New CEO's Theme for Six Flags Is Change

New Six Flags chief executive Mark Shapiro, a Dan Snyder recruit, says the park must offer more than rides. (By Jahi Chikwendiu -- The Washington Post)

Mark Shapiro has been chief executive of Six Flags for a little over 24 hours, and already the ideas are flying. He's talking about collaborating with Microsoft on creating an Xbox "village." Maybe he'll ask "Nightmare on Elm Street" creator Wes Craven to design a haunted house for the chain's 29 theme parks.

Only a day earlier, Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein -- along with former vice presidential candidate Jack Kemp and big-time media consultant Michael Kassan -- joined the Six Flags board.

Shapiro and Redskins owner Daniel Snyder were voted on to the board on Dec. 1, after winning a three-month campaign for the support of Six Flags' shareholders. They had promised change if they succeeded in taking over the nation's second-largest theme park company. And change apparently is coming quickly.

Everything is up for review: The parks. Ad campaign star "Mr. Six." Even the sort of giant roller coasters Six Flags built its brand on.

And that's where the Xbox and Wes Craven come in.

"This industry relies too much on big rides. We have to diversify," Shapiro, who was recruited by Snyder to run Six Flags, said in an interview yesterday. "We have to focus on more concerts and more themed attractions."

Since launching his effort to gain control of Six Flags, Snyder has talked of perhaps using it to build an entertainment company. And Tuesday's board appointments lent further support to that ambition.

Harvey Weinstein and his brother Bob recently launched their own movie studio, the Weinstein Co., after breaking away from Walt Disney Co. last year.

Kassan, who described himself as "a big fan of Dan Snyder and an old friend," is a veteran media buyer and has previously bought advertising for Walt Disney Co. and for Six Flags.

Kemp now heads his own consulting firm in Washington and sits on several corporate boards.

The new board members bring relevant experience and, just as importantly, fat Rolodexes, which provided some inspiration for Shapiro. Craven, for example, directed all three "Scream" films, which were produced by Dimension Films, the offshoot of Bob and Harvey Weinstein's Miramax production company.

The Xbox is made by Microsoft, whose chairman, Bill Gates, is a major investor in Six Flags.