100 Episodes In, Still Sneaking Into Universal (Ep. 100)

The Jim Hill Media Podcast Network

Jim Hill Media Podcast Network

Tv & Film, Society & Culture, Places & Travel

4.7 • 1.5K Ratings

🗓️ 24 April 2026

⏱️ 58 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Jim Hill and Eric Hersey celebrate their 100th episode of the Epic Universal Podcast with listener reviews, a surprise surprisingly heartfelt message from the Broadway cast of Wicked, and a look at the latest developments at Epic Universe. They break down how new facial recognition technology may shape guest flow, explore what annual passes could mean for crowd levels, and recap Universal’s recent CinemaCon reveals. Then Jim delivers a standout story tracing how Walt Disney’s early, unauthorized visits to Universal Studios helped inspire the creation of Disneyland. NEWS• Epic Universe confirms facial recognition will be used to manage land capacity• Ongoing speculation about annual passes and attendance strategy for Epic Universe• Universal previews upcoming films at CinemaCon including Disclosure Day and The Odyssey• Universal Orlando Resort rolls out special Mother’s Day dining experiences FEATURE• The origin story of Herbie Ryman’s iconic Disneyland concept artwork• Walt Disney’s early ambitions as a live-action filmmaker in Hollywood• How Walt secretly explored Universal’s backlot using a fake business card• The influence of Universal Studios’ layout on Disneyland’s design philosophy• Roy Disney’s surprisingly calm contingency plan if Disneyland failed HOSTS Jim Hill – X/Twitter: @JimHillMedia, Instagram: @JimHillMedia Eric Hersey – X/Twitter: @erichersey, Instagram: @erichersey FOLLOW Facebook: @JimHillMediaNews YouTube: @jimhillmedia TikTok: @jimhillmedia SUPPORT Support the show and access bonus episodes and additional content at ⁠https://www.patreon.com/jimhillmedia⁠ PRODUCTION CREDITS Edited by Dave Grey Produced by Eric Hersey - ⁠https://strongmindedagency.com⁠ SPONSOR Save on your next Universal or Disney vacation with and enjoy exclusive discounts on tickets and Express Pass options. If you would like to sponsor a show on the Jim Hill Media Podcast Network, reach out today. ⁠https://www.jimhillmedia.com/sponsor/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	This is your latest project.
0:02.0	It's heavy with information, data, and exactly 36 pages of waffle.
0:09.0	But with Acrobat Studio, you can create a PDF space,
0:13.0	an AI-powered workspace that turns documents into summaries and insights
0:17.0	and even generates reports or presentations out of it.
0:24.8	So you can cut through the waffle, work smarter, and save time.
0:26.6	Do that with Acrobat.
0:29.7	Learn more and try it out on Adobe.com.
0:33.1	Welcome back to the Epic Universal Podcast.
0:41.3	I'm entertainment writer Jim Hill, and this is the podcast where we discuss the latest Universal News, Rumors, and History.
0:48.2	And as always, I'm joined by Eric Hersey, and we've now done this a hundred times, Eric.
0:50.3	Ah, can you believe it, Jim?
0:51.8	Kept me around.
0:55.7	I didn't get shied off by all the people that weren't quite happy that I didn't go to Universal for the first, what, 25 episodes. We made it. We made it. And by the way,
1:03.8	we got a special little bit of recognition, which, by the way, again, you remember with this podcast, folks,
1:14.4	we are contractually obligated to talk about Wicked at some point during the course of the show.
1:20.1	But this is kind of a different thing for Wicked, Eric.
1:24.3	Got this note.
1:27.5	Congratulations on your 100th podcast from the Broadway cast of Wicked.
1:35.0	No way.
1:35.7	There we go.
1:36.8	A cast member reached out, and this is the message he wanted to share with the
	...

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