#PeopleFirst Friday: Andrew Stilwell
It was his first ride on the Incredible Hulk Coaster at Universal’s Islands of Adventure that caused Business Communications Manager Andrew Stilwell to become a “roller coaster enthusiast.”
“Ever since that ride, I developed this almost weird desire to consume as much knowledge about roller coasters as possible,” he said. “At one point, I wanted to grow up and design roller coasters, but then I realized that math and physics weren’t for me.”
Over the years, the passion for roller coasters continued to grow, but it wasn’t until after college that Stilwell, who minored in Creative Writing at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, found a way to truly connect with his passion – by becoming a writer for the theme park news website Coaster101.com.
“I had always enjoyed writing, and always loved roller coasters, and when Coaster101 was looking for writers, it felt like the perfect opportunity to marry the two passions and give myself a creative outlet that I was lacking,” Stilwell recalled.
Since joining Coaster101 in 2013, which he fondly refers to as his “unpaid side hustle,” Stilwell has been able to cover new ride construction and openings, interview a “who’s who” of major players in the amusement industry, and travel across the United States and continue to ride as many “new-to-him” roller coasters as possible – a lifetime total that is just shy of 300 as of this writing. (Yes, he keeps track.)
His favorite roller coasters include Fury 325 at Carowinds, VelociCoaster at Universal Orlando, and Mystic Timbers at Kings Island, located just outside of Cincinnati.
More recently, Stilwell has assumed the role as podcast host and producer for Coaster101’s podcast, “The Coaster101 Podcast,” which has amassed nearly 150 episodes since its start in June 2020.
“When I started at Coaster101, a podcast wasn’t even on my radar, but during COVID, it was something to do, and for some reason I’ve stuck with it.” he said. “It’s wild to me that a few hundred people listen to my thoughts on roller coasters and the industry every week.”
He notes that Coaster101 plays a large role in his current role as Business Communications Manager for CSMP.
“Before I got to CSMP, I was more focused on the event management, but I loved getting to tell the stories of amusement parks, roller coasters, and the people behind them, so it was almost a natural progression of sorts” he said. “Theme parks and the event production industry – and what we do at CSMP -- aren’t very dissimilar. There’s always something unique and interesting to talk about.
“I love to be the one who gets to tell those stories.”