Mike Aiello on Jaws, Halloween Horror Nights, and 30 Years at Universal (Ep. 57)

Jim Hill and Eric Hersey welcome Universal Creative’s Mike Aiello for a special episode celebrating the 50th anniversary of Jaws and his own 30-year journey with the parks. From working as a teenage skipper on the iconic attraction to helping shape Halloween Horror Nights and Epic Universe, Mike shares stories of theme park transformation, Spielberg fandom, and why he always tries to sneak Bruce the Shark into his projects. Plus, Jim and Eric cover the latest on Halloween Horror Nights 34 and the mysterious Vegas haunt getting ready to open.

• Mike Aiello’s origin story—from hard hats at Mel’s Diner to Universal Creative
• What it was like to skipper Jaws the Ride 88 times a day
• How a scareactor role led to decades of Halloween Horror Nights magic
• Halloween Horror Nights’ gothic theme and original house reveals
• The new “cool zone” inside the old Sinbad Theater
• Why Jaws still scares—and what Spielberg got right by leaving it alone

From creative tributes to personal milestones, it’s a heartfelt and fang-filled conversation with one of Universal’s biggest fans turned insider.

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