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Welcome to LEGO Land

After graduating from the UA in 1998 with a communications degree, Walker McBride worked for a few months in Mexico, parking cars for a living. Though it was "better than any type of grad school," he soon decided it was time to start a career.

That decision led him to LEGOLAND, where he began a career in more than just architecture.

"I was part of the inaugural staff at LEGOLAND. I opened a ride and organized a movie premiere in just a year of working there," said McBride, a communications coordinator for the park.

He also works on media outreach and the creative process involved with making LEGOLAND successful.

"I worked with 20th Century Fox on the movie screening for 'Bartok,' a sequel to 'Anastasia,'" he said.

When LEGOLAND celebrated its first anniversary last March, McBride helped coordinate appearances by Rob Lowe, Shaquille O'Neal and Bill Gates to dedicate their stars on the LEGO Wall of Fame.

The theme park is just 30 miles north of San Diego, without the annoyances of cartoon mice or oversized marine animals.

"Southern California is theme park rich," said McBride. "Our niche is that we're 30 minutes from San Diego and an hour and a half from Los Angeles, we are not directly competing."

While LEGOLAND is aimed to 2- to 12-year-olds, McBride said young adults who remember playing with LEGO bricks can find a nostalgic appeal in the park.

"Kids and adults appreciate it for different things," he said. "There's the comparative value, versus, 'wow, that's made of LEGO bricks.'"