April Warren

Operations Manager for the Los Angeles office of Prism Systems

Education: B.A. in Theatre, UNC Charlotte (2000)
Degree Digital Animation and Visual Effects, (DAVE) School (2004)
ME Engineering Management, UC Boulder (2026)

Hometown: Lake Mary, FL

April Warren is currently the Operations Manager for the Los Angeles office of Prism Systems, which works with the major players in themed entertainment as systems and software engineers. 

However, this was not the original career path April saw for herself. She found an interest in theatre while she was in high school and decided to study it at UNC Charlotte, pursuing theatre education at a time when all the arts disciplines were housed in the Rowe Arts building.

“Rowe Arts will always hold a special place in my heart,” she says. “Many lifelong friendships and memories were made in those halls.”

After graduating, April taught theatre for a Charlotte nonprofit and then in a public school. But before long, her theatre training became a gateway into different and exciting worlds. 

April started working in film early in her career, using every aspect of her education from UNC Charlotte, she says, including set design. One connection led to another, and she has since worked on many high-profile movies, including the first Avatar film (2009), where she worked closely with writer/director James Cameron on the design of Pandora. Her broad skillset especially came in handy for the live action film The Jungle Book (2016), for which she puppeteered Mowgli’s mother while also running a 50-person visual effects crew behind the scenes.

Her experience working with Disney movies then led April to work on numerous Disney theme park rides. Among the most exciting of her adventures: she animated the ride vehicles and the droids piloting them for “Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance” at both Disneyland and Walt Disney World. 

“Be a lifelong learner,” she advises current students. “The more diverse your skillset is and your life experience, the more you will have the special ability to put together ideas in ways no one else has been able to before.” 

April has remained in the theme park business and now runs the Los Angeles office of Prism Systems, a multifaceted automation and engineering company that serves theme parks both nationally and internationally. She is completing a graduate degree in engineering management.

“Never think that you are done learning,” she says. “There is always something new to explore.”