BRC Imagination Arts Announces Completion of a Long-planned Ownership Transition
Founder Bob Rogers will remain involved while BRC’s long-standing leadership team takes formal control of the company.
BRC Imagination Arts has completed a long-planned leadership transition that keeps the company independent and rooted in its story-driven experience design legacy. Founder Bob Rogers has transitioned ownership to Carmel Lewis, President; Christian Lachel, Chief Creative Officer; Brad Shelton, Vice President of Story and Creative; and Matthew Solari, Vice President of Story and Creative.
For Rogers, the BRC leadership transition is not a sudden change. Instead, it recognizes the leadership the four have provided for some time. “I’m especially proud, as are all of us at BRC, to be working alongside the co-owner team that has been leading this company,” he says. “Between them they have over a century of experience at BRC. For some time they have been running the company day to day, so this important step is more of an acknowledgment of something that has already been successfully happening. Our commitment to BRC’s values and story-driven craft, our Magic with Heart, continues. And it is a real joy that these four, who have honed their distinct but complementary skillsets alongside one another for decades, share a deep respect and admiration for what each brings to the partnership.”
The transition follows a plan that Rogers developed over the last 15 years. In addition, it fulfills a public commitment BRC made in 2022, when the company shared its plan to evolve leadership from within rather than through a sale to an outside entity. As a result, the move supports stability, continuity, and the values that have shaped the BRC brand.
A People-First Philosophy, Carried Forward
Bob Rogers, a former Disneyland magician and Imagineer, founded BRC 45 years ago. His understanding of audiences became the foundation of the company. That belief, that every great experience begins deep in the heart of the audience, has guided BRC’s work across hundreds of projects. Moreover, Rogers will publish his forthcoming book, Deep Story™, on September 8, 2026. The book will share BRC’s story-driven philosophy with the wider industry.
This approach continues to guide the leadership team. Lachel has spent decades turning storymaking into a discipline built on craft and human understanding. Lewis has been central to BRC’s leadership for more than 25 years. Meanwhile, Shelton and Solari have helped deliver some of BRC’s most significant projects across brand, culture, and entertainment.
“BRC has always been a people-first company,” says Lachel. “It is how we work, how we treat each other, and how we treat the clients who trust us with their most ambitious projects. Bob built that culture, and it is an honor for us to carry it forward. Story, magic and craft stay at the heart of everything we do.”
Lewis adds: “One mark of distinction at BRC is the relationships, with each other, with our clients, with the work itself. We sit down and eat together. We solve challenges together. We share a deeply rooted passion for our clients and the teams who contribute and support every aspect of BRC and the projects we create for audiences around the world.”
Proudly Independent
BRC has remained independent since Bob Rogers founded the company. As a result, this BRC leadership transition protects the company’s freedom to make decisions around the work, the audience, and each client relationship. “Independence has always given BRC the freedom to do what is best for our clients, to make decisions based on what the work needs and what audiences deserve, without compromise,” says Lachel.
Shelton, who has spent more than two decades at the company, also emphasized the importance of trust. “The relationships we have with clients have been built over generations of doing work with purpose, integrity and a commitment to excellence. That trust deserves to be honored, and it will be. Nothing about how we approach a project changes.”
Magic with Heart
Magic with Heart is BRC’s organizing philosophy. Moreover, it brings imagination and precision together. As a result, the work can move people emotionally while also delivering measurable results. For Rogers, the transition is a clear example of that philosophy in action. “With this announcement, BRC is embracing the people-first values that have always been at the center of everything we do and create. BRC is walking the walk. The fact we are transitioning leadership to our internal team members rather than an outside organization is a living example of our commitment to Magic with Heart.”
Shelton adds that this continuity matters for audiences. “What BRC does every day is create moments of awe and genuine connection. The real magic is in our ability to bring people together around a story. This transition makes possible the continuity that allows us to keep doing this work, at this standard, with this team.”
Solari adds: “To create those moments takes Deep Story. It takes craft, precision, and the sense of enchantment that has always been BRC’s signature. With this transition, we carry that forward.”
What Comes Next
As the company moves forward, the BRC leadership transition continues to build on strong momentum. “We chose to make this announcement now because BRC is in a strong and confident position,” says Lachel. “The transition and the momentum are not separate stories. They are the same one.”
Recently, BRC received WXO’s Experience Team of the Year Award. The honor recognizes the strong standard of work the team continues to deliver. In addition, new experiences for Horse Soldier Farms and Hoover Presidential Museum are planned for the coming months. The company’s growing portfolio spans cultural attractions, brand destinations, and major events worldwide.
Meanwhile, founder Bob Rogers will remain an active and central presence at BRC. In addition, he will continue to serve as an advocate for the company, both outward facing and within the organization. Deep Story™ will be published on September 8. In addition, Rogers will continue to speak at industry conferences. He will also write about experience design and advise BRC on story and creative philosophy.
“I remain deeply engaged with BRC, consulting on story and the creative personality of the place,” he says. “And I’m thrilled to get our methodology out into the public through Deep Story. The important work continues as our industry and BRC look toward the future. And we’re excited by what we see.”