marketing for SeaWorld parks in Orlando, San Diego and San Antonio, as well as Discovery Cove and Aquatica in Orlando.  Frey joined SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment in 2010 after 14 years at Darden Restaurants, where he managed marketing for the Red Lobster and Olive Garden family restaurant brands.  Frey, who holds a business degree from the University of Florida and an MBA from Stetson University, will report to Dan Brown, Chief Operating Officer for the SeaWorld Brands.  He will work out of the company's Orlando headquarters.  

"Pete has had a great impact on our Orlando parks in just a few short months.  He has keen strategic insights for themed family entertainment," Brown said.  "We are confident that under his leadership these great brands will continue to grow and prosper."

Michael Hartman has been named Senior Marketing Officer, Busch Gardens and Sesame Place.  Hartman held a variety of senior marketing positions in 13 years at PepsiCo, most recently Vice President of Marketing for Pepsi Beverages Company in Somers, N.Y.  In that role Hartman managed marketing for the $2.5 billion non-carbonated beverage portfolio, including Aquafina, Lipton and Gatorade, at the company's No. 1 bottler.  Hartman also headed marketing for Pepsi-QTG Canada and was Vice President, Quaker Snack Bars at Frito-Lay Convenience Foods in Chicago.  Prior to joining Pepsi, he held marketing positions with Colgate-Palmolive, Reckitt Benckiser and Clarion Performance Properties.  Hartman is an honors graduate of the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and holds an MBA from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University.

In his new role, Hartman will oversee marketing programs for Busch Gardens parks in Tampa, Fla. and Williamsburg, Va.; water parks Adventure Island in Tampa and Water Country USA in Williamsburg; and Sesame Place, a Sesame-Street-themed park in Langhorne, Pa. near Philadelphia.  Hartman also will manage corporate marketing functions that support the Busch Gardens brands and Sesame Place.  He will work out of the company's Orlando headquarters and report to Donnie Mills, Chief Operating Officer, Busch Gardens and Sesame Place.  

"We are delighted that Michael will be joining our team.  He brings a tremendous amount of creative energy and experience, and a long record of success in marketing consumer goods and managing some of the world's best known brands," said Mills.  "He is a great addition to our marketing team."

Replacing Frey as Marketing Vice President for SeaWorld Orlando is Toni Caracciolo, formerly the company's corporate head of Brand Management and Advertising.  Caracciolo started her SeaWorld career as a Public Relations Representative in 1990.  She moved into special event management in 1993 and advertising in 2000.  She was chosen to oversee the marketing program for Discovery Cove in 2003 and the company's Aquatica water park was added to her responsibility in 2008.  She was named Corporate Vice President, Brand Management in 2009, a role in which she managed the company's advertising, brand development and media planning.  Caracciolo holds a Bachelor of Science degree in journalism from the University of Central Florida.  

SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, a portfolio company of The Blackstone Group (NYSE: BX), operates 10 parks across the U.S. including SeaWorld parks in Orlando, San Diego and San Antonio; Busch Gardens parks in Tampa, Fla. and Williamsburg, Va.; Discovery Cove and Aquatica in Orlando; Sesame Place near Philadelphia, Pa.; and water parks Adventure Island in Tampa and Water Country USA in Williamsburg.  The 10 parks play host to 23 million guests each year and employ 20,000 people nationwide. For more information, visit SeaWorldParksandEntertainment.com.  

SOURCE SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment