Once Upon an Island
Mermaid and princess adventures launch on Balboa Island with one goal: intimate character experiences that bring stories to life. Imagination takes flight in a setting unlike anything families have ever seen.
About us
The company behind
the magic.
Once Upon an Island is an experiential entertainment company in the business of world-building — three distinct concepts conceived, built and profitably operated in Newport Beach, a fifty-plus professional team trained in-house, and more than ten thousand celebrations since 2015.
Our founder’s story
One family. Three worlds. A whole lot of love.
Our founder, Heather, grew up inside the magic. Her first job — from sixteen to twenty-one — was portraying princess characters at Disneyland. From there the story only got bigger: Disneyland Paris, entertaining aboard cruise lines around the world, and a film and television career with box-office hits to her name.
But her true love always circled back to those moments with children at Disney. Her only complaint? There was never enough time. Every magical meeting was hurried along by the next family in line.
So she built Once Upon an Island — a place where children are never rushed.
Where a shy kid (like she was) has all the time in the world to warm up. Where it isn’t just photos, it’s play. Today it’s still a family-owned business — and when you walk through our doors, no matter the location, you’ll feel it right away: we just get it. Those moments that live in your head, the things you’ve always wished for your littles — we made sure it’s all here. Why? Because we’re moms too. Every hidden fairy door, shimmering tail and treasure map was dreamed up first with our own children in mind, then built to share with yours.
And none of it happens alone. Behind every world is an incredible creative team — artists, performers and storytellers who pour real heart into every detail. Because this has never been just a business. It’s a collection of worlds, perfected the way only a parent would.
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2015
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2020
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2025
Once Upon a Christmas
Boldly opens in the middle of a pandemic to serve one truth — Santa should know your kids, and you shouldn’t have to watch a Christmas movie to get in the spirit. You should get to walk inside one: wardrobes, talking reindeer, magical portals and the North Pole itself.
Mermaid Cove
An express, accessible version of the magic launches at Wild Rivers water park and then the Balboa Fun Zone — our core experience packed into a small-but-mighty transformation, proving magic can happen on any timeframe.
We can’t wait to welcome your family into ours.
— Heather, Founder of Once Upon an Island
Behind the magic.
Wonder is the part families see. Behind it is an experiential entertainment company in the business of world-building — profitably, repeatedly, and at operating standards most of this industry never reaches.
We have not run one idea in three places. We have conceived, designed, built, launched and profitably operated three distinct entertainment concepts: Once Upon an Island, our flagship immersive destination; Once Upon a Christmas, a seasonal world that has sold out seven consecutive years; and Mermaid Cove, an express-format experience proven both on Newport’s family boardwalk and inside a corporately owned water park. Every world was imagined and built alongside world-renowned set designers and creatives — then staffed, operated and systemized entirely in-house.
Powering them is a team of more than fifty professionals trained through our own professionally developed programs — character performance, where our cast is among the most highly regarded in Southern California, alongside expert hospitality, sales, videography and social media, wig artistry and costuming — every department documented and consistent across every location. In a niche where character-entertainment companies typically last three to five years, we are marking our twelfth. Female-founded, family-run, and expanded straight through a pandemic. News outlets come to us. Celebrities come to us. And after ten thousand celebrations, our reputation remains what it was on day one: five stars, and fiercely protected.
Leadership.
Worlds this detailed are not run by luck. Meet the team behind the systems, the standards and the magic.
Founder
Heather Sossman Burbich
Former Disneyland princess turned world-builder — founder of all three concepts and architect of the company’s in-house training programs.
Operations Director
Alison Wright
A veteran of fine dining and luxury hospitality leadership, Alison brings white-glove standards to every world — the reason parents are cared for as thoughtfully as their children.
Sales & Marketing Director
Brad Burbich
Eighteen years of B2B sales leadership behind the company’s growth, brand reach and partnership strategy.
Fractional CFO
Regina Miranda
Leads financial planning and forecasting for the company — the discipline behind every new world we build.
Head of Wig Design
Shelli Kenney
More than a decade designing entertainment wigs at Disneyland — Shelli brings theme-park-caliber artistry to every character in our worlds.
Head of Costume Design
Megan Boiling
Designs and maintains the wardrobe of every world — the gowns and character costumes families routinely compare to Disney’s own.
Come see for yourself