Brandon Kleyla

Brandon Kleyla has been a part of the entertainment business since he first stepped on stage at 6 years old. Over the past 30 years, he’s been an actor, writer, director and everything in between. He’s been involved with cult classic horror franchises, portraying Josiah in Children of the Corn IV; Oscar winning films such as Gods and Monsters, portraying young James Whale; and after 15 years in Films, he switched direction and ended up in the world of Themed Entertainment.

He works great under pressure and loves short deadlines. As Tony Baxter once said when he first saw that Brandon had gotten a job at Walt Disney Imagineering, “oh, someone let the cat in,” proving his persistence and dedication often pays off. During his 8 years at WDI he worked on more than 30 different attractions worldwide in many different aspects including Set Decoration and Art Direction, resulting in a total of 6 THEA Awards for Outstanding Achievement. He’s proudest of his work to bring the Trader Sam’s brand to life, on both west and east coast, as decorator/writer/show director.

He was chosen as part of the 2023 Blooloop Top 50 Theme Park Influencers List.

“Brandon has an incredible passion for the work he does. His vision is unparalleled in this industry. His innovation and keen eye for aesthetics are an unbeatable combo when it comes to bringing his worlds to life. Brandon has been working tirelessly to create some of the best, in-universe park experiences currently on the planet. His work contains depths and multitudes that draw the visitors back for more every time. I have never seen someone with as much passion, dedication and vision as he brings to the table every day.”
- Blooloop Top 50 Theme Park Influencer Nomination

Brandon has spent the past 8 years at Universal Creative, having gone from Manager, props on WaterWorld for Universal Beijing, to Art Director for Dark Universe at Epic Universe, to his current role as Creative Director on an exciting unannounced upcoming project.

When not at work, he’s found every weekend at a theme park with his daughter, watching it all through her eyes and looking at theme park design under a new lens.